“Despite the continued popularity of unions among workers and the public, we have yet to see this momentum translate into substantial increases in the number of workers represented by a union,” read a recent Economic Policy Institute report on the latest BLS union rates. “What is causing this disconnect? Simply put, decades of policy decisions have made it harder for workers to form unions and bargain collectively.”
Truthout
February 23, 2024
In their analysis of the data, also published Wednesday, Margaret Poydock and Jennifer Sherer of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) pointed out that “this is an increase of over 280% from the number of workers involved in major worker stoppages in 2022, which was 120,600. Further, it is on par with the increase seen in pre-pandemic levels during 2018 and 2019.”
Poydock, a senior policy analyst at the think tank, said in a statement that “a surge of workers went on strike in 2023 to fight back against record corporate profits, stratospheric CEO pay, and decades of stagnant wages. From the United Auto Workers to nurses across the country, these strikes provided critical leverage to workers to secure better wages and working conditions.”
Common Dreams
February 23, 2024
According to the left-leaning think tank Economic Policy Institute, at least 30 states have introduced or passed bills to weaken child labor protections since 2021 — and in nine of those states, legislation has been introduced to expand youth employment in hazardous occupations or workplaces.
In this year alone, 11 states have introduced or taken new action on bills to roll back child labor protections in 2024, according to EPI.
ABC News
February 23, 2024
Games also make learning more accessible. According to the Economic Policy Institute, almost two-thirds of the workforce does not have a college degree, and “the last thing an hourly worker wants is to be put in a classroom and feel they’re being taught at,” said Caucci.
C-Store Dive
February 23, 2024
Modern Healthcare
February 23, 2024
Earlier this month the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute argued that the recent proposals targeting state child labor protections are part of “an intentional tactic to generate pressure for subsequently lowering federal standards, reflecting long-standing interests of some industry groups.”
Mountain State Spotlight
February 23, 2024
According to the Economic Policy Institute: “Misleadingly named right-to-work (RTW) laws do not, as some unfamiliar with the term may assume, entail any guarantee of employment for people ready and willing to go to work. Rather, by making it harder for workers’ organizations to sustain themselves financially, state RTW laws aim to undermine unions’ bargaining strength. Because RTW laws lower wages and benefits, weaken workplace protections, and decrease the likelihood that employers will be required to negotiate with their employees, they are advanced as a strategy for attracting new businesses to a state. But EPI research shows that RTW laws do not have any positive impact on job growth.”
Indeed, the institute noted several years ago, “RTW laws are associated with lower wages and benefits for both union and nonunion workers. In a RTW state, the average worker makes 3.2 percent less than a similar worker in a non-RTW state.”
Capital Times
February 23, 2024
Unemployment benefits for striking workers: Labor unions want the state to extend unemployment benefits for striking workers, which would give unions a significant advantage in protracted work stoppages. New York and New Jersey already allow striking workers to apply for unemployment, with more than half a dozen other states also considering it, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Minnesota Reformer
February 23, 2024
The reimbursement rate increases come at a time when Massachusetts remains one of the most expensive states when it comes to childcare.
The Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit think tank specializing in economic research, found the average annual cost of infant care in the Bay State is nearly $21,000.
WAMC Northeast Public Radio
February 23, 2024