Margaret Poydock, senior policy analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss EPI’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing that 16.5 million workers were represented by a union in 2025, an increase of 463,000 from 2024 and the highest number of unionized workers in 16 years. The growth was broad-based, spanning the private and public sectors, workers of color, young workers and multiple regions of the country, including a surprising surge in the South.
America's Work Force Union Podcast
May 18, 2026
But if you’re a CEO, on the other end of the stick, it’s a pretty long stick. From 1978 to 2018, executive compensation has skyrocketed. If average worker compensation had kept pace with the explosive growth of CEO pay since 1968, the average worker would earn approximately $432 per hour today, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Orlando Sentinel
May 18, 2026
Whether by coincidence or direct effect, the disappearance of diversity is paralleled by the evaporation of jobs for Black people. Start with the federal government. It has long been an employment refuge from discrimination. In fiscal year 2021, Black women accounted for 12 percent of the federal workforce (compared to 6.6 percent of the civilian labor force). But Trump’s massive contraction of the federal government resulted in Black women accounting for 95,000—35 percent—of the 271,000 job losses, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
The American Prospect
May 18, 2026
Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicates that the unemployment rate of recent college graduates has largely outpaced that of the overall labor market. A new report from the Economic Policy Institute now suggests more nuance to the numbers.
While unemployment has slowly increased on all fronts since 2022, most of the workforce – those 25 to 54 years old – “has remained” employed, writes Joe Fast and Elise Gould for the Economic Policy Institute.
The report indicates that overall employment hasn’t necessarily declined, but hiring has, which disproportionately impacts those looking for entry-level positions. Hiring rates have steadily fallen over the past three years, which “appears to be hitting young college graduates more acutely.”
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In the last year, young Black college graduates have also faced a higher unemployment rate than other young people entering the workforce, Valerie Wilson writes for the Economic Policy Institute. The analysis indicates that “Black men’s employment is lower than what was reported in the first quarter of 2025,” and while Black women’s employment remained more consistent than their male counterparts, those levels have also dropped since early-2025 estimates. Together, the data indicates a higher difficulty to find work for non-white or non-AAPI college graduates and lower wages for those who do.
U.S. News & World Report
May 18, 2026
The Atlanta Journal Constitution
May 18, 2026
More than 357,000 Oklahoma workers could see larger paychecks if voters approve State Question 832 this June in what supporters describe as one of the most significant wage votes in Oklahoma history.
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According to research from the Economic Policy Institute, approximately one out of every five wage earners in Oklahoma would benefit directly or indirectly from the proposed wage increases.
Radio Oklahoma News Network
May 18, 2026
I understand salary isn’t everything. But it’s a lot if a young teacher is coming out of college with a $75,000 to $100,000 loan debt. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average starting salary for teachers is 73 cents for every dollar earned by other similarly degreed professions. This “teacher pay penalty” contributes to growing shortage of highly trained professionals willing to take a vow of poverty.
Bleeding Heartland (Iowa)
May 14, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute calculated that Virginia’s public sector employees earn on average 26.7% less than their private sector counterparts with similar education and experience, the second-largest gap in the nation. The research also indicates that Virginia has the fourth-lowest public sector unionization rate in the country.
El Tiempo Latino
May 14, 2026
.. Economic Policy Institute. That has created a sense of urgency among younger workers to find places where they have a better chance of landing a job …
The State
May 14, 2026