From the end of World War II, because of management improvements, medicine, and technology, workers’ productivity improved and, proportionally, so did wages. Since the 1970s, not so much!

From 1979 to 2017: Productivity increased 73 percent, but median wages (adjusted for inflation) increased only 9.4 percent.

Looking deeper, men lost 4.9 percent in earnings, blacks gained 4.7 percent; high school only graduates lost 6.2 percent, while women gained 28.2 percent.

Also, a much larger burden of Federal taxes is now paid by most wage earners, because of vastly increased payroll taxes, reduced tax rates for high incomes, and corporations and tax loopholes like “Carried Interest”.

Here are some fixes:

Raise the minimum wage. The federal minimum wage, inflation adjusted, is 25 percent less than in the 1960s. An increase to $12 would affect one-third of the workers. Studies by UCal/Berkeley found, historically, no significant job losses occurred due to paste increases.

Increase union membership. In 1979, private union membership was 21 percent. Now it’s 6.5 percent. The “Right to Work” states have stifled union participation. Without unions, workers are limited in bargaining for wages or benefits.

Update overtime rules. Today only 11 percent of salaried workers are covered, compared to 65 percent in 1975.

And restructure the federal tax system. Target workers, not rich investors favored in recent tax bill, for a tax reduction.

Richard Metayer

Mystic