Last month, 40 policy and labor organizations took their fight for a federal framework to protect workers from AI disruptions to Capitol Hill. Led by the Economic Policy Institute, the AFL-CIO Tech Institute, and two social justice groups, We Build Progress and Workshop, they reminded members of Congress that majorities of Americans want to establish guardrails that protect jobs and states’ regulatory powers.
The American Prospect
May 26, 2026
Using data from implementation of the Minnesota unemployment benefits, the Economic Policy Institute estimated that a similar bill would cost Illinois school districts $56.3 million. This figure omits implementation costs and unemployment take-up by colleges and university employees, although these figures are likely to represent a relatively small percentage of the total compared to school districts.
Medill News Service
May 26, 2026
Vesconte is not alone. The college degree is “losing its edge”, according to a report this month from the Economic Policy Institute. Despite a growing economy and low unemployment rates, young college graduates are faced with dismal hiring prospects. Survey after survey show that gen Z is experiencing deep economic instability, along with eroding trust in the country’s leadership and weakened social connections.
The Guardian
May 26, 2026
According to the Economic Policy Institute, NAFTA caused the loss of 700,000 U.S. jobs in the automotive, auto parts, aerospace, textile and apparel industries as production shifted to Mexico. American workers who lost high-paying manufacturing jobs were often re-employed in jobs that paid far less.
Spectrum News 1
May 26, 2026
A January 2026 report by the Economic Policy Institute called collective bargaining “a critical step toward reversing the impacts of long-standing anti-worker state policies in Virginia that have for decades suppressed all workers’ wages and contributed to growing income inequality.”
State action to shore up public employee rights is especially critical at a moment “when the federal government is attacking civil servants, public education, health care, and all public services,” the report says. “By extending full collective bargaining rights to historically excluded state and local government workers, state lawmakers can help lead the way to a more vibrant, equitable economy rooted in multiracial democracy in Virginia, the South, and the nation.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch
May 26, 2026
Perhaps most significantly, Spanberger’s version gave more power to a new government agency that would be created under the legislation, known as the Public Employee Relations Board. An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute noted that the original bill contained detailed rules about union elections and contract negotiation timelines, while Spanberger’s version left these matters up to the body’s discretion.
Reason Magazine
May 26, 2026
While many college students have voiced concerns about finding work or creating job opportunities because of the rise of artificial intelligence, some experts say that might not be the story.
The increase appears to be driven by an increase in labor force participation rather than a declining probability of having a job, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Atlanta Journal Constitution
May 26, 2026
A new report finds that U.S. employers spend more than $1.5 billion a year to fight labor unions, hiring union-avoidance consultants and lawyers to prevent worker organizing.
The report, published jointly by the Economic Policy Institute and LaborLab on Wednesday, estimates that employers spend roughly $1.7 billion annually on union avoidance consultants and law firms to prevent workers “from organizing and bargaining for better pay and working conditions.”
Truthout
May 26, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute argues that depressed hiring rates are broadly undermining labor markets for recent college graduates.
Chronicle of Higher Education
May 26, 2026
GONZALEZ: Adewale is a labor economics researcher at the Economic Policy Institute. But actually seeing the European attitude toward work in person felt different. And it made Adewale think of this report he worked on a few years back.
MAYE: The name of the report is “No Vacation Nation,”
GONZALEZ: “No Vacation Nation.”
MAYE: Very, very on the nose.
NPR Planet Money
May 26, 2026