Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Patrick Oakford
Federal Employment Standards as the Foundation of Economic Security: Revisiting Minimum Wage, Just Cause, and Tools to Combat Wage Theft
The federal minimum wage was last raised in 2009 to $7.25 an hour—meaning it no longer achieves Congress’s original objective of serving as a wage floor to guarantee economic well-being for the lowest-paid workers. Policymakers should restore the minimum wage to a level that puts workers within reach of a living wage. Specifically, the federal minimum wage should be raised to two-thirds of median hourly wages and indexed annually to median wage growth.
Trump’s Labor Department Tries to Redefine Workers Out of Their Rights | Common Dreams
Last week, Trump’s Labor Department proposed a rule aimed at making it easier for businesses to call workers “independent contractors” instead of employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. It’s the latest round in a regulatory back-and-forth. The legal details get dense fast. But the real-world implications are straightforward: millions of workers are at risk of losing foundational minimum wage and overtime protections, exacerbating their financial precarity.
Patrick Oakford
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
Trump is the biggest union-buster in U.S. history: More than 1 million federal workers’ collective bargaining rights are at risk
Since Inauguration Day, the Trump administration has taken a flurry of actions that have put our federal agencies, economy, and democracy at risk. One alarming line of attack that directly threatens workers’ economic security has been on labor unions and workers’ right to engage in collective action. For decades, large corporations and unscrupulous employers have undermined workers’ right to collective bargaining.
A snapshot of the federal workforce that is now under attack from the Trump administration
A snapshot of the federal workforce that is now under attack from the Trump administration In the first month of his new administration, President Trump has taken drastic steps to reduce the size of the federal workforce, from offering nearly all federal employees a “deferred resignation” buyout to illegally firing senior officials at several agencies.
How many federal employees live in your state?
Projects State of Working America Data Library Authoritative, up-to-date data on the living standards of American workers. Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy • PREE Exploring how race, ethnicity, and class intersect to affect economic outcomes in the United States. Unequal Power There’s an inherent imbalance of bargaining power between employers and employees. Here's how it impacts your workplace—and our democracy.
Federal AI legislation: An evaluation of existing proposals and a road map forward
Download PDF The introduction of new artificial-intelligence-based technologies has generated front-page headlines and grabbed the attention of consumers and policymakers recently. While related technologies have been in use in workplaces for many years, new commercially successful products have spurred greater discussion about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on our economy and society.
Companies Must Step Up to Protect Their Contract Workers for the Remainder of the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond — JUST Capital
Nearly 10 months into the COVID-19 crisis in America, workers across the country continue to face unthinkable hardships. More than 26 million workers are unemployed, out of the labor force, or have reduced hours and pay as a result of the pandemic. Over 25 million people report that their household is food insecure and more than half of all adults identify having difficulty paying for household expenses.
Nearly 75% of Americans Missing Work Due to COVID Aren’t Getting Paid — JUST Capital
As the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. continues to rise, paid sick leave remains crucial to limiting the spread of the virus, protecting workers’ finances, and supporting businesses and the economy. Recent data from the Census Bureau, however, shows that the vast majority of Americans who weren’t at work because they had COVID-19 symptoms did not receive any pay.
18 Million Americans Are Temporarily Laid Off – But That Doesn’t Guarantee They’ll Have a Job Waiting for Them — JUST Capital
by Patrick Oakford May 8, 2020 Will furloughed workers have a job waiting for them? (ryanking999/Adobe Stock) Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics released new data on the state of the labor market. As expected, the data are grim: The economy shed 20.5 million jobs in April, the official unemployment rate skyrocketed to 14.7%, with another 9.4 million workers who were previously employed dropping out of the labor force altogether and unable to search for work.
Workers Need PPE. Are Companies Delivering? — JUST Capital
by Amanda Keating, Patrick Oakford April 24, 2020 Categories Coronavirus Polling Workers Over the last few weeks, reports of inadequate health and safety procedures for workers on the frontlines have grabbed headlines. Despite the fact that thousands of workers have filed COVID-19 related complaints with OSHA, administration officials have largely left it up to companies themselves to investigate and rectify safety issues.
Immigration Helps American Workers’ Wages and Job Opportunities - Center for American Progress
This coming Monday, millions of Americans will celebrate Labor Day—a day to recognize the contributions that American workers have made to our economy and society. It is equally important, however, to recognize the contributions of immigrant workers and the positive impacts they have on native-born workers. For decades, immigrants and their families have played a vital role in the U.S. labor force and economy at large.
Infographic: The Growth of the Latino Electorate in Key States
To speak with our experts on this topic, please contact: Print: Liz Bartolomeo (poverty, health care) 202.481.8151 or lbartolomeo@americanprogress.org Print: Tom Caiazza (foreign policy, energy and environment, LGBT issues, gun-violence prevention) 202.481.7141 or tcaiazza@americanprogress.org Print: Allison Preiss (economy, education) 202.478.6331 or apreiss@americanprogress.org Print: Tanya Arditi (immigration, Progress 2050, race issues, demographics, criminal justice, Legal Progress)...
An Income Inequality Snapshot: Wall Street Bonuses and the Minimum Wage
Last week, the New York State Comptroller released new data on how much money Wall Street banks doled out in bonuses in 2014. The story is all too familiar: a select, and already wealthy, few raked in a combined $28.5 billion in bonuses last year. Sarah Anderson of the Institute for Policy Studies placed this figure in juxtaposition to the paychecks of minimum wage workers. Her exercise highlights, in a very direct way, the growing problem of income inequality in America.
The Changing Face of America’s Electorate
Destiny Davis plays a game on a cell phone as she waits for her mother to vote at Slater-Marietta Elementary School on Election Day, November 2012. Appendix available in the PDF and Scribd versions of this issue brief. In the wake of the 2012 presidential election, Republican elected officials and conservative political pundits publicly bemoaned the party’s failure to connect with and win over voters of color.
The Economic Benefits of Closing Educational Achievement Gaps
The Los Angeles Unified School District's Young Oak Kim Academy, a school that teaches boys and girls in single-gender core classes, is seen on its first day of school in Los Angeles. Our nation is currently experiencing growing levels of income and wealth inequality, which are contributing to longstanding racial and ethnic gaps in education outcomes and other areas.
The Economic Effects of Granting Legal Status and Citizenship to Undocumented Immigrants
See also: Legal Status for Undocumented Workers Is Good for American Workers by David Madland and Nick Bunker The movement toward comprehensive immigration reform has accelerated significantly in recent months. A bipartisan “Gang of 8” in the Senate—a group of four Democratic senators and four Republican senators—released a framework for immigration reform on January 28, and the next day President Barack Obama gave a speech launching White House efforts to push for immigration reform.
Immigrants Are Makers, Not Takers
With immigration reform heating up in Congress and the White House putting its muscle behind legislative action, immigration opponents are already campaigning against common-sense reforms. Their current line of attack is an unsubstantiated claim that legalizing the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States will be too costly for our nation.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Patrick
Contact Patrick, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack