The State of Working America Podcast

News about immigration and deportations are on the front page every day. The immediate trauma of these lawless, violent attacks on immigrants and communities is clear, but the longer-term economic fallout of aggressive immigration enforcement will harm all workers, as well as the broader economy and labor market.

EPI’s Director of Immigration Law and Policy Research Daniel Costa and Senior Economist Ben Zipperer join National Domestic Workers Alliance Vice President of Policy and Advocacy Haeyoung Yoon in a conversation moderated by Deputy Director of EPI’s Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) Jennifer Sherer.

Originally held October 15, 2026.

Access links, documents, and learn more: https://www.epi.org/event/mass-deportations-an-anti-worker-agenda-that-harms-everyone/ 

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The State of Working America Podcast is part of EPI’s effort to raise workers’ voices to ensure they are heard in the economic policy debate. Core topics include workers' rights, inequality, race, gender, labor markets, education, immigration, and social justice


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Economic Policy Institute

Imagine if one-in-three private-sector workers belonged to a union.

What would wages, benefits, and working conditions look like if more workers had access to a union contract and the labor movement gained strength to beat back billionaires and big corporations? What would it mean for our economy and democracy? And what policy changes are necessary to enable more workers who wish they had a union to get one?

On Wednesday, July 15, Economic Policy Institute Director of Policy/General Counsel Celine McNicholas, Deputy Director of EARN and Director of the State Worker Power Initiative Jennifer Sherer, and Senior Economist Ben Zipperer, joined Executive Vice President Naomi Walker to discuss new EPI research quantifying the economic, social, and democratic benefits of increasing union membership.

Originally held Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

Learn more: https://www.epi.org/event/50-million-u-s-workers-want-to-join-a-union-what-if-they-did/ 

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The State of Working America Podcast is part of EPI’s effort to raise workers’ voices to ensure they are heard in the economic policy debate. Core topics include workers' rights, inequality, race, gender, labor markets, education, immigration, and social justice


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Economic Policy Institute

Imagine if one-in-three private-sector workers belonged to a union.

What would wages, benefits, and working conditions look like if more workers had access to a union contract and the labor movement gained strength to beat back billionaires and big corporations? What would it mean for our economy and democracy? And what policy changes are necessary to enable more workers who wish they had a union to get one?

On Wednesday, July 15, the Economic Policy Institute hosted a virtual press conference with AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler to discuss new EPI research quantifying the economic, social, and democratic benefits of increasing union membership to 30%. Participants also shared a policy roadmap to boost union membership, including offering two new proposals to promote collective bargaining and grow union membership.

Originally held Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

Learn more: https://www.epi.org/event/50-million-u-s-workers-want-to-join-a-union-what-if-they-did/ 

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The State of Working America Podcast is part of EPI’s effort to raise workers’ voices to ensure they are heard in the economic policy debate. Core topics include workers' rights, inequality, race, gender, labor markets, education, immigration, and social justice


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Economic Policy Institute

The Trump administration’s deployment of DHS agencies—such as ICE—has caused irreparable harm to our communities, neighbors, and families across the country. The economic costs are also substantial—and mounting.

University of Colorado Economics Professor Chloe N. East, Senior Economist and Deputy Director of Research at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Aaron Sojourner, and Executive Director at DC Fiscal Policy Institute Erica Williams discussed how the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign is harming workers, businesses, and the broader economy with case studies on Minneapolis and the greater Washington, D.C. region.

Originally held Wednesday, June 25, 2026.

Learn more: https://www.epi.org/event/the-cost-of-dhs-attacks-on-immigrants/ 

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The State of Working America Podcast is part of EPI’s effort to raise workers’ voices to ensure they are heard in the economic policy debate. Core topics include workers' rights, inequality, race, gender, labor markets, education, immigration, and social justice


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Economic Policy Institute

Creating justice in a multiracial democracy

The Trump administration is attacking diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the public sector. Inspired by the book Creating Justice in a Multiracial Democracy, this Economic Policy Institute webinar provides an actionable path forward to defend against these attacks and ultimately build a better society for everyone.

With special opening statements from Roosevelt Institute’s President and CEO Elizabeth Wilkins and Alan Curtis, CEO of the Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation, Economic Policy Institute’s Director of the Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy Valerie Wilson and Economist Kyle Moore explore a better path forward to create, build, and preserve a multiracial democracy.

Originally held Wednesday, June 17, 2026.

