Feature Story

September 5, 2007

The state of working America in 2007

From Economic Policy Institute:

On the sixth Labor Day of this economic recovery, the pace of progress ranges from slow to stalled for the nation's middle- and low-wage working people. Even the modest wage gains from the beginning of this recovery period have been fading. Since 2001, real hourly wages rose only 3% for the middle-income worker, with none of this historically small progress occurring after 2003. While most working people remain stuck in the economic slow lane, the better-off among us have avoided the congestion on the ground by flying over it. Since 2001 those with wages higher than 95% of all workers have seen their wage rise by 9%. A new EPI report, Economy's Gains Fail to Reach Most Workers' Paychecks, analyzes the state of working America this Labor Day, looking behind the latest data to the forces at work in an economy that doesn't seem to be playing by the rules. Read more from this post.