Just 10 percent of workers belong to a union, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet 70 percent of Americans approve of labor unions, a figure that’s held steady for years in various polls and involves bipartisan backing. According to the Economic Policy Institute, 60 million workers would join a union if they could.
American Prospect
April 20, 2026
Daniel Costa, director of immigration law and policy research for the Economic Policy Institute, said when adjusted for inflation, wage growth for farmworkers has been almost identical to other low-wage workers. He added farmworker wages, as a share of farm owner profits, have not budged for at least two decades.
“Farmowners see that they can use the significant power that they have politically to try to increase their profits a bit by squeezing this powerless group of workers,” Costa contended.
Public News Service
April 20, 2026
While Schultz claims to prioritize customer satisfaction, that same focus has never been granted to the employees who keep the billion-dollar company in motion. The Economic Policy Institute reported that, as of February 2024, Starbucks had accumulated 771 open or settled cases regarding unfair labor practices.
The Daily UW
April 20, 2026
Speaking to an audience full of Black women at the Hilton Chicago, Stratton addressed the elephant in the room: Black women’s unemployment. According to the Economic Policy Institute, in 2025, Black women saw the largest employment losses compared to Black men, AAPI, Latino, and white women. Most losses resulted from federal job cuts, disproportionately affecting college-educated Black women who worked in the public sector.
The Chicago Sun Times
April 20, 2026
Black women lost 251,000 jobs between January and August last year, and at the height of the summer, we accounted for nearly 55 percent of all female job losses, despite making up just 14 percent of the female workforce. And it’s the women who did everything “right” who got hit the hardest: college-educated Black women saw their employment rate fall 3.5 percentage points in a single year, according to the Economic Policy Institute. These two facts — collapsing employment and collapsing fertility — are treated as separate stories, but they are not.
The Hill
April 20, 2026
There are still about 9.5% fewer school bus drivers than in 2019, which means around 21,200 fewer drivers on the road than before the pandemic, according to a 2025 analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. This isn’t a leftover problem from COVID-19. It’s a bigger, and continual, issue for school districts.
WXOW-TV
April 20, 2026
It has been a conservative priority for decades to convince Americans that the public sector is bloated, inefficient and draining more of society’s resources. It’s clear why this is a priority — conservatives want to lower taxes (particularly for the rich and corporations) but also know that public services are highly valued. If voters can be convinced that the same (or even better) services can be provided with lower taxes if we just discipline our inefficient public sector, then maybe they’ll go along with the conservative drive to cut taxes.
Americans are right to be frustrated that many public services are not delivered as quickly and well as they should be. However, it’s not a bloated and inefficient bureaucracy that is the problem here; instead, it’s a textbook case of “you get what you pay for.” In short, it’s demonstrable disinvestment, not bloat and red tape, that keeps the public sector from delivering the results people want.
Inside Sources (DC Journal)
April 20, 2026
According to data collected by the Economic Policy Institute, childcare for one infant costs more than public college tuition in 38 states. In 17 states and Washington D.C., childcare costs more than rent.
Salon.com
April 20, 2026
Cooper described child care as both a household expense driving financial strain and a barrier to workforce participation. In North Carolina, infant child care averages about $11,000 to $11,700 per year, according to Economic Policy Institute data. This equates to roughly $900 to $1,000 per month, and represents about 12% of the median household income, above the federal affordability benchmark of 7%.
Port City Daily (North Carolina)
April 20, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute reports, “Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that 306,800 workers were involved in 30 major work stoppages in 2025, a 13% increase from 2024.”
The Fulcrum
April 20, 2026