Wages

West Virginia teachers head back to the classroom Thursday morning after a four-day teacher’s strike culminated in a deal with the governor for a 5 percent pay increase. It’s being seen as a victory for teachers unions across the country. But is that true? Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

With wages and incomes up, more Americans say they are saving for a rainy day. But it might be wiser to use the money to pay down debt. Marketplace’s Aaron Schrank explains. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

The pace of wage growth increased in January, with average hourly earnings up 2.9 percent year-over-year, according to the Labor Department’s monthly Employment Report. But real, inflation-adjusted wages have been nearly stagnant for decades, rising just 7 percent for the median household over the past 40 years, according to analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. […]

We are finally starting to see some signs that the tight labor market is pushing up wages. New numbers out today from the Department of Labor show wages and salaries in the private sector are up 2.8 percent from this time last year. That doesn’t leave too much extra cash for workers once you factor […]

If you work at Walmart, you might be getting a raise. The retailer announced today it will raise entry-level wages to $11 an hour next month. The announcement came as the company stands to benefit from the changes to the tax code passed into law in late 2017. Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal spoke with Abigail […]