<\/p>\n

By: Andrea Sears<\/p>\n

HARRISBURG, Pa. – There were some real gains for working Pennsylvanians in the last year, but a new report shows there’s still a long way to go.<\/p>\n

The State of Working Pennsylvania 2019 report said for the first time in almost 20 years, wages in the Commonwealth were up across the board by about 3% in 2018. But according to Stephen Herzenberg, executive director of the\u00a0Keystone Research Center<\/a>, the longer-term picture shows workers have made little real headway.<\/p>\n

“If you look further back to the last peak of an economic expansion in 2007, the annual wage increases then are about half a percent a year, or a bit less,” Herzenberg said.<\/p>\n

The full report can be found at\u00a0KRC-PBPC.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Herzenberg pointed out that even the gains that have been made haven’t been shared equally. And, after adjusting for inflation, he said some workers are losing ground.<\/p>\n

“African-American workers in Pennsylvania have experienced no recent increase in wages and now make less than they did in 1979 – and a lot less, compared to white workers, than they did 40 years ago,” he said.<\/p>\n

He added the African-American median wage in Pennsylvania is fourth-lowest of the 24 states with reliable estimates.<\/p>\n

The report indicated signs change may be possible. Herzenberg noted that last week, 181 CEOs\u00a0published a statement<\/a>\u00a0embracing the idea that corporations do have obligations to employees, the community and customers, not shareholders alone.<\/p>\n

“National business leaders have begun to acknowledge that most Americans are struggling, and, to quote\u00a0the chair of the executive committee of the U.S. Chamber<\/a>, ‘To save U.S. capitalism, we need to pay people more,'” Herzenberg said.<\/p>\n

The first of the report’s four major recommendations is to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage.<\/p>\n

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