Learn more: https://www.epi.org/event/creating-justice-in-a-multiracial-democracy/ 

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The State of Working America Podcast is part of EPI’s effort to raise workers’ voices to ensure they are heard in the economic policy debate. Core topics include workers' rights, inequality, race, gender, labor markets, education, immigration, and social justice


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Economic Policy Institute

In partnership with the Roosevelt Institute and Oklahoma Policy Institute, Economic Policy Institute hosted this webinar that shares a new, evidence-backed framework for raising the federal minimum wage. 

The webinar included Roosevelt Institute Director of Worker Power and Economic Security Patrick Oakford, Economic Policy Institute Senior Economist Ben Zipperer, Oklahoma Policy Institute’s Carly Putnam, and was hosted by Economic Policy Institute Executive Vice President Naomi Walker.

Oklahoma Policy Institute is part of EPI’s Economic Analysis and Research Network, or EARN, which is a network of close to 60 state-focused research, policy, and advocacy organizations in 43 states + DC.

Originally held Thursday, May 21, 2026.

Learn more:

Federal Employment Standards as the Foundation of Economic Security: Revisiting Minimum Wage, Just Cause, and Tools to Combat Wage Theft by Patrick Oakford 

Setting high standards for a federal minimum wage by Ben Zipperer

A new way to think about the minimum wage 

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The State of Working America Podcast is part of EPI’s effort to raise workers’ voices to ensure they are heard in the economic policy debate. Core topics include workers' rights, inequality, race, gender, labor markets, education, immigration, and social justice


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Economic Policy Institute

EPI’s Chief Economist, Josh Bivens; Director of EPI’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy, Valerie Wilson; and Economist Hilary Wething, along with a special introduction by Peter Rivera from the Hewlett Foundation, discuss public education and how critical public goods are being attacked at both the state and federal levels.

Fully funded and strong public schools—with fairly compensated educators—lead to a society with high achieving students and fewer teacher shortages that disrupt learning. Yet policy initiatives such as school vouchers threaten to divert resources from public education when what is needed is greater investment, not less.

Originally held Thursday, May 14, 2026.

Learn more: https://www.epi.org/event/public-education-under-attack-how-epi-research-and-tools-support-investment-in-public-schools/ 

The State of Working America Podcast is part of EPI’s effort to raise workers’ voices to ensure they are heard in the economic policy debate. Core topics include workers' rights, inequality, race, gender, labor markets, education, immigration, and social justice


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Economic Policy Institute

There is much panic around AI’s impact on the labor market. Efforts to blame inequality and unemployment on AI and technology divert attention from the root cause: excess employer power. The best “AI policy” to protect workers would be boosting workers’ power by improving social insurance systems, removing barriers to organizing unions, and sustaining lower rates of unemployment. Economic Policy Institute’s Chief Economist Josh Bivens and Senior Economist Ben Zipperer joined Director of Government & Advocacy Samantha Sanders in a conversation on how policymakers should respond to the rise of AI.

Learn more: https://www.epi.org/event/ai-making-employee-disempowerment-new-again/ 

The State of Working America Podcast is part of EPI’s effort to raise workers’ voices to ensure they are heard in the economic policy debate. Core topics include workers' rights, inequality, race, gender, labor markets, education, immigration, and social justice


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Economic Policy Institute

Economic Policy Institute Chief Economist Josh Bivens and Senior Economist Ben Zipperer, in conversation with Senior Policy and Economic Analyst Chandra Childers, on how current policies are impacting working people and families, along with solutions that create a more affordable life for everyone.

Originally held Thursday, April 9, 2026.

Learn more: https://www.epi.org/event/state-of-working-america-q1-economic-briefing/ 

The State of Working America Podcast is part of EPI’s effort to raise workers’ voices to ensure they are heard in the economic policy debate. Core topics include workers' rights, inequality, race, gender, labor markets, education, immigration, and social justice


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Economic Policy Institute

The Trump administration brazenly attacks workers and their unions, undermining federal labor laws and emboldening corporate union busters. Amid this escalating US worker rights crisis, states across the country are stepping up to strengthen threatened labor standards, level the playing field for unionizing workers, and expand pathways to collective bargaining.

Enjoy this discussion with policy experts, organizers, and state advocates from EPI’s Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) on building worker power in the states when federal labor laws are under attack.

Originally held Thursday, February 19, 2026.

The State of Working America Podcast is part of EPI’s effort to raise workers’ voices to ensure they are heard in the economic policy debate. Core topics include workers' rights, inequality, race, gender, labor markets, education, immigration, and social justice


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Economic Policy Institute