EPI in the news

• Labor union support rises, Iowa workers face barriers to workplace protections

  Jennifer Sherer, deputy director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network and director of the State Worker Power Initiative, said the growing support for unions reflects the concerns about economic equality, stagnant wages, and affordability among Americans. 

  Unions can help workers negotiate for a greater share of the economic value they produce, Sherer said, particularly when wages do not keep pace with productivity or the cost of living.

  “Workers across the board are very aware of that economic imbalance,” she said. “There’s an imbalance of power, both in their workplaces, but in the economy and our broader political system.” 

  The Daily Iowan | October 20, 2026
• Black Unemployment Hints at a Job Market in Worse Shape Than It Seems

  In 2025, Black women experienced far greater employment losses than other women, especially college graduates and public-sector workers, according to data analyzed by Valerie Wilson, an economist. 

  New York Times | October 20, 2026
• A woman NFL head coach kicks off a football ‘Othello’ for Pittsburgh

  McDill also notes the recent precipitous decline in employment among Black women nationally, who according to one recent study “bore the brunt of the economic slowdown.” (That Economic Policy Institute report attributed the job losses largely to “massive federal layoffs and buyouts” under the Trump administration, which disproportionately affected Black women with college degrees.)

  WESA (Pittsburgh NPR) | October 20, 2026
• New York to spend another $1.2B to expand childcare options

  The average cost of childcare is $15,394 a year in New York, the sixth-most expensive state in the nation, according to a recent report by the Economic Policy Institute.

  The Center Square | October 20, 2026
• The ‘American Dream’ Now Costs More Than $5.3 Million

  Raising two children through age 17 costs just over $700,000, up 9.5% from last year, the largest increase of any expense. The figure counts the extra housing, food, transportation, and taxes two kids bring to a two-adult household, per the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), plus center-based childcare from infancy through summer camp.

  Investopedia | October 20, 2026
• What middle-class jobs pay in Minnesota

  “Many good middle-class jobs became good middle-class jobs because of unions,” said Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute.

  Minnesota Star Tribune | October 20, 2026
• Labor union support rises, Iowa workers face barriers to workplace protections

  Jennifer Sherer, deputy director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network and director of the State Worker Power Initiative, said the growing support for unions reflects the concerns about economic equality, stagnant wages, and affordability among Americans. 

  Unions can help workers negotiate for a greater share of the economic value they produce, Sherer said, particularly when wages do not keep pace with productivity or the cost of living.

  “Workers across the board are very aware of that economic imbalance,” she said. “There’s an imbalance of power, both in their workplaces, but in the economy and our broader political system.” 

  The Daily Iowan | October 20, 2026

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