It is a neck and neck race in the U.S. between consumer prices and wages allowing the typical worker to keep up.

Economic data show consumer prices have increased 20% since the fourth quarter of 2019 while wages have grown by 23%. Findings from the Center for American Progress showed late last year, nearly six in 10 workers were earning higher annual wages, when adjusted for inflation, than the year before.

Brendan Duke, senior director for economic policy at the Center for American Progress, said real wage growth means a lot more people have purchasing power, even if consumer prices have been stubbornly high, and it appears to be benefiting those who need it the most.

"Low-wage workers have actually been doing the best over the last year or two," Duke reported. "They've seen the strongest wage growth."

In general, New Mexico has a lower labor force participation rate than the national average, regardless of age, sex, race and ethnicity, or veteran status. A November 2022 analysis by the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee found nearly one-quarter of New Mexicans are of working age but not employed.

Duke pointed out further addressing family expenses like child care costs and housing affordability could benefit workers and affect their take-home pay.

"They don't show up in the wages," Duke noted. "But when you compare your income and your costs, reducing those costs can obviously make a huge difference."

The analysis showed coming out of the pandemic, real wage growth for the average worker was the second-fastest since 1980. The New Mexico legislative report found access to affordable health care raises labor supply and supports workers' performance.


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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to cut a cut a majority of jobs at the federal agency responsible for worker health and safety is seen as a direct attack on Kentucky workers by labor unions in the state.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health could be trimmed from around 1,400 employees to fewer than 150. At the state level, House Bill 398 would also have dismantled Kentucky's worker protection standards and requirements.

Dustin Reinstedler, president of the Kentucky AFL-CIO, said similar proposals down the road are now more concerning.

"To think that Kentucky was supposed to fall back on the federal OSHA guidelines, and to think that it's under attack now, it's pretty alarming," Reinstedler stressed.

The federal cuts are expected to include the agency's 9/11 firefighter program, also known as the World Trade Center Health Program. The American Industrial Hygiene Association, the AFL-CIO and Laborers' International Union of North America have all launched campaigns to urge the feds to restore the agency's staff and funding.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reinstedler explained Kentucky relies on its data, research and recommendations to protect workers. He cited personal protective equipment, respirators, and HEPA vacuum systems as standards the agency set to protect workers from silica exposure.

"Myself, as a bricklayer, any time that you're cutting masonry or anything, or cutting concrete, you're throwing up silica into the air," Reinstedler pointed out. "There are guidelines against that."

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health scientists also study Black Lung disease, which affects an estimated 20% of coal miners in Central Appalachia. The agency's mine safety research is regularly used by coal country's key regulatory agency, the Mine Safety and Health Administration.


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West Virginia lawmakers continue their inaction on improving access to child care.

House Bill 2026 would have allocated $32 million toward child care subsidies, but ultimately did not make it into the budget.

Parents of more than 25,000 kids across the state have no child care options, and at least 100 providers have closed statewide in the past year.

The $32 million would have maintained family eligibility policies and paid child care providers based on enrollment numbers, explains Kristy Ritz - the executive director of the West Virginia Association for Young Children.

"Just in the past two weeks, we've heard about a program that was closing in Whitehall," said Ritz, "another program closing in Weirton, and a program in Bridgeport closing their infant room."

The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce says more child care centers would help increase the state's workforce participation rate, which is among the lowest in the nation - at around 54%.

According to a 2024 report by the Chamber, in 29 counties, more than half of children under age six lack access to child care.

Ritz said there are plenty of opportunities across the state for public-private investments in child care.

She noted that care costs are most expensive for infants, at around $10,000 per year. That's about the same as in-state tuition at West Virginia University or Marshall University.

"I feel like businesses need to support their workers and contribute to their child care costs," said Ritz, "or support families who are having difficulty finding child care providers."

Legislation introduced earlier this year aimed to create the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership.

It would have connected the state with child care providers to offset employees' child care costs.

An estimated 2,000 Mountain State families could lose access to child care when pandemic-era federal subsides to day care centers end on July 1.

Texas is the number one exporting state in the nation - and although tariffs with Mexico and Canada have been delayed, Texans are still uneasy about their financial future. President Donald Trump has levied a 145% tariff on products from China, with all other countries subject to a 10% tariff.

Ray Perryman, economics professor at the International Institute for Advanced Studies says as the trade wars continue, Texans can expect to pay higher prices for everything.

"When steel and aluminum cost more and lumber costs more, that means houses cost more. There's a lot of cars that are made in Texas, where various pieces of it cross the border five or six times. So, when you start levying a 25% tariff every time something crosses the border, that's when you start adding thousands of dollars to the price of a car," he said.

Mexico is the top import-export market for the Lone Star State. And Texas companies imported almost $160 billion in goods last year.

A report by the Perryman Group estimates if the tariffs with China remain in place, and tariffs with Mexico and Canada are unfrozen, Texas would lose more than $50 billion a year and more than 400,000 jobs. Perryman adds the uncertainty of the markets is crippling.

"One of the worst things for an economy is uncertainty, because if you're not sure what's going to happen, you don't know what to do. And most people respond to that by not doing anything. You don't want to bring out a new product, you don't want to build a new plant, you don't want to hire more people, you don't want to make a big purchase if you're uncertain about the future," he continued.

Perryman predicts if tariffs with Mexico and Canada go into effect, all the tariffs combined would cost each American household an additional $1,500 a year.


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