Media clips

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• Federal regulators just passed two new worker-friendly rules
  • The final rule would benefit 4.3 million workers, more than half of them women, per an estimate from the progressive Economic Policy Institute. It could result in a transfer of $1.5 billion in pay annually from employers to workers.
  • It’s a win-win for employees, whatever they choose, says Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute, who worked on the Obama administration’s ultimately failed efforts to raise the overtime threshold. “Workers will either get higher pay or they’ll get their time back.”
  Axios April 25, 2024
• Conservatives’ savage child labor agenda wants kids working more for less

  Worse, according to the Economic Policy Institute, this is part of “a coordinated campaign by conservative groups” that are going state-by-state with the ultimate goal of weakening protections at the federal level.

  The Hill April 24, 2024
• 4 Million More Workers Could Be Eligible For Overtime Pay Under New Biden Rule

  The Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, projected that more than half the beneficiaries of the new regulation would be women, and nearly a quarter would be workers of color. The group also argued that automatic increases to the salary threshold were essential to keeping overtime protections robust.

  Heidi Shierholz, EPI’s president, wrote in a blog post that the regulation would give employers more “skin in the game” when they expect employees to work excessive hours. Some employers, she noted, will simply raise workers’ salaries above the new threshold in order to avoid having to deal with overtime pay.

  “As a result, these workers will either get those extra hours back or they will get higher wages when they do work long hours — whether through salary increases or by earning time-and-a-half overtime pay,” Shierholz said.

  Huffpost April 24, 2024
• DOL Issues Final Retirement Security Rule

  Some organizations including the Economic Policy Institute and CFP Board championed the final rule on Tuesday. 

  Plan Adviser April 24, 2024
• Keystone Local Schools release statement amid school bus driver shortage

  According to research by the Economic Policy Institute, school bus driver employment continues to be far below pre-pandemic levels.

  There were approximately 192,400 bus drivers working in K-12 schools at the beginning of this school year in September 2023, which is down 15.1% from September 2019.

  WKYC April 24, 2024
• Childcare facility shares importance and need for more childcare access in South Hillsborough

  Not only is childcare hard to find but it can be expensive. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average annual cost for childcare for a 4-year-old child is a little more than $7,000.

  Bay News 9 April 24, 2024
• ‘Seismic Win for Workers’: FTC Bans Noncompete Clauses

  As Economic Policy Institute (EPI) president Heidi Shierholz explained, “Noncompete agreements are employment provisions that ban workers at one company from working for, or starting, a competing business within a certain period of time after leaving a job.”

  “These agreements are ubiquitous,” she noted, applauding the ban. “EPI research finds that more than 1 out of every 4 private-sector workers—including low-wage workers—are required to enter noncompete agreements as a condition of employment.”

  Common Dreams April 24, 2024
• Millions of New Workers Eligible for Overtime Under DOL Rule (2)

  Ultimately, the rule change will only impact about 3% of the workers who are covered by the FLSA, according to an analysis from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.

  Bloomberg Law April 24, 2024
• Biden administration bans noncompete agreements, setting up legal showdown with business groups

  The rule was hailed by labor groups and left-leaning policy experts.

  “Noncompetes are about reducing competition, full stop. It’s in their name,” said Heidi Shierholz, president of the progressive nonprofit Economic Policy Institute. “Noncompetes are bad for workers, bad for consumers, and bad for the broader economy. This rule is an important step in creating an economy that is not only strong but also works for working people.”

  NBC News April 24, 2024
• Millions more salaried US workers are set to be eligible for overtime pay starting July 1

  Meanwhile, advocates applauded the administration’s rule — with some noting that such a move is overdue. The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute says that the overtime threshold has not been updated properly for almost 50 years — leaving millions without such federal protections.

  “The rule is an important step toward correctly valuing one of the most precious resources workers have — their time,” EPI president Heidi Shierholz said Tuesday. “This rule is an essential milestone in creating a stronger, fairer economy.”

  Associated Press April 24, 2024