From Economic Policy Institute <[email protected]>
Subject Fighting disparities AND economic collapse
Date July 1, 2020 6:09 PM
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** We can both fight disparities and mitigate economic collapse ([link removed])
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A note from EPI’s Kirstyn Flood ([link removed]) : The coronavirus pandemic has forced millions of workers out of work, widened racial disparities, and reduced the issuance of temporary work visas to migrants. EPI experts call for more action from Congress to address the disparities and fight the economic collapse.


** Nearly 11% of the workforce is out of work with no reasonable chance of getting called back to a prior job ([link removed])
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The official unemployment rate was 13.3% in May. However, this does not take into account the millions of workers who are not counted in the official rate but out of work as a result of the virus or those who are out of work with no hope of being called back to a prior job. All three of these unemployment rates are extremely elevated across all demographic groups. The highest rates are found among Black and brown workers and women—particularly Hispanic, Asian, and Black women. Policymakers should extend the extra $600 in weekly unemployment insurance payments and provide fiscal aid to state and local governments to fill in their budget shortfalls. Read the blog post » ([link removed])
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** Nearly 11% of the workforce is out of work with no reasonable chance of getting called back to prior job
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** ‘Black women best’: The need to prioritize Black women in economic policymaking ([link removed])
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The ravages of the coronavirus have resulted in employment among Black women dropping 11 percentage points ([link removed]) —more than for any other group. COVID-19 is laying bare the structural inequities that compound when race and gender intersect. “Black women best” translates to recentering economic policy on Black women and prioritizing the perspectives of Black women in economic and policy spaces. As part of this change, employers should shift their thinking on paid sick and parental leave, subsidized child and elder care, and work flexibility ([link removed]) to help Black women, who are disproportionately facing COVID-19-related deaths in their communities. When the policies focus on the outcomes of Black women, everyone benefits. Read the blog post »
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** U.S. and state unemployment claims data show need for more action from Congress ([link removed])
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The most recent unemployment insurance (UI) claims data released on June 25 show that another 1.5 million people filed for regular UI benefits the week prior and 0.7 million filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). Black communities are suffering more from this pandemic—both physically and economically ([link removed]) —as a result of, and in addition to, systemic racism and violence. These communities, and Black women in particular ([link removed]) , should be centered in policy solutions. To mitigate the economic harm to workers, Congress should pass another federal relief and recovery package that includes worker protections, investments in our democracy, resources for coronavirus testing and contact tracing, an extension of the across-the-board $600 increase in weekly unemployment benefits, and substantial aid to state and local governments. Read
the blog post » ([link removed])


** Cutting off the $600 boost to unemployment benefits would be both cruel and bad economics ([link removed])
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The extra $600 in weekly unemployment insurance (UI) benefits—set to expire at the end of July—boosted incomes by $842 billion in May. EPI estimates that extending the $600 UI benefits through the middle of 2021 would provide an average quarterly 3.7% boost to GDP and 5.1 million jobs for workers. Cutting off a policy support that helps households maintain spending is a terrible idea, both for these households’ welfare and for macroeconomic stabilization. Read the blog post » ([link removed])


** Trump’s ban on temporary work visas is an attempt to scapegoat immigrants ([link removed])
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President Trump has issued a new proclamation that will halt the issuance of certain major categories of nonimmigrant (i.e., temporary) work visas until the end of 2020, and calls for a number of rule changes with respect to work visas and work authorization. This follows his April proclamation that would suspend a third of immigrant visas ([link removed]) , also known as “green cards.” The practical impact of Trump’s proclamation on temporary work visas appears to be minimal—for now. But the ultimate message inherent in Trump’s two immigration proclamations on green cards and temporary work visas has been communicated loud and clear: Immigrants can and will be used as scapegoats to distract from the administration’s failings. Read the blog post »
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** Now is still a good time to raise minimum wages ([link removed])
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Minimum wages are set to rise this week in Nevada, Oregon, Illinois, and the District of Columbia ([link removed]) —as well as in Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and 12 other smaller cities and counties. While business groups that always oppose higher minimum wages are calling for states and cities to put scheduled increases on hold in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the case for raising wages for low-wage workers hasn’t changed. If anything, current conditions make it even more important. Raising the minimum wage at a time like this can help push wage levels to a more reasonable equilibrium, providing low-wage workers—who are far less likely to be able to telework ([link removed]) —with some added compensation at a time when many are being asked to shoulder greater risk on the job. Read the blog post »
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** Webinars
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** EPI panel calls for aid to state and local governments to mitigate COVID-19 economic fallout ([link removed])
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EPI hosted a bipartisan panel ([link removed]) on June 1 of the nation’s top economists to discuss the urgent need for federal aid for state and local public services—including public safety, health, and education—to mitigate the economic harm caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The group of panelists, moderated by EPI President Thea Lee, took media questions about the state of our economy and discussed the importance of adequate aid to individuals, businesses, and state and local public services to speed and sustain a robust recovery. Watch the video » ([link removed])


