I think "kept pace" implies that if the trend were to continue. In your link, it looks like the trend for adjusted wages from the 40s to the early 70s is up and

I think "kept pace" implies that if the trend were to continue. In your link, it looks like the trend for adjusted wages from the 40s to the early 70s is up and to the right, but after that point it reverses. Those two graphs still tell the same story to me.