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No More Reacting: An Argument for a Clean Industrial Policy—and Against Competitiveness as an Organizing Economic Principle Report
Workers walk past the construction site of an offshore wind project in New London, Connecticut, on August 25, 2025.

No More Reacting: An Argument for a Clean Industrial Policy—and Against Competitiveness as an Organizing Economic Principle

Moving beyond the failures of the Trump administration, the United States will need to embrace a strategy for fighting the climate crisis that prioritizes values such as support for working people and establishes a precedent for international collaboration.

Mike Williams, Ryan Mulholland

4 Things To Know About Sectoral Bargaining Article
A construction worker on a ladder is one of five on the site of a new building in San Francisco.

4 Things To Know About Sectoral Bargaining

Sectoral bargaining strengthens worker voice, boosts pay and benefits, and supports a stronger middle class—and more of it can happen with the right policy changes.

David Madland

Under Trump, workplace harassment can now go unpunished In the News

Under Trump, workplace harassment can now go unpunished

In an op-ed published by Salon, Sara Estep and Haley Norris unpack the Trump administration’s attempts to roll back workplace anti-harassment protections, culminating in an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission vote.

Salon

Sara Estep, Haley Norris

Virginia Workers’ Biggest Win in Decades Could Come in 2026 Report
Virginia State Capitol building

Virginia Workers’ Biggest Win in Decades Could Come in 2026

Virginia lawmakers can empower hundreds of thousands of state and local government workers to unionize and bargain collectively over wages, benefits, and working conditions. Doing so will help make work pay for Virginia families; allow state and local governments to attract and retain well-qualified workers; and align with the values of everyday Americans.

Karla Walter

Good Jobs for Government Workers Improve Public Services Report
A bus driver steers into the Forest Hills Station in Boston.

Good Jobs for Government Workers Improve Public Services

By maintaining fair working conditions for government workers, state and local policymakers can increase productivity, improve public outcomes, support stable revenues, and attract the next generation of public servants.

Karla Walter, Sachin Shiva

The Trump Administration Is Quietly Gutting Minimum Wage Protections for Millions of Workers Article
A group of workers is seen walking along a brick pathway.

The Trump Administration Is Quietly Gutting Minimum Wage Protections for Millions of Workers

The administration has already cut minimum wage protections for hundreds of thousands of federal contract workers and halted plans to require companies to pay disabled workers at least $7.25 per hour; this Labor Day, it will advance plans to eliminate federal minimum wage protections for millions of child care and home care providers.

Aurelia Glass

The Trump Administration’s War on Disability Report
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order.

The Trump Administration’s War on Disability

Executive actions, budget cuts, layoffs, and legislation—all enacted in the Trump administration’s first six months—have curtailed disability rights and services, including access to Medicaid and the right to free, appropriate public education.

Mia Ives-Rublee, Casey Doherty

Despite Musk’s Departure, Trump’s War Against Unions and Workers Will Continue Article
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk.

Despite Musk’s Departure, Trump’s War Against Unions and Workers Will Continue

While DOGE made headlines for firing tens of thousands of federal workers, Elon Musk's departure will not slow down the Trump administration’s efforts to end collective bargaining for more than 1 million workers, slash wage protections for hundreds of thousands, and muzzle a key agency protecting organizing rights.

Aurelia Glass

Governors Should Fight for an Economic Agenda To Improve the Lives of Working-Class Residents Report
Workers install solar panels.

Governors Should Fight for an Economic Agenda To Improve the Lives of Working-Class Residents

By advancing policies to build power and raise the wages of working-class families, governors can improve economic opportunity for all state residents and illustrate a strong contrast with the Trump administration, which is abandoning its commitments to working people.

Karla Walter

CAP’s Comment on the Department of Labor’s Proposed Regulation on Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Notice in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings Article

CAP’s Comment on the Department of Labor’s Proposed Regulation on Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Notice in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings

The Center for American Progress submitted a comment letter to the Department of Labor on the agency’s proposed rule to protect the rising number of workers who are exposed to extreme heat conditions that cause injury, illness, and death across the United States.

Jill Rosenthal, Rosa Barrientos-Ferrer, Kate Petosa

Disabled People Deserve to Make a Living Wage In the News

Disabled People Deserve to Make a Living Wage

In an op-ed published by DC Journal, Mia Ives-Rublee explains why an archaic U.S. Department of Labor program involving 14(c) certificates is dangerous and should be phased out.

DC Journal

Mia Ives-Rublee

CAP Submits Comments Supporting Proposed Section 14(c) Rule To End Subminimum Wages for Disabled People Article

CAP Submits Comments Supporting Proposed Section 14(c) Rule To End Subminimum Wages for Disabled People

The Center for American Progress submitted comments in support of the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division’s new proposed rule to phase out Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, ensuring disabled workers are no longer paid subminimum wages.

Mia Ives-Rublee

Project 2025 Would Cut Access to Overtime Pay Article
An employee pushes shopping carts out the front doors of a dollar store.

Project 2025 Would Cut Access to Overtime Pay

Project 2025 would make eligibility for overtime—also known as time-and-a-half pay—more confusing for workers to navigate and easier for employers to abuse.

Lily Roberts

Project 2025 Would Undo the NLRB’s Progress on Protecting Workers’ Right To Organize Article
Union hall interior

Project 2025 Would Undo the NLRB’s Progress on Protecting Workers’ Right To Organize

Workers are winning a greater percentage of NLRB-overseen union elections than at any point in the past 15 years as Biden administration appointees help protect workers' right to organize—but a conservative policy plan offers a blueprint for eroding the NLRB's ability to protect organizing workers.

Aurelia Glass

The State of Safe Leave Report
Close-up through Capitol window

The State of Safe Leave

U.S. states are increasingly providing safe leave for workers who need time off to deal with the impacts of sexual and domestic violence.

Molly Weston Williamson

Unions Give Workers a Voice Over How AI Affects Their Jobs Report
Photo shows a view of an open office with mostly empty desk setups, and a large window in the back of the room

Unions Give Workers a Voice Over How AI Affects Their Jobs

Collective bargaining is a powerful tool workers can use to ensure artificial intelligence and algorithmic technology improve their jobs instead of make working conditions worse, and workers have won several recent contracts that give them power over how AI will affect their working lives.

Aurelia Glass

Government on Workers’ Side Report
Construction workers using equipment

Government on Workers’ Side

State and local policymakers can raise standards for workers and the public through prevailing wages, project labor agreements, and several other best practices.

Karla Walter

Workers’ Paychecks Are Growing More Quickly Than Prices Report
View standing behind grocery cart of products on shelf.

Workers’ Paychecks Are Growing More Quickly Than Prices

Most workers’ wages are growing more quickly than prices, and the economic recovery following the COVID-19 recession has featured historically strong real wage growth.

Brendan Duke

Facing the Fire: Phoenix Airport Workers Demand Protections Against Extreme Heat Video

Facing the Fire: Phoenix Airport Workers Demand Protections Against Extreme Heat

Amid record-breaking temperatures, Phoenix airport service workers filed an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) complaint against their employer and are demanding action to improve job conditions and safety measures.

