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This weekend, we celebrate the 125th anniversary of Labor Day and the rights workers have fought for—and won—over the last century and more. In a series of essays released in time for Labor Day, EPI experts remind us that we can’t take those rights for granted—and that we need to do more to ensure that all workers are protected and have opportunities to earn a fair wage. Among our current challenges, we need to reverse policies that limit workers’ economic leverage, address weak and uneven wage growth, reverse the decline in the real value of the federal minimum wage, close persistent racial gaps in employment and wages, and reform an immigration system that allows employers to increase their profits by keeping migrant workers powerless and underpaid. Read the essays »
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The state of labor on the 125th anniversary of Labor Day
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K–12 public school teachers spend an average of $459—unreimbursed—on school supplies each year, EPI Economist Emma García reports in a blog post. When schools can’t—or don’t—budget for necessary supplies, teachers must fill the gap to meet their students’ basic educational needs. And teacher spending on supplies is actually higher now than it was when school districts were still reeling from the Great Recession. This trend is worse in high-poverty schools—where needs tend to be greater and funding is more likely to be deficient. Check out EPI’s teacher shortage series for an in-depth look at a range of other factors that could be making it more difficult to recruit and retain teachers. Read the blog post »
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Join us in September to kick off our fall book series, featuring work by labor experts and advocates. Join us by livestream on Wednesday, September 4, at 12:00 noon to hear Robert Kuttner talk about his new book, The Stakes: 2020 and the Survival of American Democracy. On Monday, September 9, at 12:30 p.m., EPI will host Steven Greenhouse for a conversation about his book, Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor. (Register here to attend.) And David Ranney will discuss his memoir, Living and Dying on the Factory Floor, at a September 10 (4:00 p.m.) event co-sponsored by EPI and taking place at the Institute for Policy Studies. Read about upcoming events »
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Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke described his economic plans to Medium, citing EPI research on wages, black unemployment, unions, right-to-work laws, overtime pay, fair workweek laws, California laws that protect migrant workers, part-time employment, racial inequality, and mandatory arbitration. | A 21st Century Labor Contract
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EPI Director of the Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy (PREE) Valerie Wilson spoke with The Philadelphia Tribune about Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, stating, “We know what gender discrimination looks like and we know what racial discrimination looks like in the workplace, but Black women are kind of unique because we sit at the intersection of race and gender.” | Black Women’s Equal Pay Day Highlights Wage Disparities
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Labor Day 2019: EPI experts reflect on the state of labor
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