Economic Policy Institute

The Postal Service is in the crosshairs of President Trump, who plans to fire the USPS board and merge the agency with the Commerce Department. This is part of a long history of attacks against the postal service by Republican members of Congress, who have long targeted the agency. Mail delivery is an essential public service delivered by the USPS, including to rural customers who would otherwise face higher costs and limited options with other service providers. USPS is also the source for thousands of jobs that have provided a foothold into the middle class. What's next if Trump succeeds with his plan? We're covering it in our FAQs. https://lnkd.in/e4iT8BEt

Fact: Immigrant workers help grow and are vital the US economy. Our new resource shows the economic benefits of immigrant workers—and the costs of mass deportations—in every state: For example, immigrant workers fill 22% of all jobs in Texas. Deporting TX workers will rob city and state coffers of $5 billion in tax revenue. This will make it more difficult to provide basic services to all residents, harming workers and families in our state. “Pursuing Trump’s mass deportation agenda will tank economic growth, lead to massive job losses, disrupt key industries, spike inflation, separate families, and create a culture of fear in our workplaces and communities," says EPI's Daniel Costa. https://lnkd.in/epVkhjzU

As we approach International Women's Day, let's talk about domestic workers. Most of the 2.3 million domestic workers in the US are women, particularly women of color. Despite their vital role, domestic workers are underpaid and unprotected, especially in the South. Domestic work is a broad category that includes home health care, child care, & cleaning services. Because domestic care work is associated with women’s unpaid household labor, it is often viewed as having little economic value, even though it is essential to the functioning of our economy. Domestic workers have shockingly low wages. Nationwide, the typical domestic worker was paid only $20,926/year in 2023, less than half as much as other workers. It's even worse in the South, where nearly 1/3 of US domestic workers live: $18,252/year, the lowest level of any region. Black & Hispanic women & immigrants are overrepresented in domestic work, especially in the South. The concentration of Black women in domestic care work is intimately tied to the legacy of slavery and racist occupational segregation. Hidden from public view and excluded from worker protections, domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. To help domestic workers, state lawmakers should extend workplace protections to them and pass Domestic Worker Bill of Rights laws. https://lnkd.in/eg2yRACG

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) was re-introduced in Congress today ??? ??? ??? The PRO Act would help restore workers’ ability to organize with their co-workers and negotiate for better pay, benefits, and fairness on the job. Workers NEED the PRO Act! https://lnkd.in/g2_mVBmU

?? Child care for one infant is more expensive than public college tuition in 38 states & DC ?? Child care is one of the biggest expenses families face. Costs vary widely across the country, ranging from as low as $572 per month in Mississippi to as high as $2,363 per month in DC for one infant. “Child care is unaffordable for working families everywhere in the country, and it’s even more unattainable for minimum wage workers and the very workers that administer child care. This isn’t inevitable—it is a policy choice,” said EPI's Katherine deCourcy. Check out our updated fact sheets to find out the cost of child care in your state: https://lnkd.in/eB223aQ5 Want to learn about the different data points in our fact sheets? Check out our case study of New Mexico: https://lnkd.in/eZt9dMeP

We pre-bunked the lies and attacks on federal workers that Trump will likely make while addressing Congress tonight. Remember: Trump's attacks are an attempt to erode the public’s faith in the federal government and the services it provides. Don't let it work! https://lnkd.in/efYByV-b

? It’s time for Colorado to remove barriers to unionization! CO is considering legislation to restore workers’ bargaining rights by repealing a 1943 law that has suppressed unionization in CO for decades. Like many so-called “right to work” states, CO enacted anti-union legislation in the 1940s amid intense big business and white supremacist campaigns to suppress worker organizing. As a result, CO workers who win a union election (a steep hurdle in an era of intense union busting) still can’t freely bargain unless they win a state-mandated “second election” by a supermajority! At 7.7%, Colorado’s union membership is now 22% below the national average. Declining unionization rates have come with extreme increases in income inequality in CO, outpacing even stark national increases. At a moment when workers are looking to unions as critical vehicles for fixing what’s broken in our wildly unequal economy, it’s CO's turn to restore worker bargaining power after decades of erosion. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e7rSk3_J

Trump's tariffs on Canada and Mexico took effect this morning. Have questions about tariffs? Here's everything you need to know but were afraid to ask: https://lnkd.in/eyM_qyc5

Want to know how many federal workers live in your area? We have a tool for that! ?? Our new resource calculates the number of federal workers and their share of total employment in every state, county, congressional district, and metro area. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/eNPfG9RS

John Oliver cited EPI's research on why “no tax on tips” will harm more workers than it helps! ?? "While 'no tax on tips' is an easy applause line at rallies, it wouldn't be nearly as effective as it sounds. If you really want to give relief to tipped workers, the solution would be to eliminate the subminimum wage." Check out our research on why "no tax on tips" would harm workers: https://lnkd.in/gdCfd5aW And watch the full Last Week Tonight episode: https://lnkd.in/eTWYJJ4w