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** Uber drivers are not independent contractors ([link removed])
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In a new EPI report ([link removed]) , Lawrence Mishel and Celine McNicholas warn that Uber drivers and similar gig workers are effectively being robbed of the right to engage in collective action by a federal agency’s advice memo. The memo, by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel’s office, misclassifies Uber drivers as independent contractors, claiming that drivers’ control over their work and their “entrepreneurial freedom” means they are not employees with labor rights. Mishel and McNicholas articulate the many ways that the memo misstates the realities of Uber driving. As just one example, Uber drivers have no opportunities to increase revenues by controlling prices or expanding their customer base. Read the report » ([link removed])
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** Uber drivers are not independent contractors
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** ‘Fiscal responsibility’ should mean improving people’s lives ([link removed])
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A new concept of “fiscal responsibility” needs to be embraced, one in which full employment and equitable distribution in the economy become primary goals of fiscal policy, writes EPI’s Josh Bivens in a new report ([link removed]) . When policymakers are excessively scared of deficits and ignore these other goals, they will be constrained in responding to recessions and addressing income inequality, says Bivens. Too much restraint can do real harm to working families, he warns. In this report, Bivens provides a close analysis of the economic theory underlying deficit spending and the relationship between deficit spending and the health of the economy. Read the report » ([link removed])


** Trump’s labor board wants to deprive graduate student workers of their basic right to form unions ([link removed])
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The Trump-appointed National Labor Relations Board recently proposed a rule that would take away the rights of graduate teaching assistants and other student employees to organize and collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions, according to a blog post ([link removed]) by EPI’s Celine McNicholas. The board ignores the fact that universities have increasingly shifted teaching duties away from tenured or tenure-track faculty and onto graduate teaching assistants and contingent faculty, while paying these workers dramatically less than what tenured faculty receive—the average salary of a graduate teaching assistant was $35,810 in 2015–2016. Union-represented graduate student employees have reported receiving more professional support and higher pay than non-union-represented students. Members of the public are invited to submit comments on the board’s proposal here
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** From the EPI blog
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** EPI in the news
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EPI President Thea Lee joined the host of the Ideas@AFSCME Facebook Live Speaker Series ([link removed]) to discuss how to make the economy work for all working families and the role unions play in building a more equitable economic system. Lee cited EPI resources including the Family Budget Calculator ([link removed]) , State of Working America data library ([link removed]) , and EPI’s policy agenda ([link removed]) . | Ideas@AFSCME: How to Make the Economy Work for Everyone ([link removed])
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Self-care alone cannot solve the problem of burnout in the workplace, according to EPI’s Kayla Blado, who spoke with the host of The State of Things ([link removed]) . Systemic issues that lead to burnout require collective action. By forming a union, colleagues can work together to address these systemic issues. | Embodied Series: Breaking the Burnout Cycle ([link removed])
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EPI Director of Policy Heidi Shierholz described the Department of Labor’s new overtime rule as a “doubling down of this administration siding with corporate executives instead of workers” in a Washington Post ([link removed]) article. | Do You Make Under $35,500 a Year? Here’s Why You May Be Owed Mandatory Overtime Pay Soon ([link removed])
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In an opinion piece ([link removed]) about how presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Social Security expansion plan will mitigate the effects of income inequality, EPI board member Teresa Ghilarducci highlighted research on wage stagnation ([link removed]) . | Warren’s Plan Strengthens Social Security ([link removed])
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EPI Research Associate Elaine Weiss discussed strategies for meeting the needs of students experiencing poverty, particularly in rural communities, in an op-ed ([link removed]) for the Phi Delta Kappan journal, citing her work ([link removed]) as the former national coordinator of the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education, launched by EPI. | Tailoring Integrated Student Supports to Rural Contexts ([link removed])
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Who is squelching the rights of Uber drivers?
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