Hannah Malus, Margaret Cooney, Devon Lespier, 4 More Toni Pandolfo, Hai-Lam Phan, Madalyn Reagan, Jeremy Hill

2023 CAP IDEAS Conference Past Event
CAP IDEAS Conference logo

2023 CAP IDEAS Conference

Join the Center for American Progress as we celebrate 20 years of innovative policy solutions and look boldly forward to a progressive future.

6 Ways Bidenomics Is Delivering for Young People Article
Photo shows a young woman scanning groceries from a full conveyor belt, as the customer helps bag the items.

6 Ways Bidenomics Is Delivering for Young People

The Biden administration’s actions to strengthen the economy are helping ensure young people have a brighter future.

Jessica Vela, Crystal Weise

Why Self-Employed Workers Need Paid Leave Report
Capitol dome at sunrise, seen through chain-link fencing

Why Self-Employed Workers Need Paid Leave

For many self-employed Americans, the cost of taking leave for illness or family needs is too high without support, shaping both what self-employment looks like and who has access to it.

Molly Weston Williamson

5 Reasons Automakers Must Provide Good Jobs and Lower Vehicle Emissions Article
Ford employees work on assembling electric vehicle carp parts.

5 Reasons Automakers Must Provide Good Jobs and Lower Vehicle Emissions

In the face of demands for better jobs and stronger health protections, some automakers claim they can’t improve job quality and lower vehicle emissions—but they have the resources to support middle-class-led economic growth and clean up their vehicle fleets.

Leo Banks, Karla Walter, Anona Neal

The Business Case for Good Jobs Report
Employees work at their desks in a San Francisco office.

The Business Case for Good Jobs

Jobs that include employee training and good working conditions have higher worker productivity and lower operational costs associated with turnover, boosting firm profitability and economic growth.

Crystal Weise

4 Job Quality Questions All Applicants for New Federal Funds Should Answer Report
Worker on building against sky

4 Job Quality Questions All Applicants for New Federal Funds Should Answer

States, cities, and private sector applicants can improve their chances of winning new federal support through the Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and CHIPS and Science Act by demonstrating that their proposals will create good jobs for working people from all walks of life.

Karla Walter

Shining a Light on Older Women Past Event

Shining a Light on Older Women

Please join the Center for American Progress to discuss the multitude of issues faced by older women and to explore solutions to improve their lives.

Online only

5 Things To Know About the Child Care for Working Families Act Fact Sheet
An early childhood educator zips up the coat of her 3-year-old student .

5 Things To Know About the Child Care for Working Families Act

The Child Care for Working Families Act aims to expand access to and lower the cost of care for families, support child care workers, and address racial and gender disparities in the child care system.

The Early Childhood Policy Team

5 Policy Priorities for the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Article
Sunrise at West Palm Beach International Airport

5 Policy Priorities for the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization

The reauthorization of Federal Aviation Administration programs should provide dedicated funding for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes and airports, an increase in the Passenger Facility Charge, and decent wages and benefits for airport service workers.

Kevin DeGood, Karla Walter

Paid Leave Policies Must Include Chosen Family Article
Photo shows a couple sitting together on a park bench.

Paid Leave Policies Must Include Chosen Family

In order to better support all workers—especially LGBTQI+ workers—policymakers must design paid leave policies that are inclusive of chosen family and reflect the diverse caregiving needs of people across the country.

Caroline Medina, Molly Weston Williamson

Setting Sectoral Standards in the U.S. and the World Past Event

Setting Sectoral Standards in the U.S. and the World

Please join the Center for American Progress and a panel of esteemed experts for a discussion on sectoral bargaining.

Online only

How historic infrastructure investments can benefit women workers In the News

How historic infrastructure investments can benefit women workers

Karla Walter partnered with Sharita Gruberg to break down the potential long-lasting benefits for women in manufacturing due to President Joe Biden's historic economic legislation.

The Hill

Sharita Gruberg, Karla Walter

Revolutionizing the Workplace: Why Long COVID and the Increase of Disabled Workers Require a New Approach Report
A doctor holds a patients hand during an appointment.

Revolutionizing the Workplace: Why Long COVID and the Increase of Disabled Workers Require a New Approach

Using new data from the U.S. Census Bureau to examine the impacts of long COVID on the labor market, this report recommends that employers, unions, and policymakers create better workplaces for disabled workers and all workers.

Mia Ives-Rublee, Rose Khattar, Anona Neal

Lessons From New Zealand’s New Sectoral Bargaining Law Report
Photo shows a man walking across a partially constructed wooden structure.

Lessons From New Zealand’s New Sectoral Bargaining Law

Unions and policymakers in New Zealand are seeking a solution to address stagnant wages, rising economic inequality, and low productivity after the failures of worksite-only bargaining—and the United States can learn from their efforts.

David Madland

Opinion: Hispanic and Latino workers deserve equal economic opportunity, not a return to the pre-pandemic status quo In the News

Opinion: Hispanic and Latino workers deserve equal economic opportunity, not a return to the pre-pandemic status quo

Rose Khattar and Jessica Vela discuss how equitable implementation of the Biden administration's major economic accomplishments, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, can help better support Hispanic and Latino workers.

MarketWatch

Rose Khattar, Jessica Vela

Worker Rights Are Getting a Major Shake Up In the News

Worker Rights Are Getting a Major Shake Up

David Madland discusses California's FAST Recovery Act, which gives the state's fast-food workers a seat at the negotiating table to help set industrywide standards.

Route Fifty

David Madland

Latino Workers Continue To Experience a Shortage of Good Jobs Article
A California street vendor serves customers in front of a colorful mural in Los Angeles.

Latino Workers Continue To Experience a Shortage of Good Jobs

Although Hispanic and Latino workers have high employment rates in the United States, labor market experiences differ substantially within this community, with Mexican, Guatemalan, Honduran, and Salvadoran Americans experiencing significant and intersecting gender and ethnic wage gaps.

Rose Khattar, Jessica Vela, Lorena Roque

3 things businesses should do to support their workers’ reproductive choices beyond paying for employees’ abortion-related travel expenses In the News

3 things businesses should do to support their workers’ reproductive choices beyond paying for employees’ abortion-related travel expenses

Lauren Hoffman and Rose Khattar discuss how businesses should be supporting their workers' reproductive choices since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision.

MarketWatch

Lauren Hoffman, Rose Khattar

It’s Long Past Time To Increase the Federal Minimum Wage Article
Activists with Our Revolution hold $15 minimum wage signs outside the U.S. Capitol.

It’s Long Past Time To Increase the Federal Minimum Wage

This month marks 13 years since the federal minimum wage was increased. The lack of an increase during this period has disproportionately harmed women and people of color.

Ashfaq Khan, Rose Khattar

For Unionized Amazon Workers, Lessons From Italy May Hold Key to Success In the News

For Unionized Amazon Workers, Lessons From Italy May Hold Key to Success

David Madland outlines several lessons learned from the historic nationwide contracts that Amazon workers in Italy signed in 2021 and suggests a path forward for unionized workers at Amazon's Staten Island warehouse, who must now try to sign a collective bargaining agreement.

