- December 19, 2017
- Colorado Center on Law and Policy
- Denver Post Editorial Board
As Coloradans shop for loved ones this holiday season, too many of them will be doing so on the cheap, or even resigning themselves to the giving of good wishes instead.
The reason for any stinginess in the season won’t be because these hard workers look to the Grinch for inspiration, but because wages are stuck in a Grinch-like grip that’s squeezing the value from their labor. Despite what appears to be a roaring economy and a bull market, the American system is failing to live up to a basic promise to its workers. The villains are all about us, from the marbled halls of elected office to the paneled walls of corporate boardrooms.
According to a new report by the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, median hourly wages remain stuck, lots of the new jobs coming online pay low wages and thousands of adults remain disengaged from the workforce.