Full Citation
Title: Squeezing Wages: Impacts and Implications on Workers
Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis
Publication Year: 2023
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Abstract: This paper serves to investigate persistent patterns of a wage squeeze within the United States. I observe the dynamics of wage theft in America and where disparities may lie. Looking back to the history of wages and the formation of the minimum wage to how employers have benefited off exploiting workers, we can see how wage theft became a common occurrence in the United States. I will explore these processes of poor wages throughout this paper and the lack of policies that are offered to support the standard of living. I will do so by examining the structure of U.S. wages and observe workers in tipped sectors. By observing changes in tipped wages in states like Pennsylvania, it is possible to discern future trend in wage dynamics for American workers. Lastly, I will look at possible reforms for the US wage system in part through a comparative analysis of processes in the Europe Union (EU). This will allow us to see how the structure of wages in the United States might be improved. In this thesis, I will argue that workers have been put at a disadvantage due to the history of wage structures, the scarcity of laws created for workers, and the control employers have on employees. I conclude my indicating that the United States needs improved worker protection laws and increased funding to organizations such as the NLRB and Wage and Hour Division.
Url: https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/28115
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Authors: Plocki, Abigail
Institution: The Pennsylvania State University
Department: School of Labor and Employment Relations
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Pages: 1-63
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Poverty and Welfare
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