“I think it’s a sign of the times,” said Jennifer Sherer, a senior state policy coordinator for the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). “It is a sign of how stark extreme inequality has become, how aware the majority of workers and voters are of how unequal our economy and unequal our power is distributed in our workplaces right now.
“It’s a sign of the growing interest in reviving unions, and an acknowledgement of their really important role that they play in leveling the playing field and rebalancing that power.”
Michigan Advance
March 24, 2023
States across the country are attempting to weaken child labor protections, just as violations of these standards are rising, according to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. The group issued a report this week that identifies 10 states as introducing or passing bills weakening child labor standards in the past two years alone.
Route Fifty
March 24, 2023
According to an important new report from the Economic Policy Institute, or EPI, at least 10 states have introduced bills weakening child labor protections during the past two years, and four have enacted them—New Hampshire, Arkansas, New Jersey, and (here’s one I missed) Iowa, which last year lowered (from 18 to 16) the minimum age for workers in childcare centers. The EPI report also said that the number of child labor violations has nearly quadrupled since 2015, from 1,012 to 3,876.
The New Republic
March 24, 2023
Contracts ratified last year called for first-year wage raises averaging 5.7%, the review of 817 deals showed. That marks a significant jump over the 3.7% average first-year increase in agreements ratified in 2021, and the highest average rate in more than 30 years.
Features quote from Celine (paywall).
Bloomberg Law
March 24, 2023
Research from the Economic Policy Institute found that wages in right-to-work states were 3.1% lower than others after accounting for cost of living differences.
Axios
March 17, 2023
Economic Policy Institute: Two years later, American Rescue Plan funds are still a transformative resource: State and local governments—particularly in the South—should invest unspent funds in workers, families, and communities
“During ARPA’s second year, many governments used SLFRF dollars to tackle deep inequities in their communities, not just to deal with the immediate challenges of the pandemic but to make transformative investments whose benefits will last long into the future.
“The opportunity to make transformative investments remains, and policymakers should seize the moment to rebuild the public sector and improve the lives of working families.”
U.S. Department of the Treasury
March 17, 2023
It is highly unusual for a state to repeal such a law once it’s in effect. In fact, the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, says Michigan would be the first state to do so in 60 years if Whitmer signs the legislation. (In 2018, Missouri voters passed a referendum blocking a right-to-work law that had recently been passed by GOP lawmakers.)
Huffpost
March 17, 2023
Testifying supporters included the Michigan AFL-CIO, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a University of Arkansas professor, a union steward for UFCW and numerous other union representatives.
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce testified in opposition to the bills.
Michigan Advance
March 17, 2023
Jennifer Sherer, senior state policy coordinator at the research group Economic Policy Institute, told the Labor Committee that Right-to-Work is an “attack” on workers rights that “especially benefited the rich.”
“An overwhelming body of research shows that states with anti-union laws restricting workers’ collective bargaining rights end up with lower wages, worse benefits, and higher workplace fatality rates,” she said in a later statement.
Bridge Michigan
March 17, 2023