InsideSources

David Madland

5 Lessons From Recent Union Wins Article
Amazon workers protest on April 1, 2022, as they vote for the unionization of an Amazon warehouse.

5 Lessons From Recent Union Wins

American workers have won major victories at Amazon, Starbucks, and elsewhere; but Congress must act to ensure all workers can exercise their right to join a union.

Aurelia Glass

Lessons From Italian Unions’ Historic Agreement With Amazon Article

Lessons From Italian Unions’ Historic Agreement With Amazon

Facilitated by worker activism, supportive policy, and a sectoral bargaining system, unions in Italy signed a collective bargaining agreement with Amazon, offering optimism for U.S. workers seeking to negotiate with the company.

CAP Action

David Madland

Workforce Development’s Role in Building the Infrastructure Labor Force In the News

Workforce Development’s Role in Building the Infrastructure Labor Force

Marina Zhavoronkova, a senior fellow on the Poverty to Prosperity team at American Progress, discusses the important role the public workforce development system can play in building a skilled, diverse infrastructure workforce.

Governing

Marina Zhavoronkova

The Biden Boom: Economic Recovery in 2021 Article
President Joe Biden gives remarks in Statuary Hall of the U.S Capitol.

The Biden Boom: Economic Recovery in 2021

President Joe Biden took office one year ago amid one of the worst economies in generations, but the U.S. economy has since made tremendous progress toward recovery, and workers are benefiting.

Seth Hanlon, Lily Roberts, Andres Vinelli, 2 More Rose Khattar, Nick Buffie

City poised to set labor standards by sector In the News

City poised to set labor standards by sector

David Madland praises a new Detroit city ordinance that would create a process for bringing together representatives of workers, employers, and the public to make recommendations around minimum compensation and standards for certain industries.

the Detroit Free Press. See the November 28 print edition for the full article

David Madland

How Weak Safety Net Policies Exacerbate Regional and Racial Inequality Report

How Weak Safety Net Policies Exacerbate Regional and Racial Inequality

While all low-income individuals and families, particularly those of color, struggle to avoid falling into poverty, some receive less support solely because of where they live.

Alexandra Cawthorne Gaines, Bradley Hardy, Justin Schweitzer

A Win for Workers, Climate, and Communities Video

A Win for Workers, Climate, and Communities

This video tells the story of Frank, who, after being released from prison, joined the IBEW and built a career as an electrician focusing on electric vehicle chargers.

Hannah Malus, Chris Chyung, Hai-Lam Phan, 3 More Mathew Brady, Daniel Lafrentz, Jasmine Hardy

The Clean Economy Revolution Will Be Unionized Report
(A worker in a construction vest and hard hat installs solar panels on a roof in California, with mountains pictured in the background.)

The Clean Economy Revolution Will Be Unionized

State and local progress can inform federal action to support high-quality, union jobs building the clean economy.

Rita Cliffton, Malkie Wall, Sam Ricketts, 3 More Kevin Lee, Jessica Eckdish, Karla Walter

Improving the Worksharing System To Absorb Employment Shocks Report
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 13: Lay Guzman stands behind a partial protective plastic screen and wears a mask and gloves as she works as a cashier at the Presidente Supermarket on April 13, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The employees at Presidente Supermarket, like the rest of America's grocery store workers, are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, helping to keep the nation's residents fed. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Improving the Worksharing System To Absorb Employment Shocks

A greater focus on worksharing within the U.S. unemployment insurance system could help workers and the economy stay afloat during the coronavirus-induced recession and future downturns.

Hailey Becker, Lily Roberts

A Multiple Measures Approach to Workforce Equity Report
RIVERSIDE, CA -- APRIL 28: Associates fill orders for both Ralphs and Food 4 Less grocery stores at the Ralphs Distribution Center on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, in Riverside, CA. The 80 acre, 1.2 million square feet, full service distribution center employing 1100 workers took on more product after automated warehouses couldn't keep up with the spike in demand after restaurants were shuttered. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

A Multiple Measures Approach to Workforce Equity

Policymakers can take a bold approach to close equity gaps by redesigning workforce accountability to focus on job quality while addressing problems that disproportionately affect workers of color.

Livia Lam

Fact Sheet: How State and Local Governments Can Make Climate Jobs Good Jobs Fact Sheet

Fact Sheet: How State and Local Governments Can Make Climate Jobs Good Jobs

Tackling climate change will require state and local action alongside federal policy change. State and local policymakers can ensure that good jobs are created in the new clean economy by focusing on five proven job-quality strategies.

David Madland, Terry Meginniss

A Reform Agenda for the U.S. Department of Transportation Report

A Reform Agenda for the U.S. Department of Transportation

The severe economic downturn caused by the coronavirus has created an urgent need to boost federal infrastructure spending and reform programs and policies to ensure they achieve the greatest social, economic, and environmental return on investment.

Kevin DeGood

Reckoning With Conservatives’ Bad Faith Cost-Benefit Analysis Report
Storm clouds fill the sky over the U.S. Capitol Building, June 2013, in Washington, D.C. (Getty/Mark Wilson)

Reckoning With Conservatives’ Bad Faith Cost-Benefit Analysis

Conservatives support cost-benefit analysis when it slows progressive regulation but abandon it when it stands in the way of their deregulatory agenda.

Todd Phillips, Sam Berger

Expanding the Supply of Affordable Housing for Low-Wage Workers Report
(A man walks in front of a construction site in Denver on February 8, 2018.)

Expanding the Supply of Affordable Housing for Low-Wage Workers

Policymakers must focus on improving the jobs-housing fit—or connecting jobs with affordable housing—which is essential for working families and for the economy.

Michela Zonta

Quality Workforce Partnerships Report
People attend the JobNewsUSA job fair at the BB&T Center on November 15, 2016 in Sunrise, Florida. (Getty/Joe Raedle)

Quality Workforce Partnerships

Key features of two quality workforce partnerships offer lessons on how workforce intermediaries and employers can design mutually beneficial relationships that connect working Americans—across racial and gender lines—to good jobs in the 21st century.

Livia Lam, Karla Walter

From Giveaways to Investments Report

From Giveaways to Investments

Place-based economic development policies must prioritize communities over corporations.

Caius Z. Willingham

Workers’ Boards: A Brief Overview Fact Sheet
A dishwasher walks through the dining room at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., June 2016. (Getty/J. Lawler Duggan/The Washington Post)

Workers’ Boards: A Brief Overview

By developing policies for workers’ boards—governmental bodies that bring together representatives of workers, employers, and the public—state and local policymakers can raise minimum wage rates, benefits, and workplace standards across entire occupations, sectors, and industries.

