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Economic Policy Institute@epi-org.bsky.social |
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We're a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank using the tools of economics to defend and promote the interests of workers in economic policy discussions.
Site: www.epi.org
Podcast: www.epi.org/podcast/
Newsletter: www.epi.org/signup/
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Economic Policy Institute
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The labor market is better by some measures than before the pandemic, according to EPI's Elise Gould. Read more about the comparisons and what Gould will be watching on jobs day this Friday:
www.epi.org/blog/what-to...
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Economic Policy Institute
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July 3 is CROWN Day, marking 5 years since the CROWN Act was first passed in CA. Since then, 25 states have passed the CROWN Act to protect BiPOC folks from hair-based discrimination at work and school.
Learn more on our blog: www.epi.org/blog/half-of...
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Economic Policy Institute
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Did you know nearly one-third of the workforce, or 52M people, earn less than $15/hour?
On 6/29, the #MoralMarchOnWashington DC and to the Polls will amplify the policies elected leaders must champion if they want our votes.
www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/mm2024/
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Economic Policy Institute
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"Robust language assistance programs protect Asian American and Pacific Islander workers from exploitative practices & enable them to fully participate in the workforce," according to EPI's Adewale Maye and Stevie Marvin in a new blog.
Read their policy recommendations: www.epi.org/blog/examini...
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Economic Policy Institute
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To address the discriminatory treatment of tipped workers across the country, lawmakers must eliminate the tipped subminimum wage and give tipped workers the same basic protection afforded to other workers in almost all other jobs—a minimum hourly wage, regardless of tips. 🧵6/6
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Economic Policy Institute
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The tipped workforce in the US is nearly 2/3 women, and disproportionately composed of women of color. Tipped workers earn low wages, experience high rates of poverty, and are vulnerable to exploitation in the workplace—particularly in the form of wage theft & sexual harassment. 🧵5/6
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Economic Policy Institute
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The legalization of the subminimum wage created a two-tiered system that continues today as a means of racial and economic control. Though this separate and unequal treatment of tipped workers is rooted in anti-Black racism, today it harms workers of color more broadly. 🧵4/6
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Economic Policy Institute
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US labor law has allowed this practice to continue. Although the federal min wage is $7.25, the "subminimum wage" for tipped workers is only $2.13. In many states and most of the South, employers rely on customers to make up the other $5.12 the worker is owed. 🧵3/6
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Economic Policy Institute
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After emancipation, formerly enslaved Black workers were often relegated to service jobs. Instead of paying Black workers any wage at all, employers suggested that guests offer Black workers a small tip for their services. Thus, the racist practice of tipping was born. 🧵2/6
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Economic Policy Institute
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Tipping and the subminimum wage for service workers are practices that are #RootedinRacism and hail from the exploitation of formerly enslaved Black workers following emancipation: 🧵1/6
www.epi.org/publication/...
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Economic Policy Institute
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Join us TODAY at 1pm ET on our Instagram! More details below ⬇️
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Economic Policy Institute
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Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package is just the latest and most outrageous example of astronomical CEO pay. From 1978-2022, CEO pay increased by 1,209.2%. But typical workers only got a 15.3% increase in the same period.
Learn more on our blog: www.epi.org/publication/...
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Economic Policy Institute
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Join us on Tuesday, 6/18 at 1pm for an Instagram town hall discussion of EPI’s #RootedinRacism series on the Southern economic model and how it has failed to bring shared prosperity to the region. Watch on our instagram:
www.instagram.com/economicpoli...
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Economic Policy Institute
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“The research shows that there is a huge Democratic advantage in economic performance relative to Republicans," says EPI's Josh Bivens on our newest podcast episode. Check it out at: www.epi.org/podcast/ or subscribe using your favorite podcast service.
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Economic Policy Institute
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EPI's Chandra Childers will host a panel with Lawren Long from National Black Worker Center, Anne Price from The Maven Collaborative, Troy Washington from Jobs to Move America, and Katy Youker from Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
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Economic Policy Institute
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Join us on Tuesday, 6/18 at 1pm for an Instagram town hall discussion of EPI’s #RootedinRacism series on the Southern economic model and how it has failed to bring shared prosperity to the region. Watch on our instagram:
www.instagram.com/economicpoli...
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Economic Policy Institute
@epi-org.bsky.social
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“The research shows that there is a huge Democratic advantage in economic performance relative to Republicans," says EPI's Josh Bivens on our newest podcast episode. Check it out at: www.epi.org/podcast/ or subscribe using your favorite podcast service.
