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.

Retailers, worried that shoppers are cutting back their holiday spending this year, are hiring fewer seasonal workers. Shown is the Flatirons Crossing mall on Nov. 26, 2021, in Broomfield, Colorado

Retailers pare back their seasonal hiring to prepare for ho-hum holidays

By: - November 18, 2023

Black Friday shoppers may notice longer lines and fewer retail associates in some of their favorite stores than in past holiday seasons as retailers scale back seasonal hiring over concerns about consumer spending. JCPenney is hiring 12,000 fewer workers than last year. Macy’s 3,000 fewer. Meanwhile a Walmart executive said the retail giant has been […]

Ford F-150 Lightning underbodies at Fords Rouge Electric Vehicle Center are inspected in Dearborn, Michigan.

Local leaders call for auto workers’ gains to spread to EV plants, Southern Black workers

By: - November 4, 2023

Local Black elected leaders aligned with racial and economic justice groups want to build on the labor gains made through the United Auto Workers’ six-week strike. The union’s tentative deals with the big three automakers include major wins such as a 25% rise in pay and getting rid of the two-tier worker system. More than […]

Students in graduation gowns

Borrowers weigh personal, professional options as student loan payments resume

By: - November 2, 2023

Justin Brown, a father of a 2-year-old who lives with his wife in the St. Louis, Missouri area, has $20,000 in student loan debt. Before the pause on loan payments at the start of the pandemic in 2020, he paid $300 a month. But now that Brown has a family, his financial responsibilities have grown […]

A KFC employee (who didn't want to give her name) works on hanging a Sign-on Bonus sign for job openings at the restaurant on Dec. 3, 2021 in Miami, Florida

Jobs report surprises as employers add 336,000 jobs in September

By: - October 7, 2023

Employers continued their hiring streak in September, surprising economists by boosting jobs for workers in restaurants, health care, and government. The  Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report, released  Friday, showed a gain of 336,000 jobs. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.8%. The BLS also revised up the jobs added in July and August […]

Activists protest March 15, 2022, outside of the White House to “Cancel Student Debt."

Student debt relief scams on the rise. Here’s what borrowers need to know.

By: - October 1, 2023

Complaints about student debt relief scams are increasing as the date approaches for borrowers to restart payment on their student loans after more than a three-year pause. Consumer protection advocates say that the Biden administration’s student debt relief efforts, the subsequent halting of those policies by the courts, and the restart of student loan payments […]

Shona Lamond, executive director of the Downtown Children’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri, says she applied for every grant she could find to keep her center open and teachers paid during the pandemic.

Women workers could bear economic brunt as federal child care funding ends

By: - September 30, 2023

A huge chunk of pandemic relief funding that kept child care programs afloat for the past few years was set to run out Saturday, and policy advocates say the economic impact will be profound, with the ripple effect hurting labor force participation and consumer spending at a time when the country is still trying to […]

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 15, 2023

Economic experts and researchers say 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 Thursday […]

Advocates, Legislators, And Pregnant Workers Rally On Capitol Hill For The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

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

By: - August 26, 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 […]

Grocery items are offered for sale at a supermarket on Aug. 9, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois.

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

By: - August 13, 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% […]

Vice President Kamala Harris, shown here at an event in June 2023, touted a new Department of Labor rule while in Philadelphia on Aug. 8, 2023

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 […]

Kristen Chapman is moving from Tennessee to Virginia so her 15 year-old transgender daughter can continue receiving gender-affirming care

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

By: - July 16, 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 […]

A company advertises a help wanted sign on April 9, 2021, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island

Economy adds more jobs in June even as hiring slows

By: - July 8, 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% from 3.7% in May. “In excess of 200,000, […]