Media clips

• Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek will make millions for getting fired

  CEO pay is completely out of whack. Average compensation for the top dog has skyrocketed by nearly 1,500% since 1978, according to the Economic Policy Institute. As of 2021, the organization found, the average CEO of a large company received compensation of $27.8 million.

  KTLA January 20, 2023
• U.S. corporate greed has gone too far, says Norway fund manager who voted against Apple CEO’s pay

  Broadly speaking, pay for chief executive officers rose by just over 11% from 2020 to 2021, according to a report issued late last year by the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. In 2021, CEOs were paid 399 times as much as the typical worker, the highest multiple on record, EPI said. The average CEO compensation was $27.8 million in 2021.

  MarketWatch January 20, 2023
• How noncompete agreements harm women and people of color: ‘Consequences can be devastating’

  While most noncompetes tie up executives and skilled professionals, some 32 million Americans are bound by these clauses, not just high earners. A 2019 survey by the liberal Economic Policy Institute found that nearly 30% of the businesses where the average wage was less than $13 an hour used non-compete agreements. 

  The USA Today January 20, 2023
• Tired of your work schedule being posted last-minute? This bill would fine big employers for late, unstable scheduling.
  … according to the Economic Policy Institute. Supporters described the policy as seeking to help workers plan for child care (paywall).
  The Denver Post January 20, 2023
• Union membership hits record low in 2022

  Heidi Shierholz, president of the left-leaning think tank Economic Policy Institute, said that 2022 “was a year of real worker power, due to huge job openings. The question will be whether that comes out on top compared to the very, very strong downward pressure on unionization, because of employer opposition.”

  The Washington Post January 20, 2023
• Rising income inequality is draining billions from Social Security

  Because of rising income inequality, the share of Americans’ incomes that are subject to the Social Security tax is at a nearly 50-year low, per a new report from the progressive Economic Policy Institute.

  Axios January 20, 2023
• States with abortion bans are also ‘economically disempowering’ people, report says

  According to the Economic Policy Institute, states with abortion restrictions have on average lower minimum wages, unionization levels and rates of Medicaid expansion.

  The 19th January 20, 2023
• As Income Inequality Skyrockets, the Rich Are Paying Less Into Social Security

  According to a new analysis by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the share of earnings subject to the tax hit its lowest level in nearly 50 years, since before reforms lengthened the solvency of the program. Only 81.4 percent of wages were subject to Social Security taxes in 2021 – far below the threshold of 90 percent of wages subject to the tax as set by the reforms in 1983.

  Truthout January 20, 2023
• How the world’s richest people became much richer during the pandemic

  “So much of what typical people in this country have is based on their income and what they make in the labor market,” said Elise Gould at the Economic Policy Institute. But that’s not the case for the superwealthy, she said.

  Marketplace January 20, 2023
• Women living in states with abortion bans suffer greater economic insecurity

  In nearly all 26 states, there are lower minimum wages, unionization levels, access to Medicaid and unemployment benefits, as well as higher rates of incarceration than states with more lenient abortion policies, according to new research by the Economic Policy Institute.

  CNN January 20, 2023