Average local wages beat nationwide earnings

The average Philadelphia-area worker is outearning his counterparts nationwide, beating the national average by $1.17 an hour, according to a report issued Tuesday by the U.S. Labor Department.

Workers in the region earned an average of $23.53 an hour, with surgeons and physicians earning the most.

Nationally, the average wage was $22.36 an hour.

The local survey focuses on wages as of January in Philadelphia and surrounding Pennsylvania and New Jersey counties, plus nearby parts of Delaware and Maryland.

The national survey, released earlier, pinpoints wages as of July.

Nationally, wages for physicians averaged $80.88 an hour, with anesthesiologists bringing home $113.03 an hour.

The local survey is not as detailed.

In this region, which relies on health and education to boost the economy, postsecondary teachers earned an average of $45.68 an hour.

The national average is higher, $49.38 an hour, with law school profs pulling in $95.62 - more than the national average for lawyers of $50.60. Local lawyers earned more, averaging $54.97.

Union workers took home more than nonunion workers, and those employed in large companies brought in $10.40 more an hour than those who worked for small businesses.

While the government report covered only wages, a group of local worker advocates gathered Tuesday at Philadelphia's City Hall to push for what they say is another key employment benefit - paid sick time.

Two out of five working Philadelphians, or more than 210,000 people, do not have a single paid sick day, Amy Traub, director of research for Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, told the group of about 30.

"People living paycheck to paycheck have to make decisions between their personal health, their children's health, and the rent," said Traub, who based her report on an extrapolation of U.S. Labor Department statistics.

The majority of people without sick pay tend to be women in low-paying jobs, Traub said. The New York-based nonprofit Drum Major Institute provides research for progressive causes.

The advocates want Philadelphia City Council to mandate up to 72 hours of paid sick leave a year for larger firms and 40 hours for smaller ones. Workers also could use the leave to care for a sick family member.

Doylestown benefits consultant Michael Carter said that about half of large companies allow employees to use paid sick time to care for others. Smaller companies tend to be less generous, but also more flexible.

One of the bill's sponsors, Councilman Bill Greenlee, said he hoped there would be a hearing on the proposed legislation this fall. The bill was introduced in May 2008.

Contact staff writer Jane M.

or jvonbergen@phillynews.com .