Author

Casey Quinlan

Casey Quinlan

Casey Quinlan is an economy reporter for States Newsroom, based in Washington D.C. For the past decade, 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.

A Jeep Grand Cherokee comes off the line at the Stellantis Detroit Assembly Complex-Mack on June 10, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan.

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

By: - September 18, 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 at midnight […]

The amount a salaried worker would need to be paid before an employer could avoid paying overtime would rise to $55,068 annually under a proposed rule from the Department of Labor.

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 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 change […]

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

By: - August 10, 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% […]

The U.S. House in Washington D.C.

LGBTQ project funding in two states stripped by U.S. House Republicans from spending bill 

By: - August 2, 2023

WASHINGTON — In a tense meeting marked by Democratic charges of hatred and bigotry, Republicans on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee have voted to strip funding for three LGBTQ community projects, just weeks after they included the money in the annual transportation and housing spending bill. At one point, Rep. Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican […]

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 […]

Economy adds more jobs in June even as hiring slows

By: - July 7, 2023

Although hiring inched down in June, the U.S. labor market is still showing signs of strength, with unemployment falling and earnings continuing to rise, the latest jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor showed. The economy added 209,000 jobs as the unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in June from 3.7% in May. “In excess […]

States, cities turn to community organizations to battle wage theft 

By: - July 7, 2023

About five years ago, most of Minneapolis’ Subway, Little Caesars and McDonald’s franchise restaurants did not comply with city wage standards. Now workers at each of the locations that violated the law receive the required minimum wage and time off when they’re sick. This is all thanks to a co-enforcement program, where the city’s labor […]

States see record low unemployment across the US

By: - May 24, 2023

Across much of the country, the jobs market is as strong as it’s ever been, and Black women, young people and people with disabilities are among the workers benefiting, recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show. Twenty states reported an unemployment rate under 3% in April, while 15 states saw record lows, led by […]

U.S. House in Washington D.C.

GOP’s desired work requirements for federal aid would kick roughly 21M from anti-poverty programs

By: - May 24, 2023

Congressional Republicans’ efforts to slash federal spending by tying work requirements to Medicaid and SNAP would have far-reaching consequences for people with mental health issues, chronic health problems, and some people with disabilities if enacted, policy experts on anti-poverty programs say. They say the work requirements as laid out by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s “Limit, […]

Debt faced by many Americans is from medical charges

Credit bureau CEOs face tough questions at Senate hearing; Democrats push to remove medical debt

By: - April 27, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators grilled the executives of three major credit reporting bureaus Thursday on whether their practices are transparent and fair to consumers, with Democrats frequently pressing the CEOs to remove medical debt from the reports.   Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, said all […]

Gas station

Here’s where gas prices are headed (for now) and why

By: - April 27, 2023

Higher temperatures. Higher gas prices.  Drivers across the country have seen that seasonal given play out in recent weeks. The national average for a gallon of regular gas is $3.64 on April 26, up 21 cents over the previous month, according to AAA.  The good news is that gas is 49 cents below where it […]

Remote work has become more common with the pandemic

Long COVID is hurting business; workplace accommodations could help

By: - April 18, 2023

Three years after the start of the pandemic, millions of working age people still suffer from long COVID-19 and some lawmakers and advocates, including people with long COVID, say not enough is being done to protect their well-being and ensure they can continue to be employed. Proposed federal legislation, better workplace accommodations, and more federal […]