As we approach this Labor Day, the Pennsylvania economy is growing steadily. Working families are sharing in prosperity in a more sustained way than at any point since 1980--although many families still struggle to make ends meet and, in our polarized nation, a big partisan divide exists in perceptions of whether the economy is better than four…

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented economic and policy challenges to the United States and other countries. Navigating out of the pandemic slowdown is another novel experience, which makes it more difficult to answer the question addressed each year in the "State of Working Pennsylvania": How is the Pennsylvania economy…

When the coronavirus pandemic arrived, the United States was already deeply unequal. Before the pandemic, 140 million Americans were poor or near poor, living just one emergency above the poverty line. Inequality in the United States did not happen suddenly and cannot be explained as the consequence of individual failures; rather, decades of…

Slow job growth and a labor market still short of full employment have resulted in stagnant wages and little growth in income in Pennsylvania. In order for the majority of Pennsylvania families to see real income growth in the years ahead the state will need a combination of faster job growth and economic policies that actively seek to raise wages…

Budget exercises are frequently used in introductory and social problems courses to facilitate student understanding of income inequality. But do these exercises actually lead to greater sociological understanding? To explore this issue, the authors studied undergraduate students enrolled in introductory sociology courses during the 2008-2009…

The already limited vocational prospects of low-income African Americans in New Orleans were further devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill added to the devastation, highlighting the continued vulnerability of New Orleanians seeking employment. As a result, opportunities persist for vocational practitioners…

This document contains transcripts of United States Senate hearings of March, 1981, on the Youth Opportunity Wage Act of 1981. The proposed Act would set a lower minimum wage for work performed by youth under the age of 20; and extend the allowable lower wages to be paid in other industries besides the food service and retail industries where they…

An exploratory econometric model to explain the duration of industrial training programs and to assess training policy is explored. The major results are that most training is conducted in large firms, turnover discourages specific training while government assistance encourages it, and neither minimum wages nor unions have significant negative…

THERE ARE SEVERAL FACETS TO THE PROBLEMS FACING FARM WORKERS AND SMALL FARMERS. THE AVERAGE RATE OF FARM RESIDENT DECLINE SINCE 1960 IS ABOUT 4 PERCENT FOR WHITE AND 10 PERCENT FOR NEGRO FARM PEOPLE, ALTHOUGH FROM 1959 TO 1964, EIGHT SOUTHERN STATES HAD A NEGRO FARMER DECLINE RATE OF 32.4 PERCENT. THESE PEOPLE LEAVE TO ESCAPE THE POVERTY WHICH IS…

Discusses changes that might take place as a result of regularizing the status of undocumented workers without changing the total size of the alien workforce. Suggests that the influence of legal status on market wage rates and minimum wage enforcement is weak and that the presence of undocumented (versus resident) aliens can weaken union…

More than 50 authors contributed to the papers at this conference, which emphasized the industrial relations aspects of education and manpower. Campus revolts were discussed in this perspective, and sessions were devoted to the economics of education and collective bargaining in the schools. Manpower programs were approached from the standpoints…

This leaflet presents general information about legislation that affects women when they are seeking a job, while they are on the job, and when they retire. Emphasis is on Federal laws as of November, 1978. Some of the topics include employment services, protection against sex and age discrimination, minimum wages and overtime pay, discrimination…

Discusses steps employers can take to prevent female clerical workers from wanting to join labor unions. These steps include reviewing the company's employment practices to ensure compliance on sex fairness issues; reviewing pay practices; reviewing the company's position regarding sexual harassment; reviewing benefits and personnel policies; and…

This book looks at the issue of youth unemployment and examines policy responses. Part I considers the youth unemployment problem. Chapter 1 is an overview, covering size of the problem and the close relationship between youth and adult unemployment. Chapter 2 examines youth unemployment characteristics and distribution of unemployment across…

This book contains 17 social policy essays on various topics related to labor and full employment policies in the United States. The following papers are included: "Introduction" (Stephen Mangum); "Secular Rabbi: The Life and Times of Sar A. Levitan" (Garth Mangum); "Young Workers, Young Families, and Child Poverty"…