Even if we ignore the use of H-1B visas for non-specialized roles that could easily be filled domestically, such as customer service workers or associate accountants, truly specialized employees who are hired through this visa program are routinely paid less than their American counterparts. As the Economic Policy Institute found, nearly all H-1B employers (including Big Tech firms) use and abuse the visa program to pay migrant workers “well below market wages.”
The Washington Examiner
May 6, 2025
Agribusinesses are not the only ones benefiting from vulnerable laborers. The H-2B visa program is used by hospitality and tourism, landscaping, construction, forestry and seafood processing, industries with “extensive wage theft and lawbreaking by employers,” according to the Economic Policy Institute. The number of these visas are also set to increase in 2025.
In These Times
May 6, 2025
On the other hand, low-income workers receiving higher wages will stimulate the economy with their increased spending power. And, even more aligned with this administration’s cost-cutting mission, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute, raising the federal minimum wage to just $12 an hour could reduce public assistance expenditures by $17 billion per year.
All Sides
May 6, 2025
Trump’s order to dismantle the Department of Education claims that state governments can take over federal responsibilities, but experts warn this could lead to higher-need districts no longer receiving the funding needed to serve students. “Absent the Department of Education to ensure fairness in funding allocation for programs like Title I, it’s unclear how states will handle the disbursement on their own, which could widen inequalities in education,” explains Hilary Wething, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. Advocates have also begun raising the alarm over protections and funding provided under IDEA being under threat.
YES! Magazine
May 6, 2025
The Economic Policy Institute estimates teachers today suffer a 26.4% wage penalty and a 17.0% penalty when employee benefits are included (Allegretto, 2023). As increasing teacher turnover, a dwindling teacher pipeline, and worsening teacher morale continue, many public schools’ darkening financial horizons add to the worry.
Kappan Online
May 6, 2025
Trump crossed the 100 days mark late last week, and so far, we’re unimpressed to say the least. So far he hasn’t done only of the things he promised (like lowering prices or ending the war in Ukraine) but he has done lots and lots of stuff that nobody wanted, and he looks like he’s going to continue doing things no one wanted for as long as we allow him to remain in office. Former New York Times Labor Reporter Steven Greenhouse and Economic Policy Expert Margaret Poydock are our guests.
The Rick Smith Show
May 5, 2025
An analysis by the non-partisan Economic Policy Institute looked at potential Elon Musk-led DOGE cuts to Social Security, calling it “sabotage,” saying in part, “The only way that slashing the number of workers will save large sums money is by making it hard for people to access benefits they’ve earned.”
EPI’s full analysis can be read by clicking here.
WGNTV
May 5, 2025
According to data from the Economic Policy Institute, bus drivers were down 12.4% between September 2024 and 2019. Low pay averages and a roughly a six-week training turnaround are major contributing factors to the shortage that hit hardest in the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to be a pain point.
My San Antonio
May 5, 2025
With a minimum living wage of just over $79,000 in the Granite State (for one adult and one child, according to the Economic Policy Institute), districts are seeing teacher shortages as educators seek higher wages elsewhere, NEA-NH President Megan Tuttle said.
New Hampshire Union Leader
May 5, 2025
In his first 100 days, Trump has fired thousands of federal workers, made it easier to fire civil servants, reduced the minimum wage for federal contractors, attacked workers’ union and collective bargaining rights, and canceled grants for programs to combat forced and child labor around the world according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Cape Cod Times
May 5, 2025