A new report is out on some of the top companies who have spent millions fighting their own workers.
And one Iowa company is high up on that list for trying to bust a new healthcare union in Des Moines.
Iowa Starting Line
May 26, 2026
Supporters argue that Oklahoma’s minimum wage, being stuck at $7.25 an hour, is not enough to pay for such basic living expenses as groceries, gas and housing. At $7.25 an hour, they say it adds up to only $20 a year more than the federal poverty level. Sixteen years ago, it was 40% more than the minimum.
They cite calculations from the Economic Policy Institute that say 319,000 working Oklahomans and more than 200,000 children would directly benefit from increasing the minimum wage. Workers would have more spendable income, small businesses would have less turnover, poverty rates would decrease, eviction rates would fall, state and local economies would improve, and communities would be strengthened. An increased hourly wage ensures that workers entrusted with our loved ones, such as home health care workers, childcare staff and teachers’ assistants, could make a basic living.
They also point to studies that find that raising the minimum wage has little or no effect on employment levels and that any increase in consumer prices has typically not been large enough to drive consumers away. The phased-in approach also provides businesses with a definitive timeline to adjust their plans, making SQ 832 a “win-win” for employers as well as employees.
Oklahoma Constitution
May 26, 2026
Bouncing around from daycare to summer camps to relatives’ houses can easily add up. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average annual cost of full-time child care in Florida ranges from $9,548 to $13,021, depending on the children’s ages.
Fort Myers News-Press
May 26, 2026
In a recent analysis of the detailed government data, economists at the Economic Policy Institute noted that the wage boost that workers with a bachelor’s degree receive relative to less-educated workers, while still substantial, has slipped, falling to about 55% last year versus about 63% in 2015. That could be because the number of workers with college degrees keeps rising. As of March, about 42% of U.S. employees had a bachelor’s degree or higher, versus about 36% a decade earlier.
Wall Street Journal
May 26, 2026
He also argued that Medicare for All could create a surge in healthcare roles. A 2020 report from the Economic Policy Institute found that while a single-payer system could eliminate 1.8 million jobs in health insurance and billing administration, it would simultaneously generate demand for 2.3 million healthcare workers, a net gain in an industry so far resistant to AI displacement. He’s similarly optimistic about law, predicting a boom in legal jobs as companies scramble to navigate AI governance, safety, ethics, and bias.
Fortune
May 26, 2026
According to a report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), employers are required to publicly disclose only a fraction of their spending on anti-union campaigns, meaning the true total could be significantly higher than current estimates. The EPI also found that companies routinely deploy mandatory anti-union meetings, targeted messaging campaigns and outside legal advisers as part of broader efforts to discourage workers from supporting union drives.
Supply Chain Brain
May 26, 2026
Childcare costs more than public college tuition in 38 states and the nation’s capital for one infant, according to a 2025 Economic Policy Institute report.
Washington Examiner
May 26, 2026
And yet, metrics like GDP and DOW tell us the US economy is flourishing. But for who? While these metrics grow, the share attained by working people has not. The Economic Policy Institute found that between 1979 to 2025, worker productivity grew 92.4%. Meanwhile, pay only increased by 33.6%.
Fosters Daily Democrat
May 26, 2026
Only 8% of full-time salaried workers are currently eligible for overtime pay, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute.
HR Dive
May 26, 2026
Job cuts at federal agencies in 2025 hit Black workers especially hard, contributing to record-high Black unemployment in the Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland metro area, according to an Economic Policy Institute analysis.
Researchers found the Black unemployment rate nationwide reached 7.6% in the first three months of 2026. In the D.C.-area region, it was just under 10%.
Valerie Wilson, director of race, ethnicity and the economy for the institute and the study’s author, said the numbers are moving in the wrong direction.
Public News Service
May 26, 2026