Can There Be Wage Growth Erosion If Wages Barely Grew?

It's hard to pick a good headline when you run a newspaper! For instance, the Washington Post this weekend originally went with "Wage Growth Is Eroding As Firms Rush To Slim Down" for a story about trombonists being forced out of work for a month this year. Oh, and about how one-third of American households have had their pay or hours cut in the last couple months. But online? The paper goes with is "U.S. Workers' Wages Stagnate As Firms Rush to Slash Costs." Which is a good thing, as its hard to imagine the idea of "wage growth erosion" in fields where wages really haven't grown!