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** Black workers face a triple threat this Labor Day: COVID, economic hardship, and racial injustice ([link removed])
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A note from EPI’s Kirstyn Flood ([link removed]) : The Black community has faced three crises during the pandemic: the devastating impact of the coronavirus, unprecedented economic hardship, and intensely painful reminders that the fight for racial justice is far from over. Like the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others during the pandemic, the police shooting of Jacob Blake magnified the devaluation of Black lives by those who are meant to protect and serve. Black lives have also been devalued in policy choices that presaged worse health and economic outcomes for Black families during this pandemic. EPI experts and allies weigh in on how federal policymakers can protect the country’s most vulnerable, particularly those who are disproportionately affected by the triple threat of the pandemic, the COVID economy, and ongoing racial injustice.


** Calling out anti-Blackness in our response to police violence and economic inequality ([link removed])
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We must address anti-Blackness in our society and center Black women and their communities in our policies. That was the resounding message from a panel of Black and Brown women—leading economic and social justice experts—on creating lasting change. These women spoke in June at the Economic Policy Institute’s webinar Rebuilding the House That Anti-Blackness Built in Our COVID Response ([link removed]) , after the police murder of George Floyd. Their words resonate today, as the nation continues to grapple with its history of systemic racism, inequities, and injustice, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Read the blog post and video recap of the event » ([link removed])
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** Calling out anti-Blackness in our response to police violence and economic inequality
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** Workers’ rights protection and enforcement by state attorneys general ([link removed])
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A new EPI report ([link removed]) documents the dramatic increase in the involvement of state attorneys general (AGs) in protecting workers’ rights in the past two years. Most recently, several state AGs have been highly active during the coronavirus pandemic, including by enforcing stay-at-home executive orders and advocating for safer workplaces in key industries and among key employers. State AGs have also taken action to fight wage theft and address broader workplace trends that have developed over recent decades, such as the proliferation of noncompete agreements ([link removed]) in employment contracts, misclassification of workers as independent contractors, and violations by platform-based or “gig economy” companies ([link removed]) . The author
urges state AGs to expand their involvement in this area and recommends that state legislatures grant attorney general offices jurisdiction to enforce workplace rights laws. Read the report » ([link removed])


** Health insurance and the COVID-19 shock ([link removed])
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Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and shock to the economy, job losses have been consistent with roughly 6.2 million workers losing access to employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI). This is the finding in a new paper ([link removed]) that surveys the limited data available to infer changes in health insurance coverage since the COVID-19 shock began. For each person who is covered under their own employer’s plan, roughly two people on average are covered through ESI. This means that closer to 12 million people have been cut off from ESI coverage due to job losses in recent months.

Delinking access to health insurance from specific jobs should be a top policy priority for the long term. The authors propose making the federal government the payer of first resort for all health care expenses—a “single payer” plan like Medicare for All. Policymakers could also require that employers either provide comprehensive and affordable insurance or pay a fee to help cover the costs of enrolling their workers in the public option. At a minimum, policymakers should have the federal government pay for all testing and treatment for COVID-19 related expenses in coming months. Read the report » ([link removed])


** The Milwaukee Bucks’ strike shows what’s possible when workers band together ([link removed])
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Typically, workers strike over pay or benefits, or to protest their employer’s violation of labor law. But last week, NBA players for the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take part in a playoff game against the Orlando Magic to protest the police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man who was shot multiple times in front of his children and was handcuffed to his hospital bed. The Milwaukee Bucks players’ actions sparked a movement within the NBA and larger sports community, with athletes from the WNBA, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer following suit in solidarity, causing games to be postponed in their respective leagues.

