Americans are getting smaller pay raises while tariffs and higher gas prices are threatening to make everything more expensive. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Translation: The affordability problem isn’t improving. New government data released Friday showed non-supervisory workers getting a 3.4% pay raise on average hourly earnings over the last year. That’s the slowest pace of wage gains since 2021, and a downshift from the last two years, when pay bumps were closer to 4%. The slowdown comes as economists worry about rising inflation, with the Iran war choking off oil tankers and pushing gas prices up over $1 per gallon in just a month, to a national average of $4.09 on Friday. As diesel costs break $5.50 a gallon (compared to just $3.89 a month ago), retailers and grocers are now contending with higher transportation costs. Amazon said Thursday…
