By: Team Sherrod

Some—like members of this administration—may claim that the American economy is stronger than ever, but too many of our friends, family members, and neighbors aren’t seeing those benefits.

Instead, as the wealthy continue to rake in profits from the tax scam the GOP passed late last year, Americans in “production and non-supervisory” positions are actually earning less for the hard work they do. It’s unacceptable, and it’s why Sherrod fights every day for policies that benefit all Ohioans, not just the wealthy few.

Get more information below, and then show your support for Sherrod.

The Washington Post: For the biggest group of American workers, wages aren’t just flat. They’re falling.

Jeff Stein, Andrew Van Dam – June 15

Key points:

• The average hourly wage paid to a key group of American workers has fallen from last year when accounting for inflation, as an economy that appears strong by several measures continues to fail to create bigger paychecks.

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for workers in “production and non-supervisory” positions, the value of the average paycheck has declined in the past year.

• For those workers, average “real wages”—a measure of pay that takes inflation into account—fell from $22.62 in May 2017 to $22.59 in May 2018.

• The group accounts for about four-fifths of the privately employed workers in America, including workers in manufacturing, and people in “non-supervisory” roles in service industries like healthcare and fast food.

• The fall in those wages has alarmed some economists, who say paychecks should be getting fatter at a time when unemployment is low and businesses are hiring. The falling wages promise to exacerbate historic levels of U.S. inequality.

• Weaker union rights for workers may also be cutting into their ability to force pay increases from their bosses, said Jared Bernstein, who served as an economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden.

Read more here.