Kate Andrias, David Madland, Malkie Wall

Workers’ Boards: Frequently Asked Questions Fact Sheet
The check-out line at a market in Delray Beach, Florida, February 2018. (People stand in a check-out line)

Workers’ Boards: Frequently Asked Questions

Workers’ boards—also known as wage boards or industry committees—set minimum wage rates, benefits, and workplace standards for an entire occupation, sector, or industry. Boards can raise wages for both low- and middle-income workers, and they are particularly helpful in industries where traditional collective bargaining is difficult.

Kate Andrias, David Madland, Malkie Wall

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Not All Paid Leave Proposals Are Equal Report

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Not All Paid Leave Proposals Are Equal

Paid leave proposals which only provide benefits to parents of new children or are funded through cuts to other programs will not meet the needs of working families.

Diana Boesch

American Ghent Report
(A worker operates machinery at a factory in Lawrence, Massachusetts, July 2017.)

American Ghent

Expanding on existing Ghent-like programs in the United States would strengthen unions and improve government services.

David Madland, Malkie Wall

Civil Justice Needs Federal Leadership Report

Civil Justice Needs Federal Leadership

The United States needs federal leadership to ensure that it has a civil justice system that works for all Americans.

Maha Jweied, Karen A. Lash

The Modern Company Town Report
(Steam rises from a meatpacking facility in Cactus, Texas, February 2018.)

The Modern Company Town

Workers in highly concentrated labor markets need stronger antitrust enforcement and labor protections.

Caius Z. Willingham, Olugbenga Ajilore

Farewell for Now, but Not for Long Podcast
(The Thinking CAP podcast logo, a yellow neon cap against a black background with the word

Farewell for Now, but Not for Long

The final Thinking CAP podcast revisits Daniella and Ed's discussion with AFSCME President Lee Saunders about the labor movement

Daniella Gibbs Léger, Ed Chung, Chris Ford

The Nondiscrimination Protections of Millions of Workers Are Under Threat Report
(A worker monitors a production line for a government contractor in North Carolina on January 11, 2019.)

The Nondiscrimination Protections of Millions of Workers Are Under Threat

The U.S. Department of Labor is trying to undermine nondiscrimination protections for employees of federal contractors—a move that would harm millions of workers, including countless LGBTQ people.

Frank J. Bewkes, Caitlin Rooney

Corporate Governance and Workers Report
(A street sign with the text

Corporate Governance and Workers

Power within corporations has shifted away from Main Street in favor of Wall Street, but collective bargaining, competition, tax fairness, and corporate long-termism can help American capitalism do better.

Andy Green, Christian E. Weller, Malkie Wall

The Urgency of Equality, With Charlotte Clymer and Laura Durso Podcast
(The Thinking CAP podcast logo, a yellow neon cap against a black background with the word

The Urgency of Equality, With Charlotte Clymer and Laura Durso

Ed and Daniella sit down with Charlotte Clymer, press secretary for rapid response at the Human Rights Campaign, and CAP's Laura Durso, to discuss the likely passage of the Equality Act in the House of Representatives.

Daniella Gibbs Léger, Ed Chung, Kyle Epstein, 1 More Chris Ford

Breadwinning Mothers Continue To Be the U.S. Norm Report
The wife of a striking General Motors assembly line worker worries about the family's economic future on July 8, 1998 in Flint, Michigan. (Getty/ Andrew Lichtenstein)

Breadwinning Mothers Continue To Be the U.S. Norm

The share of U.S. breadwinning mothers remains high, and the United States needs work-family policies that catch up to modern families’ needs.

Sarah Jane Glynn

Forced Arbitration: What You Need To Know Video

Forced Arbitration: What You Need To Know

Forced arbitration agreements make it harder for workers and consumers to challenge predatory practices, wage theft, and discrimination.

Carleigh Newland, Kurt Mueller, Malkie Wall, 2 More Karla Walter, Andy Green

Strength in Numbers: Talking Labor with AFSCME President Lee Saunders Podcast
(The Thinking CAP podcast logo, a yellow neon cap against a black background with the word

Strength in Numbers: Talking Labor with AFSCME President Lee Saunders

This week, Daniella and Ed chat with AFSCME President Lee Saunders about the state of unions in the United States, particularly the rising popularity of unions among young people.

Daniella Gibbs Léger, Ed Chung, Rachel Rosen, 2 More Kyle Epstein, Chris Ford

Driving Change in States to Combat Sexual Harassment Report
McDonald's workers are joined by other activists as they march toward the company's headquarters to protest sexual harassment at the fast-food chain's restaurants on September 18, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois. (Getty/Scott Olson)

Driving Change in States to Combat Sexual Harassment

Worker leadership and mobilization, state and local policy innovations, and industry commitments must be part of a collective, comprehensive, and holistic strategy to eliminate sex-based, discriminatory workplace practices.

Diana Boesch, Jocelyn Frye, Kaitlin Holmes

Fact Sheets: How the Trump Shutdown Harms States Article
Due to President Trump's shutdown of the government, this national park facility is closed in Philadelphia, January 8, 2019. (Getty/Mark Makela)

Fact Sheets: How the Trump Shutdown Harms States

Across the country, President Trump's shutdown has had damaging effects on vital programs and services. As he continues to hold portions of the government hostage, Trump has left hundreds of thousands of workers in financial limbo.

Saharra Griffin

The Freedom to Leave Report
A McDonald's employee works the drive-thru window at a restaurant in Miami on April 25, 2017. (Getty/Joe Raedle)

The Freedom to Leave

State policymakers can boost workers’ pay and freedom in the economy by restricting noncompete agreements and banning no-poaching agreements.

Karla Walter

Wage Gaps and Outcomes in Apprenticeship Programs Report
Apprentice Lacie Cudden, age 17, makes tools at a shipyard where she is learning traditional ship-building skills on December 5, 2008.

Wage Gaps and Outcomes in Apprenticeship Programs

A closer look at regional differences in apprenticeship programs spotlights the disparate outcomes that result from place, race, and gender and how these interact to exacerbate pay inequities.

Daniella Zessoules, Olugbenga Ajilore

Rising Deficits, Falling Revenues Report

Rising Deficits, Falling Revenues

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act increases federal deficits while failing to address the nation’s most pressing challenges and making inequality worse.

Seth Hanlon, Alan Cohen, Sara Estep

The Uneven Expansion of Access to Paid Sick Days Article
A man attends a rally in New York City to show support for a paid sick leave bill, March 2013. (Getty/Spencer Platt)

The Uneven Expansion of Access to Paid Sick Days

Too many private-sector workers, especially in Southern and Midwest states, do not have access to paid sick days, jeopardizing their family’s health and economic security—as well as their own.

Diana Boesch

The Apprenticeship Wage and Participation Gap Report

The Apprenticeship Wage and Participation Gap

Policymakers must address significant race and gender gaps in Registered Apprenticeship programs.

Angela Hanks, Annie McGrew, Daniella Zessoules

Where Change Happens: The Aftermath of Sexual Harassment Article
An employee works at her desk in Aurora, Colorado, on March 19, 2017. (Andy Cross/Getty)

Where Change Happens: The Aftermath of Sexual Harassment

Remedying sexual harassment must encompass more than a particular incident and include examining underlying structures, systems, and culture to eliminate discrimination in every corner of the workplace.

