NEPA Living Wage Report 2016

As Coordinator of Education for Justice at The University of Scranton, I have been working with several colleagues to look at what a modest but dignified lifestyle costs for families of different compositions here in Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA). We modeled our study on one produced by the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans.

After determining what it costs to live in NEPA using the M.I.T. Living Wage Calculator and other sources, we explored the gap between the minimum wage and living wage for single- and two-parent families where one or both parents worked. Pennsylvania's minimum wage is set at the federal level of $7.25.

It was a neat opportunity to get students, staff, faculty, and the community to better understand the challenges confronted by families who live at or near poverty level wages in NEPA. We were also able to apply insights from Catholic Social Teaching into discussions involving just wages, the roles of private and public sectors, and effective advocacy. During Thursday's launch of the report, it was clear that several of our local elected officials had difficulty understanding the challenges confronted by a large segment of our population.

You can read the executive summary, full report, and snapshots of community leaders produced by students in a communication's class here.