Media clips

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• Federal Judge Denies Motion to Block DOGE’s Access to Labor Department Systems

  The plaintiffs include the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, and the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank based in Washington.

  NTD February 10, 2025
• Legal battles ensue as Musk’s DOGE pushes government cuts

  On Wednesday, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations along with other unions and the Economic Policy Institute filed a lawsuit to prevent DOGE from accessing information systems of the federal Labor Department.

  Deutsche Welle February 10, 2025
• How taxpayer money is funding private religious schools

  Resources:

  Economic Policy Institute: How Vouchers Harm Public Schools

  KALW San Francisco February 10, 2025
• Tariffs Helped a South Carolina Town. They Left American Shoppers Worse Off.

  American manufacturing jobs generally aren’t as attractive as they were decades ago, partly because the erosion of unions has led to lower wages and fewer benefits, said Adam S. Hersh, an economist at the liberal-leaning nonprofit Economic Policy Institute. Manufacturing salaries today are 7.4% lower on average than private sector wages; in 1980, they were 3.8% higher, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  “These jobs don’t provide a clear path to the middle class like they once did,” Hersh said. 

  Wall Street Journal February 10, 2025
• Judge Won’t Block DOGE Access To Labor Dept. Data

  Paywall. 

  Law360 February 10, 2025
• Unemployment spiked for Black men in January as more joined the labor force

  While the spike in unemployment rate for Black male workers certainly looks alarming on the surface, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics made some changes to their population controls and survey tools in January that makes it hard to compare the data to previous months, according to Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute. Gould also potentially attributed the surge to standard data volatility.

  CNBC February 10, 2025
• U.S. added 143,000 jobs in January, unemployment rate dips to 4%

  At the same time, millions of people’s paychecks continue to swell. Average hourly earnings rose 4.1% over the past year, partly thanks to minimum wage hikes that took effect last month in 21 states and dozens of municipalities, noted Mark Hamrick, senior economist at Bankrate. The Economic Policy Institute estimated in December that more than 9.2 million workers would see increases in January totaling $5.7 billion.

  NBC News February 10, 2025
• Judge declines to restrict DOGE’s access to Labor Department systems

  U.S. District Judge John Bates denied the request to issue a temporary restraining order while legal proceedings continue in the court battle brought by six labor unions and the Economic Policy Institute.

  CBS News February 10, 2025
• Federal Workers’ Unions See DOGE-Inspired Surge

  The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, added 5,575 new members in the first six days of February alone, according to union spokesperson Tim Kaufman. By comparison, the union gained 14,996 new members during all of 2024.

  …

  This moment puts public sector unions “at the front lines not just of defending their negotiated contracts and rights but defending the rule of law and democracy itself,” said Jennifer Sherer, a labor advocate who analyzes labor policy at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.

  “It’s not surprising that folks are looking to unions for accurate and timely guidance on the directives that they’re being given,” she added.

  Boston Globe February 10, 2025
• Chico joins protesters across the country in opposition to Trump administration

  The Economic Policy Institute of America reports immigrants are a vital part of the economy and have led to higher wages for American-born residents and immigrants alike. It reports that immigrant workers generated $4.6 trillion dollars for the U.S. economy in 2022.

  North State Public Radio February 10, 2025