Economic Policy Institute

Some employers use AI to exacerbate longstanding worker issues like ??discrimination ??unsafe working conditions ??loss of privacy Policymakers must address the underlying condition that allows employers to use AI in this manner: the imbalance of power between businesses and their workers. That's why we released a road map of worker-centered AI policy recommendations with the Center for American Progress, Congressional Progressive Caucus Center, and National Employment Law Project. Policymakers should use this road map to establish meaningful solutions that improve outcomes for workers in the era of AI and beyond. https://lnkd.in/eMgs6-_8

The US labor market is strong: ?? More prime-age workers have jobs (we are at a 23-year high!) ?? Median household incomes rose 4% last year ?? The economy has regained the 22 million jobs lost in the pandemic recession AND added another 6.5 million Are some folks still having a hard time? Absolutely. Unfortunately, that’s a long-term phenomenon stemming from a too-stingy U.S. welfare state, rising inequality, and the legacy of anemic wage growth during past economic recoveries. The labor market continues to add jobs, though at a slower pace, but EPI's Elise Gould isn't worried: "Now that the Federal Reserve has started lowering interest rates, I'm hopeful that any signs of weakness will recede, and the labor market will continue with strength." https://lnkd.in/g5mCmzeD

When discussing the post-pandemic recovery, some say that lawmakers should have aimed to keep inflation low by tolerating higher rates of unemployment. But this would have left real wages lower today, and millions more workers would have been jobless along the way. This would not have been worth it. The Biden-Harris administration took the best way through a rocky path by prioritizing low unemployment. Real wage growth has been faster for the lowest-wage workers, one of the few times this has happened over the past 40 years. “The economic path following the pandemic has been hard on working families in many ways, but it was the best bad option policymakers had over this time, by far,” says EPI's Josh Bivens. https://lnkd.in/e6zPFjtb

Southern white elites suppress Black political power in order to maintain a Southern economic model that is #RootedinRacism. They use tactics like: ?? violence ?? voter suppression ?? gerrymandering ?? mass incarceration ?? local preemption laws You might think these methods are only seen in the history books, but that's not true. A 2022 study shows that voters from Black neighborhoods waited 29% longer and were 74% more likely to spend over 30 min at their polling place compared with voters from white neighborhoods. But targeted policies can dismantle racist barriers to political participation and disrupt this cycle of political suppression! We need to strengthen civil rights protections and ensure ALL Southerners can enjoy political and economic equality ????????? https://lnkd.in/eE9Zr5cX

Access to paid sick leave ?? is unequal: ?? In the top 25% of workers by wages, ?? 94% have access to paid sick days ?? But in the bottom 25% of workers by wages, ?? only 58% have access to paid sick days Access to paid sick leave also varies across the private sector: ? Full-time workers are more likely to have paid sick leave than part-time workers (87% vs. 55%) ? And - no surprise - unionized workers have greater access to paid sick days than nonunion workers (84% vs. 79%) “Federal inaction on paid sick days continues to erode families’ economic security and needlessly spread illness,” says EPI’s Elise Gould and Hilary Wething. The federal government needs to pass legislation to mandate paid sick leave for ALL workers! https://lnkd.in/eBYkTvGe

?? ALERT: CEO pay is OUT OF CONTROL! ?? CEOs were paid 290x more than the typical worker in 2023 ?? CEOs took home an astronomical $22.2 million in compensation last year on average ?? CEO pay has skyrocketed 1,085% since 1978 CEOs aren't paid more because they are more "productive" or work harder! CEOs just have leverage over the boards that set their salaries. "There would be no adverse impact on the overall economy if CEOs earned less or were taxed more," said EPI's Josh Bivens, Elise Gould, and Jori Kandra. https://lnkd.in/eFF2Z2_R

In honor of the launch of our interactive map "The State of Women's Economic Wellbeing & The Law," Legal Momentum hosted a live webinar and expert discussion on economic justice for women across the U.S. this past Wednesday. Check out the recording below: https://lnkd.in/eqmK6f_T Thank you to our panelists, who provided our community with valuable insight. Together, we will continue the work to improve economic outcomes for women: New York State Senator Jessica Ramos Dr.?Chandra Childers?- Senior Policy & Economic Analyst,?Economic Policy Institute Catherine Hinshaw?- Policy Manager,?Justice for Migrant Women Kaitlyn Henderson, PhD?- Senior Researcher,?Oxfam Seher Khawaja, our Director of Economic Justice, facilitated the discussion and presented the key findings we uncovered through this project. Visit the map at?www.womenswellbeingmap.org ?? ? #Justice #WomensRights #Empowerment #Webinar

Despite recent headlines about "unprecedented immigration," immigration rates are actually well below the historical peaks of the 1990s. New immigrants in the workforce benefit both immigrants and US workers, even though immigrants are denied full rights as workers in the US economy. It’s important to note that high recent immigration rates have not disrupted the US labor market. In fact, the opposite has happened--including strong employment rates and low-wage workers experiencing the fastest wage growth in a generation. https://lnkd.in/efzZjkzg

The Federal Reserve needs to cut interest rates at their meeting this week to avoid a totally unnecessary recession. Today's rate sits between 5.25-5.5%. The Fed needs to cut that rate by at least 2% over the next year--starting with 0.5% this week: https://lnkd.in/e_btGTux

Join Legal Momentum online this Wednesday, 9/18, to learn about economic justice for women in the United States as we launch our interactive map "The State of Women's Economic Wellbeing & The Law." We're honored to be joined by: New York State Senator Jessica Ramos Dr. Chandra Childers - Senior Policy & Economic Analyst, Economic Policy Institute Catherine Hinshaw - Policy Manager, Justice for Migrant Women Kaitlyn Henderson, PhD - Senior Researcher, Oxfam Please register below: https://bit.ly/LMmaplaunch #Justice #Economics #Webinar #LearnMore #Equality