Jocelyn Frye

An Unequal Division of Labor Report

An Unequal Division of Labor

Most working mothers return home to a second shift of unpaid housework and caregiving after their official workday ends. When paid work, household labor, and child care are combined, working mothers spend more time working than fathers.

Sarah Jane Glynn

Making a Commitment to America’s Workers Fact Sheet

Making a Commitment to America’s Workers

CAP’s Blueprint addresses the wage and employment challenges of working Americans and communities left behind by meeting pressing economic and social needs and creating a job guarantee in the hardest-hit areas.

Center for American Progress

Blueprint for the 21st Century Report

Blueprint for the 21st Century

CAP’s Jobs Blueprint addresses the wage stagnation and employment challenges facing working class Americans and communities left behind by investing in millions of new jobs nationwide to meet some of our nation’s most pressing economic and social needs and creating a job guarantee in the hardest-hit areas.

Center for American Progress

The State of the U.S. Labor Market: Pre-March 2018 Jobs Release Article
Job seekers attend a career fair for unemployed people with disabilities in Manchester, Connecticut, May 2011. (Getty/Christopher Capozziello)

The State of the U.S. Labor Market: Pre-March 2018 Jobs Release

Despite recent gains, disabled workers are still much more likely to struggle economically than their nondisabled counterparts, and keeping interest rates low may help them.

Annie McGrew, Leonard Scott IV, Michael Madowitz

Better Training and Better Jobs Report

Better Training and Better Jobs

Creating and funding sectorwide labor-management training partnerships would benefit workers, business, and the larger economy.

Angela Hanks, David Madland

State of the Union Preview: Trump Is Rigging the Economy Against Workers and the Middle Class Article
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a working dinner with European business leaders during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, eastern Switzerland, January 25, 2018. (Getty/AFP, Nicholas Kamm)

State of the Union Preview: Trump Is Rigging the Economy Against Workers and the Middle Class

President Trump promised to fight for American workers, but his first year in office has shown that he is decidedly not on their side.

Seth Hanlon, Sam Berger, Alex Rowell, 6 More Galen Hendricks, Regina Willensky Benjamin, Kevin DeGood, Eliza Schultz, Joe Valenti, Marc Jarsulic

President Trump’s Policies Are Hurting American Workers Article

President Trump’s Policies Are Hurting American Workers

Authors Karla Walter, David Madland, Alex Rowell, Caius Z. Willingham, and Malkie Wall describe how President Trump is rolling back the protections that ensure that Americans can be safe on the job, receive fair pay and benefits, save for retirement, access high-quality training programs, have a voice in their workplace, and not be discriminated against at work.

CAP Action

David Madland, Karla Walter, Alex Rowell, 2 More Caius Z. Willingham, Malkie Wall

The State of the U.S. Labor Market: Pre-December 2017 Jobs Release Article
The U.S. Capitol lit up after sunset. (Richard Nowitz/Corbis Historical via Getty)

The State of the U.S. Labor Market: Pre-December 2017 Jobs Release

On Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its Employment Situation Summary for the month of December. Here are some labor market indicators to watch.

Gregg Gelzinis, Michael Madowitz

Schedules That Work for Working Families Article
A grocery store cashier checks out a family in El Cajon, California, August 31, 2016. (AP/Lenny Ignelzi)

Schedules That Work for Working Families

Unfair scheduling practices can harm employees’ health, reduce job satisfaction, and may increase the likelihood of sexual harassment.

Katherine Gallagher Robbins, Shirin Arslan

Not Just the Rich and Famous Article
Women march against sexual assault and harassment for the #MeToo March in Los Angeles, November 12, 2017. (AP/Damian Dovarganes)

Not Just the Rich and Famous

Comprehensive efforts are necessary to combat sexual harassment in all industries, particularly those with large low-wage and predominantly female workforces.

Jocelyn Frye

Corporate Tax Cuts Don’t Create Jobs—Just Ask Carrier Workers Video

Corporate Tax Cuts Don’t Create Jobs—Just Ask Carrier Workers

We went to Indiana to ask a Carrier worker—who has seen his company slash jobs despite receiving a $7 million tax break on top of $57 billion in profits in 2016—whether corporate tax cuts help American workers.

Andrew Satter, Jeremy Slevin

The State of the U.S. Labor Market: Pre-September 2017 Jobs Release Article
A man fills out a job application at a job fair in Miami Lakes, Florida, in July 2016. (AP/Lynne Sladky)

The State of the U.S. Labor Market: Pre-September 2017 Jobs Release

On Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its Employment Situation Summary for the month of September. Here are some labor market indicators to watch.

Gregg Gelzinis, Michael Madowitz

Are Today’s Students Prepared to Enter the Tech Industry? Article
A Google software engineer and a member of the Google In Residence program meet with students at Howard University in Washington, April 14, 2015. (AP/Molly Riley)

Are Today’s Students Prepared to Enter the Tech Industry?

The lack of networking and mentoring available to black and Hispanic college students decreases opportunities for careers in technology.

Maya Beasley

Taking Giant Leaps Forward Report

Taking Giant Leaps Forward

DACA beneficiaries who did not complete high school or college are returning to higher education and vocational programs thanks to their legal status—and experiencing giant leaps forward in their social inclusion, job mobility, and financial security as a result.

Roberto G. Gonzales, Marco A. Murillo, Cristina Lacomba, 4 More Kristina Brant, Martha C. Franco, Jaein Lee, Deepa S. Vasudevan

This Father’s Day, Let’s Talk About Paid Leave Article
A father holds his 6-month-old son as he speaks with former San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, left, before a rally supporting paid family leave at City Hall in San Francisco, April 5, 2016. (AP/Jeff Chiu)

This Father’s Day, Let’s Talk About Paid Leave

Fathers and their families deserve a comprehensive paid family and medical leave policy, but Trump’s parental leave plan won’t cut it.

Kate Bahn, Sunny Frothingham

The Trump Budget’s Attack on People with Disabilities Article
Three-year-old Cody Snyder, who has cerebral palsy, plays in his front yard in Bloomingdale, Ohio, with his mother Dawn on June 5, 2007. (AP/Mark Stahl)

The Trump Budget’s Attack on People with Disabilities

The Trump budget would be particularly damaging for Americans with disabilities.

Katherine Gallagher Robbins, Harry Stein, Jackie Odum, 2 More Michela Zonta, Rachel West

How the Trump Budget Undermines Economic Security for Working Families Article
Minka Disbrow clasps her hands together on December 28, 2011, in San Clemente, California. (AP/Jae C. Hong)

How the Trump Budget Undermines Economic Security for Working Families

The Trump budget would squeeze working families for the benefit of wealthy elites.

Rebecca Vallas, Harry Stein, Eliza Schultz, 10 More Neil Campbell, Kate Bahn, Regina Willensky Benjamin, Kevin DeGood, Antoinette Flores, Ethan Gurwitz, Alexandra Thornton, Angela Hanks, Luke Bassett, Myriam Alexander-Kearns

Toward a Marshall Plan for America Report

Toward a Marshall Plan for America

The economy is not producing access to a good, stable middle-class life for people who do not go to college. On prudential and ethical grounds, progressives must do more to create decent job opportunities and secure family situations for all working people facing difficult economic conditions not within their control.