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Economic Policy Institute
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In 2024, state advocates were better equipped to fight against harmful child labor bills. Get insight on the state legislative landscape in our latest blog:
www.epi.org/blog/more-st...
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Economic Policy Institute
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Southern states that follow the model have:
📉 lower GDPs
📉 lower labor force participation rates
📉 job growth that consistently falls behind population growth.
🧵2/2
Learn more: www.epi.org/publication/...
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Economic Policy Institute
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Far from delivering promised shared prosperity, “business-friendly” policies have impoverished the South. On indicator after indicator, states that embrace the Southern economic development model that is #RootedinRacism underperform vs other regions. 🧵1/2
www.epi.org/publication/...
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Economic Policy Institute
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Join us next week on Tuesday, June 11 at 2pm ET for a webinar discussing recent developments at the National Labor Relations Board and their impacts on worker organizing!
Register here: www.epi.org/event/nlrb-w...
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Economic Policy Institute
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Poor People's Campaign's 17-Point Agenda includes living wages, voting rights, and other essential policies that address the immediate needs and concerns of the over 135 million poor and low-wage workers and people across the country. Learn more on their website: www.poorpeoplescampaign.org
🧵 2/2
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Economic Policy Institute
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EPI is proud to join Poor People's Campaign as a mobilization partner to help organize the upcoming June 29th “Mass Poor People’s & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly & Moral March on Washington DC & to the Polls.” It's time for candidates to commit to addressing the crisis of death by poverty. 🧵 1/2
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Economic Policy Institute
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Instead of trying to overturn a rule that helps protect both patients and workers, nursing home operators should improve pay and working conditions to attract and retain the staff they need. Learn more on our blog:
www.epi.org/blog/for-pro...
🧵3/3
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Economic Policy Institute
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One of the nation’s biggest nursing home trade groups is fighting these needed changes, and are now asking Congress to overturn the rule. They claim that a "worker shortage" is preventing them from meeting the new staffing standard, but our analysis shows that isn't true. 🧵 2/3
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Economic Policy Institute
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Nursing home operators are pushing Congress to block a new rule ensuring adequate staffing for patients. The rule requires all nursing homes to:
✅ Provide at least 3.48 hrs of nursing care per resident per day
✅ Have a registered nurse available 24/7
www.epi.org/blog/for-pro...
🧵1/3
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Economic Policy Institute
@epi-org.bsky.social
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To ensure recent gains are fully realized and that racial and gender wage gaps are addressed, policymakers must prioritize full employment, increase the federal minimum wage, strengthen and enforce labor standards, and make it easier for workers to come together and form unions.
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Economic Policy Institute
@epi-org.bsky.social
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High school graduates have experienced a rapid economic recovery from the pandemic with real wage growth of 9.4% over the past 4 years, but racial and gender disparities remain, according to EPI's Katherine deCourcy and Elise Gould.
www.epi.org/blog/class-o...
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Economic Policy Institute
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While AL follows the Southern economic model that is #RootedinRacism, MD does not, and Black workers in MD are better off for it. The MD-AL comparison shows that policies that support working people can help drive higher rates of employment, too. 🧵 3/3
www.epi.org/blog/alabama...
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Economic Policy Institute
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Let's compare some numbers: 1️⃣ AL's incarceration rate is 1.7 times higher than MD's 2️⃣ 64.6% of the Black population is employed in MD, vs. 55.5% in AL 3️⃣ MD has a minimum wage of $15/hr; AL has no minimum wage 4️⃣ MD has paid family and medical leave laws; AL has none
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Economic Policy Institute
@epi-org.bsky.social
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Maryland and Alabama both have consistently low Black unemployment rates. But does that mean Black workers in MD and AL are equally well off? Not quite. MD and AL's different approaches to social and economic policy mean AL is much worse for Black workers. 🧵 1/3
www.epi.org/blog/alabama...
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Economic Policy Institute
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However, the office needs to do more to allocate its existing resources more equitably to protect the right of workers to engage in collective bargaining, mutual aid, and union representation. Check out a new blog from Celine McNicholas and Bob Funk to learn more:
www.epi.org/blog/how-muc...
