Compensation Matters: Improving Worker Wages

Evidence from a number of studies shows that wages and benefits paid to workers play a fundamental role in determining the quality and quantity of these workers. This session will address why compensation matters and present a framework for understanding the range of state and local strategies directed at improving wages as well as some of the advantages and disadvantages of different strategies. Moderators from PHI will provide an overview of trends in worker wages nationally and representatives from Louisiana and Maine will discuss their states' efforts to conduct wage studies and implement wage improvement initiatives.