Neera Tanden, Carmel Martin, Marc Jarsulic, 6 More Brendan Duke, Ben Olinsky, Melissa Boteach, John Halpin, Ruy Teixeira, Rob Griffin

The Case for Paid Apprenticeships Behind Bars Report
In a photo from Friday, July 8, 2016, inmates James Fletcher, left, and DeAndre Allen work on cabinet doors at the Habitat for Humanity Prison Build at the Ionia Correctional Facility in Ionia, Mich. Few states have been more aggressive in releasing inmates and diverting offenders than Michigan, where the prison system has long threatened the state???s capacity to fund universities and other basics of government. But the $2 billion annual cost remains steep, exacerbated by a boomerang found here and across the country: the large number of inmates who wind up back behind bars again. Now Michigan leaders, frustrated that their downsizing efforts have hit a wall, are trying novel, more hands-on methods to ensure that prisoners leave with a job in hand. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

The Case for Paid Apprenticeships Behind Bars

Paid apprenticeships could help ease returning citizens’ labor market re-entry and benefit them, their families, and society.

Annie McGrew, Angela Hanks

Trump’s 100 Days of Failing Working Americans Article
President Donald Trump speaks at the Interior Department in Washington, April 2017. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)

Trump’s 100 Days of Failing Working Americans

While President Donald Trump promised to lead a “worker’s party,” he has stood up for wealthy corporations—not workers—in his first 100 days in office.

Alex Rowell

Global Progress on Equal Pay and Paid Leave Interactive

Global Progress on Equal Pay and Paid Leave

Countries around the world have adopted policies to promote women’s economic security and participation and close the gender wage gap. The United States is an extreme outlier in its lack of such policies.

Kaitlin Holmes, Danielle Corley

International Approaches to Closing the Gender Wage Gap Report

International Approaches to Closing the Gender Wage Gap

While achieving progress on national work-life and anti-discrimination policies has been all but politically impossible in the United States in the past few decades, industrialized and developing countries alike are comprehensively addressing both facets of the gender wage gap.

Kaitlin Holmes, Danielle Corley

The Value of Equal Pay to the U.S. Economy Article
A woman participates in a rally and march as part of International Women's Strike NYC, a coalition of dozens of grassroots groups and labor organizations on International Women's Day, Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in New York. (AP/Kathy Willens)

The Value of Equal Pay to the U.S. Economy

The gender wage gap is also a drag on the U.S. economy; closing the gap should be a top priority of any economic policy agenda that seeks to strengthen and grow the economy.

Kate Bahn

A Day in the U.S. Economy Without Women Article
Employees iron stars onto a U.S. flag at Annin Flagmakers in South Boston, Virginia, on July 6, 2016. (AP/Gerry Broome)

A Day in the U.S. Economy Without Women

Women contribute trillions of dollars to the economy each day in paid and unpaid labor.

Kate Bahn, Annie McGrew

Labor Secretary 101: Why It Matters Article
A human resources director talks with job applicants during a job fair, January 2015. ((AP/Lynne Sladky))

Labor Secretary 101: Why It Matters

The secretary of labor plays an important role in the daily lives of workers, from ensuring fair workplaces to advancing the economic security of working families. It is critical that whoever fills the position is dedicated to furthering these goals for all Americans.

Danielle Corley, Jocelyn Frye

Rising Earnings Inequality Is Taking a Mounting Toll on Social Security Article
Morris Bounds Sr. sits with his grandchildren on February 23, 2015, in Ansted, West Virginia. (AP/Chris Tilley)

Rising Earnings Inequality Is Taking a Mounting Toll on Social Security

The upward redistribution of income caused by growing inequality is taking a significant and growing toll on Social Security’s financial outlook.

Rachel West, Rebecca Vallas

6 Policies to Support the Early Childhood Workforce Report

6 Policies to Support the Early Childhood Workforce

Comprehensive federal policies can help states ensure that members of the early childhood workforce have adequate compensation, benefits, and support for their professional growth.

Rebecca Ullrich, Katie Hamm, Leila Schochet

A Plan for Rebuilding America and Investing in Workers and Jobs Report

A Plan for Rebuilding America and Investing in Workers and Jobs

The start of the 115th Congress presents an important opportunity to strengthen communities, expand employment, raise wages, and build the infrastructure that will power the U.S. economy in the 21st-century.

Kevin DeGood

Paid Sick Days and Paid Family and Medical Leave Are Not Job Killers Report

Paid Sick Days and Paid Family and Medical Leave Are Not Job Killers

Contrary to claims by opponents, paid sick days and paid family and medical leave do not lead to a rise in unemployment but rather benefit workers, businesses, and the economy.

Danielle Corley, Sunny Frothingham, Kate Bahn

Breadwinning Mothers Are Increasingly the U.S. Norm Report
Marisela Martinez-Cola, right, a lawyer and a parent living in an Atlanta suburb with her husband Greg, left, and their 7-year-old son, David, prepare for a typical school and work day Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014, in Lawrenceville, Ga. The couple send their son to private school and have hired a tutor to improve David's reading _ expenses made possible by Greg’s salary as a regional buyer for Costco Wholesale. (AP Photo/David Tulis)

Breadwinning Mothers Are Increasingly the U.S. Norm

The share of U.S. breadwinning mothers continues to grow, and understanding them is vital to understanding the modern labor force.

Sarah Jane Glynn

Making Paid Leave Work for Every Family Report
Gregg Pitts feeds his son Thomas Brunson-Pitts, 6 months, a bottle as his husband Brooks Brunson gets ready for work at their home in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2016. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

Making Paid Leave Work for Every Family

Inconsistent and restrictive family definitions have historically marginalized many families, but improvements can be made to serve a fuller range of diverse family structures, especially LGBTQ families.

Moira Bowman, Laura E. Durso, Sharita Gruberg, 5 More Marcella Kocolatos, Kalpana Krishnamurthy, Jared Make, Ashe McGovern, Katherine Gallagher Robbins

Now Is the Time to Invest in Apprenticeships Report
Workers inspect a pane of glass at a plant on October 7, 2016, in Moraine, Ohio.

Now Is the Time to Invest in Apprenticeships

Middle-wage jobs are returning. Apprenticeship— paid training that combines on-the-job training and classroom instruction—can be used to fill them.

Angela Hanks

In the Absence of U.S. Action on Paid Leave, Multinationals Make Their Own Policies Report
A mother plays with her son on October 20, 2016, in Fort Collins, Colorado. (AP/Brennan Linsley)

In the Absence of U.S. Action on Paid Leave, Multinationals Make Their Own Policies

For workers in the United States, paid time off for caretaking is a perk for the privileged, while overseas, it’s a right. Some companies fill in the gaps—for some lucky workers.

