And while there appears to be no chance of either happening with Republicans in the majority in the House, the Economic Policy Institute reports that 22 US states and 38 cities and counties raised their minimum wages this month. The highest state minimum wage is now Washington’s $16.28, and the highest local one is $20.29 (albeit for large employers only) in the Seattle suburb of Tukwila.
Bloomberg
January 10, 2024
The traditional set-up of manager-employee relations often assumes that a worker-manager relationship is inherently antagonistic. But negotiating a bargaining agreement does not have to be confrontational and can earn wins that work for both sides and make the workplace better.
“There will be some growing pains as things get established, but if you really embrace the mechanisms for transparency and communication and openness, it actually ends up being a real productivity and efficiency enhancer and really pays off over the long haul for the organization,” said Heidi Shierholz, president of EPI.
Prism Reports
January 10, 2024
A study by the Economic Policy Institute estimates that such rate increases will generate nearly $7 billion in additional wages for workers across the country.
Motley Fool
January 5, 2024
Bus driver shortages are not unique to the region. Data from the Economic Policy Institute indicates that from September 2019 to September 2023, there was a 15.1% decrease in the total number of K-12 bus drivers nationwide. Private school bus driver employment also declined by 21.5% over the same four-year period.
Saratoga Today
January 5, 2024
The pay hikes are projected to deliver about $7 billion in additional annual wages to 9.9 million workers, according to an analysis published by the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. Workers who benefit from the policy changes could see their annual pay go up anywhere between $216 and $1,380, on average, depending on the size of the minimum wage increase in their state.
Fox Business
January 5, 2024
Meanwhile, the share of workers who are unemployed remains near historic lows, reverting back to a trend we saw in the 18 months leading up to the pandemic. And behind that is potentially the most profound long-term economic change, said Heidi Shierholz, former chief economist at the U.S. Labor Department and now president of the Economic Policy Institute.
“We’ve had unemployment at less than 4% for almost two years now,” she said. “The lessons will be lasting: We can actually sustain really low unemployment rates without causing big issues in the economy.”
Marketplace
January 5, 2024
Jennifer Sherer, Director of the Economic Policy Institute’s State Worker Power Initiative, said the poll results reflect the response most Americans feel about “alarming increases in employers violating child labor laws.”
“Voters want lawmakers to uphold strong standards ensuring teens can gain important work experience while staying safe, healthy, and completing high school,” she said in a statement.
Florida Politics
January 5, 2024
Wage theft — whether it comes in the form of unpaid tip money, unpaid overtime or pay that falls below minimum wage — is a rampant problem. It costs American workers as much as $50 billion a year, according to an Economic Policy Institute report — an amount that surpasses all robberies, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts combined.
Orange County Register
January 5, 2024
David Cooper and Rachel Greszler talked about the pros and cons of raising the minimum wage.
C-SPAN Washington Journal
January 5, 2024
Teacher salaries are a hot-button issue, with the field experiencing well-documented wage gaps. According to an Economic Policy Institute report, teachers made 26.4% less than other similarly educated professions in 2022 — the lowest level since 1960.
Stacker
January 5, 2024