The Milwaukee Bucks showed that when workers organize and use their collective power, they can create change in their workplace, their industry, and society. However, the erosion of workers’ rights over the last several decades have made it difficult for workers to come together and engage in collective action. Policymakers must enact reforms that promote workers’ collective power ([link removed]) , which in turn can create a more just economy and democracy. Read the blog post » ([link removed])


** Updated state unemployment data ([link removed])
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The most recent unemployment insurance (UI) claims data released last week show that another 1.4 million people ([link removed]) filed for UI benefits in the week ending August 22. For the past four weeks, unemployed workers have gone without the extra $600 in weekly UI benefits—which Senate Republicans allowed to expire—and are instead typically receiving around 40% of their pre-virus earnings. This is far too meager to sustain workers and their families through lengthy periods of joblessness.

In a largely unserious stunt, the Trump administration has issued an executive order that, at best, will slash the benefit in half to $300. On its own, this cut will cause such a huge drop in spending that it will cost 2.6 million jobs over the next year. In addition to being woefully insufficient, this aid will take many weeks to reach jobless workers. Furthermore, it is distracting from the dire need for congressional action to strengthen UI benefits. Read the blog post » ([link removed])


** Previous webinars
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** Book event: Let Them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality ([link removed])

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To keep the gravy train going for mostly white one-percenters and prop up the plutocracy, political leaders are using toxic populism with a racially infused culture-war strategy to stay in power—a strategy led by Trump and playing out daily in his tweet storms, according to political scientists and authors of Let Them Eat Tweets ([link removed]) Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson. Hacker and Pierson discussed their book, followed by a panel of EPI experts who talked about what can be done to derail this distorted political influence by the rich and derail rising inequality. EPI President Thea Lee moderated. Watch the video » ([link removed])


** Reconstruction 2020: Valuing Black Lives and Economic Opportunities for All ([link removed])
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EPI hosted a panel ([link removed]) of experts on why policy must be changed to reverse the nation’s culture of anti-Blackness and the economic inequality surrounding it. EPI Distinguished Fellow Richard Rothstein discussed his book The Color of Law ([link removed]) , followed by a discussion on reshaping the country into one that values Black lives and bolsters economic opportunities for all. Watch the video » ([link removed])


** EPI in the news
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Public News Service ([link removed]) cited a 2019 EPI report ([link removed]) on the deep racial disparities in the Midwest, where demands for justice have escalated after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. | Kenosha Tensions Stoked by Longstanding Racial Gaps in Midwest ([link removed])
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EPI Senior Economist Elise Gould joined the hosts of MPR News ([link removed]) to discuss how the pandemic is pushing women out of the workforce. | How the Pandemic Is Squeezing Women out of Their Jobs—Maybe for Good ([link removed])
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Vox ([link removed]) covered a recent EPI report ([link removed]) on the historic loss of employer-sponsored health insurance during the coronavirus pandemic. | How Obamacare Helped Millions Who Lost Their Jobs During Covid-19, in 3 Charts ([link removed])
Follow EPI on Instagram ([link removed])


** What we’re watching
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** National Labor Week Screening and Panel Discussion of Waging Change ([link removed])
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The film Waging Change ([link removed]) shines a light on an American struggle hidden in plain sight: the women-led movement to end the federal tipped minimum wage for restaurant workers. It weaves together the stories of workers struggling to make ends meet with the efforts of Saru Jayaraman and others at One Fair Wage. Together, they face off against the powerful National Restaurant Association lobby and fight for one fair wage. Check out this clip ([link removed]) from the film on how the tipped minimum wage is a legacy of slavery, and watch the free screening ([link removed]) on Thursday, Sept. 10. Register today » ([link removed])


** What we’re reading
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With Walkouts, a New High Bar for Protests in Sports Is Set ([link removed])

It was the silence that spoke loudest. No basketballs pounding on hardwood. All games canceled. No baseballs cracking off bats. Three games canceled. No soccer balls ricocheting down the field. Five games canceled. No booming aces. The Western & Southern Open tennis tournament halted for a day. Read more » ([link removed])

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Amazon Is Hiring an Intelligence Analyst to Track ‘Labor Organizing Threats’ ([link removed])

Amazon is looking to hire two intelligence analysts to track “labor organizing threats” within the company. Read more » ([link removed])

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Labor Day during a pandemic: Black workers are particularly vulnerable
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