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Economic Policy Institute
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How much do companies spend on union-busters? We don't know, because the office overseeing and enforcing union-buster reporting requirements is limited by weak labor laws and inadequate resources, finds a new Dept. of Labor report:
www.epi.org/blog/how-muc...
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Economic Policy Institute
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“The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act would go a long way at leveling the playing field and making real workers’ right to organize,“ EPI’s Lynn Rhinehart told the House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions:
www.epi.org/publication/...
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Economic Policy Institute
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The UAW helped Mercedes workers win substantial improvements in pay and benefits. And if Mercedes doesn’t live up to its promises, workers may try again and win, just like workers did at a VW plant in Chattanooga, TN earlier this year. ✊
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Economic Policy Institute
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Mercedes workers in AL narrowly voted against unionizing with UAW. But worker organizing can benefit workers whether or not they end up with a union, EPI's @dskamper.bsky.social says:
www.epi.org/blog/just-by...
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Economic Policy Institute
@epi-org.bsky.social
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“Anti-trust and competition policy is, at its heart, about restraining the abuse of excess corporate power that inflicts harms on communities,” said EPI’s
Josh Bivens at a panel on Building Worker Power as Anti-Monopoly. Watch the event recording here:
economicsecurityproject.org/resource/bui...
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Economic Policy Institute
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On the 70th anniversary of Brown v Board of Education, a Supreme Court ruling bolstering public education for all races, a movement is growing nationally to undermine that education. Many states have introduced deeply damaging voucher programs.
www.epi.org/blog/voucher...
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Economic Policy Institute
@epi-org.bsky.social
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To ensure recent gains are fully realized and that racial and gender wage gaps are addressed, policymakers must prioritize full employment, increase the federal minimum wage, strengthen and enforce labor standards, and make it easier for workers to come together and form unions.
0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
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Economic Policy Institute
@epi-org.bsky.social
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College graduates have experienced a rapid economic recovery from the pandemic, but racial and gender disparities remain large, according to EPI's Katherine deCourcy and Elise Gould.
www.epi.org/blog/class-o...
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Economic Policy Institute
@epi-org.bsky.social
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EPI’s Valerie Wilson is challenging a long-standing view that narrowing racial disparities in unemployment is outside the purview of the Federal Reserve.
Learn more on our blog: www.epi.org/blog/labor-m...
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Economic Policy Institute
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The present could be a new moment of opportunity for workers to build the collective power necessary to upend the failed Southern economic development model. We need to support emerging successful efforts to organize Southern workers, despite familiar opposition. 🧵6/6
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Economic Policy Institute
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In contrast, the current federal government has helped level the playing field for workers attempting to organize in the South by vigorously enforcing federal labor law and other pro-worker federal policies. 🧵5/6
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Economic Policy Institute
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While state and local governments in the South were hostile to Operation Dixie, the federal government could have been an ally. Federal intervention might have gone a long way to counterbalance the many challenges workers faced in organizing the South. 🧵4/6
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Economic Policy Institute
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Operation Dixie was ultimately defeated by a Southern economic model that is #RootedinRacism. Political elites used state power to assist employers in opposing unions while stoking racism to divide Black and white workers. 🧵3/6
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Economic Policy Institute
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Operation Dixie (May 1946) was the largest effort to organize the South in history. Though well-resourced and determined, Operation Dixie ran into the same 3 obstacles that still plague organizing efforts today: government hostility, corporate union-busting, & racism. 🧵2/6
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Economic Policy Institute
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AL auto workers are voting in a major union election this week, on the heels of a UAW win in TN. Can this organizing reawakening in the South overcome the obstacles that defeated Operation Dixie, a failed union movement nearly 80 years ago? 🧵1/6
www.epi.org/blog/operati...
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Economic Policy Institute
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But wait, there's more! The proposed ballot also includes provisions mandate paid sick leave and prohibit employers from retaliating against workers who refuse to attend captive audience meetings. 🧵5/5
Learn more on our blog: www.epi.org/publication/...
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Economic Policy Institute
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Of the workers that would get a wage increase: ✅ 55.1% are women ✅ 13.3% are Hispanic ✅ 22.7% are American Indian, Alaska Native, or multiracial ✅ 19.1% are parents 🧵4/5
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Economic Policy Institute
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Alaska’s current minimum wage ($11.73/hr) falls short of providing economic security for low-wage workers. This new wage floor will produce significant increases for Alaska’s low-wage workers, helping them make ends meet amid high costs of living throughout the state. 🧵3/5
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