Judith Warner, Danielle Corley

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Equal Pay Report

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Equal Pay

Many conservatives profess support for equal pay but ignore the real need for stronger protections against pay discrimination and comprehensive solutions to close the gender wage gap.

Kaitlin Holmes, Jocelyn Frye, Sarah Jane Glynn, 1 More Jessica Quinter

Paid Leave 101 Report

Paid Leave 101

Many Americans still do not understand the complementary but different roles paid sick days and paid family and medical leave play for working families.

Kaitlin Holmes, Sarah Jane Glynn

A Fair Shot for Millennial Women and Families Report

A Fair Shot for Millennial Women and Families

Millennial families deserve a fair shot at economic prosperity—one that includes fair wages, workplace standards that support working families, strong safety net programs, and access to comprehensive reproductive health care.

Sunny Frothingham

Maximizing the Power of Women of Color Article
African American female business leaders attend the Essence Festival at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum on July 2, 2016, in New Orleans. (AP/Cheryl Gerber)

Maximizing the Power of Women of Color

The representation of women of color in corporate America and political office should reflect their growing economic and electoral power.

Danyelle Solomon

4 Progressive Policies that Make Families Stronger Report
Boxes containing signatures gathered by the Arizona Healthy Working Families Initiative group sit on display in Phoenix, Arizona on July 7, 2016. (AP/Ross D. Franklin)

4 Progressive Policies that Make Families Stronger

States with conservative policy agendas fare worse on a range of family-related indicators than states with progressive policy agendas.

Katherine Gallagher Robbins, Shawn Fremstad

Paid Leave Is Good for Small Business Report
Attendees are seen at a rally for paid family leave in New York, March 10, 2016. (AP/Seth Wenig)

Paid Leave Is Good for Small Business

A national paid family and medical leave program would level the playing field for small businesses and ensure that all workers have access to strong work-family policy.

Danielle Corley

Workin’ 9 to 5 Report
Parents drop their children off at Chicago's Benjamin E. Mays Academy, September 2012. (AP/M. Spencer Green)

Workin’ 9 to 5

This report analyzes the misalignment between school and work schedules and the challenges it creates for families.

Catherine Brown, Ulrich Boser, Perpetual Baffour

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Illinois Families Fact Sheet
The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Illinois women gain economic security. (AP/Kiichiro Sato)

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Illinois Families

The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Illinois women gain economic security.

Ryan Erickson, Danielle Corley

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Wisconsin Families Fact Sheet
The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Wisconsin women gain economic security. (AP/Carrie Antlfinger)

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Wisconsin Families

The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Wisconsin women gain economic security.

Ryan Erickson, Danielle Corley

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Arizona Families Fact Sheet
The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Arizona women gain economic security. (AP/David Goldman)

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Arizona Families

The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Arizona women gain economic security.

Ryan Erickson, Danielle Corley

Fast Facts: Economic Security for New Hampshire Families Fact Sheet
The right policies can go a long way toward helping all New Hampshire women gain economic security. (AP/Matt Rourke)

Fast Facts: Economic Security for New Hampshire Families

The right policies can go a long way toward helping all New Hampshire women gain economic security.

Ryan Erickson, Danielle Corley

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Virginia Families Fact Sheet
The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Virginia women gain economic security. (AP/Andrew Harnik)

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Virginia Families

The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Virginia women gain economic security.

Ryan Erickson, Danielle Corley

The Missing Conversation About Work and Family Report
Sandi Webster, owner of Consultants 2 Go, poses in her office in Newark, New Jersey, on September 24, 2013. (AP/Julio Cortez)

The Missing Conversation About Work and Family

Expanding the work-family narrative to be more inclusive of women’s diverse experiences is essential to developing policies responsive to the needs of all women.

Jocelyn Frye

Infographic: The Real Cost of Abortion Article

Infographic: The Real Cost of Abortion

The United States’ most vulnerable women continue to struggle to protect both their reproductive health and their economic security.

Heidi Williamson

The Cost of Work-Family Policy Inaction Report
A man sits at the kitchen table as his wife holds their daughter in Harlan, Kentucky, on October 18, 2014. (AP/David Goldman)

The Cost of Work-Family Policy Inaction

The lack of work-family policies in the United States costs working families billions of dollars in lost wages every year.

Sarah Jane Glynn, Danielle Corley

The Big Difference Between Women and Men’s Earnings After College Report
Job seekers join a line at a job fair in New York on March 5, 2009. (AP/Mark Lennihan)

The Big Difference Between Women and Men’s Earnings After College

A complete look at the gender wage gap and how it changes over time among students who enrolled at public and private nonprofit four-year colleges across the country.

Antoinette Flores

Raising Wages and Rebuilding Wealth Report
Millions of Americans are still feeling the effects of a painful economic period.

Raising Wages and Rebuilding Wealth

To achieve economic security, middle-class Americans need policies that promote good jobs; a growing, inclusive economy; and affordable child care, higher education, health care, housing, and retirement.

Carmel Martin, Andy Green, Brendan Duke

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Pennsylvania Families Report
Parents and students at the Andrew Hamilton School in Philadelphia, August 20, 2016. (AP/Jeff Fusco)

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Pennsylvania Families

The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Pennsylvania women gain economic security.

Ryan Erickson, Danielle Corley

Underpaid and Unequal Report
An assistant teacher reads to students at a pre-K school in Seattle, February 12, 2016. (AP/Elaine Thompson)

Underpaid and Unequal

The early childhood workforce as a whole is grossly underpaid. New CAP analyses suggest that female African American teachers who work full time earn even less than their white counterparts.

Rebecca Ullrich, Katie Hamm, Rachel Herzfeldt-Kamprath

5 Reasons Why the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Regulations Will Raise Standards for Workers, Taxpayers, and Businesses Article

5 Reasons Why the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Regulations Will Raise Standards for Workers, Taxpayers, and Businesses

Final regulations on President Barack Obama's Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order will raise standards for workers, ensure that taxpayers receive good value for their investment, and allow the vast majority of contractors that obey workplace laws to compete on an even playing field.

CAP Action

Karla Walter, David Madland

African American Women in the U.S. Economy Fact Sheet
A woman works with Malian mud cloth for her fashion accessories and home decor items in Camden, New Jersey, August 2, 2016. (AP/Mel Evans)

African American Women in the U.S. Economy

African American women are increasingly vital to the health of the U.S. economy and the economic security of their families, yet they experience significant pay disparities and face unique barriers in the workplace that can undermine their ability to thrive.

Kaitlin Holmes, Jocelyn Frye

Why Black Women’s Equal Pay Day Matters Article
A Georgia Department of Labor services specialist helps a woman with a job search at an unemployment office in Atlanta on March 3, 2016. (AP/David Goldman)

Why Black Women’s Equal Pay Day Matters

Wage equality is a key issue for Millennials. But for young black women, it is not only a concern, it is a determining factor in their quality of life.

Gabrielle Bozarth, Naomi Kellogg

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Paid Family and Medical Leave Report
Bryan Niedermeyer and Angelica Juarez visit with their daughter Olivia at Advocate Children's Hospital in Chicago on March 15, 2016. (AP/M. Spencer Green)

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Paid Family and Medical Leave

Conservative proposals, such as business tax credits and pregnancy 401(k)s, do not cut it for working families that need paid family and medical leave.

