Abortion bans are part of interconnected economic policy tools to disempower and control workers, even though they’re framed as a cultural, religious, or personal issues.
The states banning abortion rights have, over decades, intentionally constructed an economic policy architecture defined by weak labor standards, underfunded and purposefully dysfunctional public services, and high levels of incarceration, writes EPI’s Asha Banerjee in a new report.
Understanding “the direct connection between abortion and reproductive access and economic rights is critical,” she stresses. Read the report
More than $150 billion remains unspent from The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. These funds, created to help fight the pandemic and spur economic recovery, should be utilized to rebuild the public sector, increase access to paid leave for more workers, raise pay for and hire state and local government workers, and invest in child care and elder care systems and the workers in those roles, says EPI’s Dave Kamper in a recent blog post. Read the blog post
In the U.S., 21 million workers are still paid less than $15 per hour—an unlivable wage even for a single adult without children. In the 20 states that follow the stagnant federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, 19% of workers are paid less than $15 an hour. In the other 30 states and D.C.—where minimum wages are higher)—only 13% of workers are paid less than $15 an hour. Read the blog post
The Department of Homeland Security has clarified the process for how migrant workers engaged in labor disputes can request status protections, including protection from deportation. This will help workers and whistleblowers overcome their very rational fears about coming forward to report labor and workplace violations. This will in turn make workplaces safer for all workers.Read the blog post
EPI’s Elise Gould noted that the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey data showed little change from October to November. However, job openings are down about 12% from their peaks earlier in 2022. Read Gould’s Twitter thread
Across the country, corporations are giving workers in low-wage jobs fancy-sounding titles. It’s part of a scheme to evade the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and deny these workers overtime pay. And it’s working. Read the article
