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
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