Sunny Frothingham, Sarah Jane Glynn

Infographic: How Could Boosting Wages Reduce Crime? Article

Infographic: How Could Boosting Wages Reduce Crime?

Raising the minimum wage and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit would not only boost income for struggling workers but also save American communities billions of dollars each year by reducing crime.

Rachel West

Where States Are and Where They Should Be on Unemployment Protections Report
Jobseeker Jose Rodriguez looks for employment opportunities at the Metro North WorkSource Center in Los Angeles on January 6, 2011. (AP/Damian Dovarganes)

Where States Are and Where They Should Be on Unemployment Protections

By taking steps to strengthen their unemployment insurance programs, states can better protect working families against joblessness, increase workforce participation, and prepare their economies to face the next recession.

Rachel West, Indivar Dutta-Gupta, Kali Grant, 3 More Melissa Boteach, Claire McKenna, Judy Conti

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Texas Families Report
A mother holds her 14-month-old son at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas. (AP/Rebecca Blackwell)

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Texas Families

The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Texas women gain economic security.

Ryan Erickson, Danielle Corley, Maggie Jo Buchanan

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Colorado Families Report
Coy Mathis is pushed on a sled by her father at their home in Fountain, Colorado, in February 2013. (AP/Brennan Linsley)

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Colorado Families

The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Colorado women gain economic security.

Ryan Erickson, Danielle Corley

Economic Security for Black and Hispanic Families Report
Shelton Haynes, 33, far right, sits with his wife Tiisha and sons Jamir, 2, right, and Jayden, 4, while with his father Cleveland Haynes Jr., left, on a visit to his parents' home, in Duluth, Georgia, February 2011. (AP/David Goldman)

Economic Security for Black and Hispanic Families

Black and Hispanic families face unique economic pressures, and conservative policies and obstruction continue to harm families of color.

Molly Cain, Sunny Frothingham

Calculating the Hidden Cost of Interrupting a Career for Child Care Report
Peter Yabadi, age 2, stands next to his mother, Bernadette Yabadi, at a rally calling for increased child care subsidies at the Capitol in Sacramento, California, on May 6, 2015. (AP/Rich Pedroncelli)

Calculating the Hidden Cost of Interrupting a Career for Child Care

The how and why behind CAP’s child care cost calculator, which helps determine the financial cost of choosing between full-time work and full-time care.

Michael Madowitz, Alex Rowell, Katie Hamm

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Florida Families Report
Susan Nyamora talks with her daughter in Pembroke Pines, Florida, in December 2009. (AP/Lynne Sladky)

Fast Facts: Economic Security for Florida Families

The right policies can go a long way toward helping all Florida women gain economic security.

Ryan Erickson, Danielle Corley

A Plan to Improve Unemployment Protections in America Fact Sheet
Brantley Price walks past idle forklifts at a closed plant in West Jefferson, North Carolina, on December 18, 2008. (AP/Chuck Burton)

A Plan to Improve Unemployment Protections in America

A new proposal would update unemployment insurance and establish a Jobseeker’s Allowance. Its recommendations would strengthen the nation’s workforce development system, protect families from unemployment, and fortify the American economy against the next recession.

Strengthening Unemployment Protections in America Report
Jobseekers line up for a job fair at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, New York, on April 22, 2014. (AP/Mike Groll)

Strengthening Unemployment Protections in America

By modernizing the unemployment insurance system and establishing a Jobseeker’s Allowance, the United States can promote employment, increase economic security for working families, and prepare the economy for the next recession.

Rachel West, Indivar Dutta-Gupta, Kali Grant, 3 More Melissa Boteach, Claire McKenna, Judy Conti

Asian American and Pacific Islander Women in the U.S. Economy Fact Sheet
A woman stocks the shelves at a Super 88 supermarket on November 23, 2006, in Malden, Massachusetts. (AP/Lisa Poole)

Asian American and Pacific Islander Women in the U.S. Economy

Data that combine all ethnicities of AAPI women tend to obscure economic, educational, and occupational differences within the AAPI community and the unique challenges facing key AAPI subpopulations.

Kaitlin Holmes, Shilpa Phadke

Workers or Waste? Report
Better disclosure of human capital investments would be a win for investors, managers, and workers. (iStockphoto)

Workers or Waste?

Better disclosure of human capital investments would be a win for investors, managers, and workers.

Angela Hanks, Ethan Gurwitz, Brendan Duke, 1 More Andy Green

Jumping Through Hoops and Set Up to Fail Report
A pre-K student does paper-mache at the South Education Center in San Antonio, April 2014. (AP/Eric Gay)

Jumping Through Hoops and Set Up to Fail

Our child care assistance system is due for major reform. In this report, parents and providers make the case for rules and regulations that put children first and respect the real-life struggles of working parents.

Judith Warner

The Fight for $15 Past Event

The Fight for $15

A Book Event with David Rolf

Rhetoric vs. Reality Fact Sheet
A woman gets her son dressed before leaving home for her job in Sacramento, California, on May 15, 2015. (AP/Rich Pedroncelli)

Rhetoric vs. Reality

Women and men need policy solutions that promote economic security and respond to the caregiving needs of families.

Jocelyn Frye

Fast Facts on Who Has Access to Paid Time Off and Flexibility Fact Sheet
Maria Cortes, who had to miss two days of work to care for her husband when he had eye surgery, poses for a portrait in New York on February 26, 2016. (AP/Mary Altaffer)

Fast Facts on Who Has Access to Paid Time Off and Flexibility

All workers need time away from work at some point, but access to paid days off is uneven. New Center for American Progress research shows who is most likely to have access to time off.

Sarah Jane Glynn, Heather Boushey, Peter Berg, 1 More Danielle Corley

Who Gets Time Off? Report
Juthathip Ruiz works among racks of yarn on November 23, 2015, at a factory in Pennsylvania. (AP/Matt Rourke)

Who Gets Time Off?

Every worker has the potential need for paid leave and workplace flexibility, but access is uneven. Policymakers must ensure that all workers can care for themselves and their families while staying employed.

Sarah Jane Glynn, Heather Boushey, Peter Berg

Infographic: Latinas in the U.S. Economy Article

Infographic: Latinas in the U.S. Economy

Latinas are vital labor force members and family breadwinners, but they are also underpaid and insufficiently protected.

Kaitlin Holmes

Related Priorities

Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice
Issue

Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice

We pursue climate action that meets the crisis’s urgency, creates good-quality jobs, benefits disadvantaged communities, and restores U.S. credibility on the global stage.

Restoring Social Trust in Democracy
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Restoring Social Trust in Democracy

Democracy is under attack at home and abroad. We must act to ensure it is accessible to all, accountable, and can serve as a force of good.

Building an Economy for All
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Building an Economy for All

Economic growth must be built on the foundation of a strong and secure middle class so that all Americans benefit from growth.

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