{"id":3339,"date":"2019-08-30T00:06:59","date_gmt":"2019-08-30T04:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mywlri.com\/?p=3339"},"modified":"2019-08-30T00:06:59","modified_gmt":"2019-08-30T04:06:59","slug":"pa-workers-a-year-of-gains-but-still-struggling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wnuz.org\/pa-workers-a-year-of-gains-but-still-struggling\/","title":{"rendered":"PA Workers: A Year of Gains, but Still Struggling"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>1 Minute, 29 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

\"\"<\/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

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
<\/div>
\r\n