Pitchfork Economics

Unlike traditional public housing models, government-financed social housing allows the government to act like a private developer. Public funds are used to design and build mixed-income housing developments, generating rent revenue instead of long-term losses.

Swipe fees: they’re the $126 billion annual tax you never agreed to, and they’ve doubled in the last decade. Visa and Mastercard's monopoly lets them gouge merchants and consumers alike. Illinois is fighting back—why isn't Congress?

ITEP’s latest: Tax codes aren’t race-neutral. Most state tax systems favor the wealthy and deepen racial inequities. Applying the #BlackWomenBest framework shows how states can flip the script by investing in families and taxing the rich fairly.

This week, Nick and Goldy discuss the concept of social housing with Vox Policy Correspondent Rachel Cohen. They explore how local government investments in mixed-income housing can keep cities affordable for the middle class. Drawing from her reporting, Cohen spotlights the innovative social housing experiment in Montgomery County, Maryland, which demonstrates how well-designed public housing can rival private market options without falling prey to stigma or inefficiency. They also explore the financial benefits of publicly owned housing and its potential to alleviate the widespread housing crisis by providing a sustainable, scalable solution that benefits low- and middle-income earners by delivering lasting affordability. ??Listen at the following link or wherever you get your podcasts: https://bit.ly/RachelCohen

Trump nominated Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Secretary of Labor. While her support for key labor reforms is encouraging, if workers truly have an ally in Chavez-DeRemer, she will advance policies that improve workers’ lives. Chavez-DeRemer is one of only 3 House Republicans to co-sponsor the PRO Act, which would make it easier for workers to form unions, and one of only 8 who support protecting public sector workers' right to organize. (Learn more about the PRO Act: https://lnkd.in/gJThPB3 ) While Chavez-DeRemer’s support for these reforms is encouraging, if confirmed, she will be Secretary of Labor for a president who steadfastly pursued an ambitious anti-worker agenda during his first term in office. If Chavez-DeRemer is truly an ally to workers, she will advance policies like: ?? Win funding for the Department of Labor ?? Protect workers’ overtime ?? Promote policies to protect workers’ health and safety ?? Hold employers accountable for exploiting workers These are just a few actions she could take to show her commitment to workers. If confirmed, Chavez-DeRemer should not follow the playbook of Trump’s first admin that used populist pro-worker rhetoric while advancing an anti-worker agenda that proved deeply harmful to US workers. https://lnkd.in/eFUwHpXf

We never would have known that American oil companies were colluding with the members of OPEC to artificially inflate the price of oil if it wasn’t for Lina Khan and her team at the FTC, who decided to review the communications of the oil company CEOs as part of the merger review process.??

As the retirement age rises, so does the inequality gap. For many Americans, working longer doesn’t mean more security—it means more years of struggle. The idea of working longer to 'save' for retirement is a myth that just hurts lower-income workers.

America needs to have more transparency in the pricing of goods and services. Here’s why ??

For decades, employers have been forcing workers to attend “captive audience” meetings where they are required to listen to anti-union employer views. Last week, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that these meetings are illegal ?? Meanwhile, a growing number of states have enacted legislation to ban mandatory captive audience meetings on political or religious matters and protect workers broadly from the overarching threat of employer coercion. Both because the NLRB only has the ability to address captive audience meetings focused on anti-union speech, and because the new ruling will be at risk of reversal by a future labor board, it remains very important for states to protect workers’ freedom of choice and thought. TL;DR: This ruling is a huge step forward to protect workers from anti-union employer coercion. AND state-level solutions are more important than ever at a moment when federal uncertainty threatens worker freedoms. https://lnkd.in/eYRFNgZu

Victory for workers: The NLRB ruled that anti-union captive audience meetings are illegal! Employers shouldn’t use fear and coercion to crush union efforts. The NLRB’s decision to ban anti-union captive audience meetings is a huge step forward.