Author

Casey Quinlan

Casey Quinlan

Casey Quinlan is a reporter in Washington DC. In the past 10 years or so, they have reported on national politics and state politics, LGBTQ rights, abortion access, labor issues, education, Supreme Court news and more for publications including The American Independent, ThinkProgress, New Republic, Rewire News, SCOTUSblog, In These Times, and Vox. Some of their stories have included coverage of 2018-2019 teachers strikes, a medication abortion ban in Arkansas, the effects of the pandemic on LGBTQ workers, and the fallout of efforts to remove books with LGBTQ characters from school libraries and community libraries across the country.

Consumers face higher car prices, lower inventory with auto workers on strike

By: - September 19, 2023

Economic experts and researchers say that the auto workers strike could have far-reaching economic consequences for businesses and consumers, depending on its duration. In addition to workers’ job losses, consumers could see higher prices for cars and depleted inventory. The United Auto Workers union, representing about 150,000 auto workers, walked off the job Sept. 15 […]

Millions more workers would receive overtime pay under proposed Biden administration rule

By: - September 7, 2023

Salaried workers who have been ineligible for overtime pay would benefit from a proposed Biden administration regulation. The Department of Labor’s new rule would require employers to compensate full-time workers in management, administrative, or other professional roles for any overtime worked if they make less than $55,068 annually. Currently, the salary threshold is $35,568. The […]

Job growth exceeds economists’ expectations as unemployment inches up

By: - September 4, 2023

The labor market is stable and healthy, economists and policy experts say, although the unemployment rate ticked up in the month of August. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report released Friday showed that unemployment rose to 3.8% in August from 3.5% in July. Meanwhile the economy added 187,000 jobs, above expectations of 170,000 jobs from […]

Pregnant workers have new protections. Here’s what to expect from your boss.

By: - August 27, 2023

Almost two months after workplace accommodations for pregnant workers became law, the rules surrounding what employers can and cannot do have yet to be finalized — but that doesn’t mean the protections are not in place. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s proposed regulations are expected to offer more clarity once finalized, but workers can still […]

Consumers seeing relief in some food prices as inflation continues to slow

By: - August 11, 2023

Consumers are getting some relief from higher prices as core inflation, which excludes food and energy, continues to show signs of cooling — an encouraging sign for the U.S. economy, according to economists. The Department of Labor’s report on Thursday showed the consumer price index rose 0.2% in July, in line with expectations, and 3.2% […]

VP Kamala Harris unveils new wage rule for federal projects

By: - August 8, 2023

Construction workers who work on federal projects are poised to receive better wages and worker protections under a Department of Labor rule touted by Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday. Speaking at a union hall in Philadelphia, Harris praised the Biden administration’s economic agenda and pointed out that the new rule would be the first […]

Teamsters-UPS reach ‘game-changing’ labor deal to avert strike

By: - July 25, 2023

UPS and its workers, represented by the Teamsters, reached a tentative deal on Tuesday to prevent an Aug. 1 strike of 340,000 union members at the package carrier. A work stoppage could have cost the U.S. economy billions by disrupting supply chains and upending distribution to both large and small businesses, hospitals and homes. Representatives […]

Kristen Chapman is moving from Tennessee to Virginia so her 15 year-old transgender daughter can continue receiving gender-affirming care. (Photo by John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Harm of anti-LGBTQ laws includes economic pain for communities, families

By: - July 18, 2023

Roberto Che Espinoza had been thinking about leaving Tennessee after the 2024 election, but in June they noticed that the state attorney general was seeking medical records on gender-affirming medical care, which Espinoza, a nonbinary transgender man, said included their own records. “Being on any kind of list … I knew after the release of […]

U.S. economy adds more jobs in June even as hiring slows

By: - July 8, 2023

Private and public sector jobs saw increase; wages rose.

Domino’s Pizza is one of several restaurant chains alleged to have misclassified workers as managers to avoid paying overtime, according to a report from the National Bureau of Economic Research. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

States, cities turn to community organizations to battle wage theft

By: - July 3, 2023

Funds from the American Rescue Plan allow cities to form such partnerships which prove successful in recovering unpaid wages.

Cartons of eggs are seen for sale in a Sprouts Farmers Market on 8/15/22 in Houston, Texas. Egg prices steadily climb in the U.S. as inflation continues impacting grocery stores nationwide. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images).

Wage growth remains high, jobs are steady and inflation is falling so why are people worried?

By: - June 25, 2023

'The technical term for the type of economy that we’re in now is weird,' University of South Carolina economist William Hauk said.

Some states began disenrolling people from Medicaid earlier than others, with health policy researcher KFF finding nearly 500,000 in 11 states have lost their health insurance. (Getty Images)

Half a million people in less than a dozen states have lost Medicaid coverage since April

By: - June 2, 2023

The lowest disenrollments were in Idaho, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska, data showed.