Since 1978 CEO Pay Soared 937%, Worker Wages Remained Flat

New analysis shows how corporate bosses rake in huge salaries and bonuses as inequality continues to soar.

Jake Johnson
By Jake Johnson
McDonald's

Wages for most American workers have remained basically stagnant for decades, but a new report published on Thursday by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) shows that the CEOs of America's largest firms have seen their pay soar at a consistent and "outrageous" clip. Between 1978 and 2016, CEO pay rose by 937 percent, EPI's Lawrence Mishel and

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Poll: Two-Thirds Of Americans Would Struggle To Cover $1,000 Emergency

The findings in the AP-NORC poll illuminate how many Americans’ frustrations over the economy, income inequality and insecurity about their financial futures has contributed to this dizzying presidential election season.

Associated Press
By Associated Press
A women sits with her son for dinner in their new sparsely furnished apartment, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015, in New York. After leaving her husband who beat her for years, she and her little boy spent the next three years homeless because she couldn’t afford New York City rents. About one third of American children are now living in poverty. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

NEW YORK  — Two-thirds of Americans would have difficulty coming up with the money to cover a $1,000 emergency, according to an exclusive poll released Thursday, a signal that despite years of recovery from the Great Recession, Americans' financial conditions remain precarious as ever. These financial difficulties span all income levels,

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One Member of Congress = 18 American Households: Lawmakers’ Personal Finances Far From Average

It would take the combined wealth of more than 18 American households to equal the value of a single federal lawmaker’s household, the Center for Responsive Politics’ latest analysis of congressional wealth finds.

Russ Choma for OpenSecrets.org
By Russ Choma for OpenSecrets.org

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. (AP Photo) The median net worth of a member of Congress was $1,029,505 in 2013 — a 2.5 percent increase from 2012 — compared with an average American household’s median net worth of $56,355. Once again, the majority of members of Congress are millionaires — 271 of the 533 members currently in office, or 50.8

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Wealth Gap Between Rich And Poor Americans Highest On Record

New analysis from Pew Research Center finds that economic gains of the wealthiest continue to soar as the middle-class and low-income families face chronic stagnation.

Sarah Lazare
By Sarah Lazare

People line up at the food pantry at Sacred Heart Community Service on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) The gulf between rich and poor people in America has hit a new record. An analysis released Wednesday by Pew Research Center finds that the wealth gap between the top 21 percent

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Global Inequality Reaches Levels Not Seen In Nearly 200 Years

Growing wealth gap “one of the most significant—and worrying—features of the development of the world economy” since early-19th century, OECD says.

Deirdre Fulton
By Deirdre Fulton

Global income inequality has returned to levels recorded in the 1820s—when the Industrial Revolution produced sizable wealth gaps between the rich and poor—according to a new report released Thursday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The sweeping study, "How Was Life? Global Well-Being Since 1820," uses

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McDonald’s Advice To Workers Indicates A Company Ignorant Of Reality

McDonald’s suggested workers could save by visiting thrift stores instead of the mall and using stale bread and bruised apples instead of throwing them out.

Frederick Reese
By Frederick Reese

Back in July, McDonald’s promulgated the argument that fast-food workers could survive on minimum wage through careful “budgeting.” This “budgeting” allotted $20 for health care and zero for gas, heat or food. This “budget,” which was put forth via its Practical Money Skills Budget Journal and published on Visa’s McDonald’s mini-site, seemed to be

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