** Rebuilding the house that anti-Blackness built in our COVID response ([link removed])
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COVID-19 is acting as a magnifying glass to the deep-seated systemic inequities ever-present in the United States. EPI hosted a webinar ([link removed]) on June 1 with the Insight Center; the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race; the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights; and Economic Education. The webinar included findings from EPI’s new report ([link removed]) on Black workers, followed by a discussion on strategies to build an inclusive economy that centers on the needs of Black and Brown women and their communities. Watch the video » ([link removed])


** Panel looks beyond the pandemic to a just transition ([link removed])
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EPI President Thea Lee joined a panel of experts on May 27 for a discussion ([link removed]) of life after the economic crisis and what we must do about it. Lee; Robert Pollin, co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute; and Noam Chomsky, renowned linguist, historian, and philosopher, discussed their projections of how the crisis will unfold in the months and years to come. This webinar is a part of the Just Transition Listening Project ([link removed]) , launched by the Labor Network for Sustainability and partners. Watch the webinar » ([link removed])


** Authors of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century make their case ([link removed])
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EPI hosted authors William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen on May 27 for a discussion ([link removed]) of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century ([link removed]) . Through their assessment of the intergenerational effects of white supremacy on Black economic well-being, Darity and Mullen confront the injustices of slavery, Jim Crow, and modern-day discrimination to make the most comprehensive case to date for economic reparations for U.S. descendants of slavery. EPI economist Valerie Wilson moderated the discussion. Watch the video » ([link removed])


** EPI in the news
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EPI Director of Immigration Law and Policy Research Daniel Costa discussed the Trump administration’s move to suspend immigration visa programs on KQED ([link removed]) . | Visa Programs Suspended by Trump Administration ([link removed])
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In These Times ([link removed]) published a blog post ([link removed]) by EPI Economist Jhacova Williams and former EPI intern Carl Romer about the link between historical lynchings and officer-involved shootings of Black people today. | In U.S. Counties Where Lynchings Were Prevalent, Police Are More Likely to Shoot Black People ([link removed])
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CBS News ([link removed]) cited a recent EPI blog post ([link removed]) ’s finding that more than 1 in 5 workers recently applied for or are receiving unemployment insurance benefits. | Extra $600 in Pandemic Unemployment Aid May End a Week Early for Some ([link removed])
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** What we’re reading
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** Why Fixing the Housing Crisis Is a Black Lives Matter Issue ([link removed])
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The Black Lives Matter uprising is a wakeup call for America. It is an essential reminder of all the ways that systemic racism impacts every aspect of Black life, from police violence to the coronavirus pandemic to the housing crisis. Read more » ([link removed])

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When You Are Paid 13 Hours for a 24-Hour Shift ([link removed])

Even as states reopen, COVID-19 continues to lay waste to the elderly and those who care for them. Read more » ([link removed])

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With The Minimum Wage Rising, The Fight For $15 Is Finally Finished In D.C. ([link removed])

On Wednesday, the minimum wage in D.C. jumps by a buck to $15 an hour, capping off a four-year phased pay hike that puts the city alongside places like New York, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Read more » ([link removed])

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Fighting disparities AND economic collapse
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