By Diana Polson and Marc Stier<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Originally published by KRC-PBPC here.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If one thing has become clear during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is\u00a0that\u00a0workers who do essential things like providing care for the sick,\u00a0stocking shelves at grocery stores,\u00a0and\u00a0cleaning facilities to keep our buildings clean and safe\u00a0are undervalued in our society.\u00a0Despite\u00a0their hard work, many\u00a0Pennsylvanians\u00a0earn such low wages that it remains difficult to\u00a0pay for rent, food, childcare, transportation,\u00a0and other necessities.\u00a0We must raise wages and strengthen worker protections for low- and middle-income workers.\u00a0In addition, there is another\u00a0easy step Pennsylvania can take\u00a0to\u00a0support\u00a0low-wage workers.\u00a0That is a state Earned Income Tax Credit\u00a0(EITC), which has been effective at\u00a0reducing poverty in\u00a0more than half the\u00a0states across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\n\t\t