Misclassifying employees as independent contractors not only can cost workers tens of thousands of dollars in annual lost wages, but it can also hurt their fellow citizens, according to a recent Economic Policy Institute report.
EPI, which describes itself as “a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank,” analyzed 11 “commonly misclassified jobs,” including those in construction and trucking. It found that misclassification can cost truck drivers between $13,760 to $23,266 a year. For construction workers, the range is $13,186 to $20,399.
Safety and Health Magazine
May 11, 2026
As the Economic Policy Institute pointedly notes: “The results of the policy response to the pandemic proved that we purposely choose to tolerate a disproportionately high level of poverty for children of color in the United States.” Children are especially susceptible to the deleterious consequences of poverty – in terms of health, mental and physical development, and education – with ramifications that can easily extend into adulthood.
Moreover, children living in impoverished neighborhoods are faced with significant challenges, regardless of their family’s income; this includes schools that are insufficiently funded and inadequate access to healthcare. The fact is that child poverty and life in disadvantaged neighborhoods present an obstacle to medical care, which can carry “these health harms into adulthood and across generations.”
Augusta Free Press
May 11, 2026
In a Facebook post, Unite Here Local 7 cited an Economic Policy Institute study that said a living wage in neighboring Wicomico County is now $67,000 — far above what many Ocean Downs workers reported earning.
The Baltimore Sun
May 11, 2026
The Economic Policy Institute has documented how excess labor supply depresses pay in precisely those blue-collar occupations — construction, transportation, services. What ever happened to protecting the workers who pay the dues? Perhaps it just isn’t the priority — perhaps it hasn’t been for many decades.
The Hill
May 11, 2026
The average Arizona teacher salary stands at $64,291 for the 2024-25 school year, more than $6,900 short of what researchers at the Economic Policy Institute calculate is needed for a single adult with one child to achieve a modest but adequate standard of living in the state’s most affordable metro area.
12 News
May 11, 2026
The average Arizona teacher salary stands at $64,291 for the 2024-25 school year, more than $6,900 short of what researchers at the Economic Policy Institute calculate is needed for a single adult with one child to achieve a modest but adequate standard of living in the state’s most affordable metro area.
12 News
May 11, 2026
Covid money should not have gone into reserves even in the case of reimbursements, said Dave Kamper, an ARPA expert at the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C.
“The money was given out to be spent … so, no, just moving it into reserve is not an allowed use,” Kamper said, emphasizing that he is not a lawyer. “I don’t think (reimbursing money into the general fund) would make a difference. There still has to be an obligation.”
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
May 11, 2026
Covid money should not have gone into reserves even in the case of reimbursements, said Dave Kamper, an ARPA expert at the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C.
“The money was given out to be spent … so, no, just moving it into reserve is not an allowed use,” Kamper said, emphasizing that he is not a lawyer. “I don’t think (reimbursing money into the general fund) would make a difference. There still has to be an obligation.”
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
May 11, 2026
Over the last several years, the Economic Policy Institute has released a valuable series of reports examining the “economic underperformance” of Southern states titled “Rooted in racism and economic exploitation.” Here’s how the institute summarizes its overall mission: “to counter rising inequality, low wages and weak benefits for working people, slower economic growth, unacceptable employment conditions, and a widening racial wage gap.”
Consider a few of the findings from this series:
- The share of prime-age workers (ages 25–54) who have a job is lower than the national average in most Southern states.
America, America Substack
May 8, 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.
Palm Beach Post
May 7, 2026