Governor Wolf fulfills commitment to raise minimum wage for Pennsylvania workers
Article continues below
Topics: PENNSYLVANIA
Increases in the minimum wage raise employee morale, productivity and work quality, while lowering turnover and training costs
The governor amended the executive order once more to accelerate that timeline, effective January 31, 2022, for employees under the governor’s jurisdiction.
“I am committed to supporting workers, creating family-sustaining jobs and ensuring that, in Pennsylvania, hard work is rewarded fairly,†said Governor Wolf. “In 2018, I made a promise to our state workers, to ensure that they are fairly compensated for their service to our commonwealth.
The fact that Pennsylvania’s minimum wage hasn’t increased in 13 years... is an insult to hardworking Pennsylvanians
Improvements such as raising the minimum wage put the commonwealth in a strong position to attract and retain skilled workers, while better supporting workers and families in Pennsylvania. In the face of a lack of action by the General Assembly to raise the minimum wage for all workers, Governor Wolf encourages all employers to follow suit and take action to ensure fair pay for hard work.
Governor Wolf is also renewing his call for the Republican-controlled General Assembly to raise the minimum wage for all workers in Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvanians deserve to be paid fairly for their work, but for too many Pennsylvanians, fair pay is just a dream because of Pennsylvania’s embarrassingly low minimum wage,†said Governor Wolf. “The fact that Pennsylvania’s minimum wage hasn’t increased in 13 years is an embarrassment. It’s an insult to hardworking Pennsylvanians who are doing the same amount of work but finding that their paychecks cover less and less every single year.
“Over the past decade, the cost of food, gas and just about everything else has gone up, but the purchasing power of our minimum wage has dropped by nearly 17 percent. Compared to 50 years ago, the minimum wage has lost 31 percent of its value. That means today’s workers have to work 31 percent more hours to earn the standard of living that was considered the bare minimum half a century ago.
“Pennsylvanians are getting left behind the rest of the nation because of our low minimum wage, and it’s just not right. I call on the Republican leaders in the General Assembly to pass legislation to raise the wage for Pennsylvanians and give our workers the boost they need and deserve.â€
Governor Wolf has proposed a minimum wage increase each year he has been in office. The governor is again urging the General Assembly to pass S.B. 12, sponsored by Sen. Tartaglione, or H.B. 345, sponsored by Rep. Patty Kim, to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $12 an hour with a path to $15 an hour.
Boosting wages provides workers with more income to purchase items they most need, which generates business for the local economy and reduces costs for state services. Studies have shown that when the minimum wage goes up, workers keep their jobs. In fact, economist David Card won a Nobel Prize in 2021 in part for research showing that minimum wage increases do not hinder hiring.
Each of Pennsylvania’s six neighboring states already have minimum wages higher than $7.25 an hour, and several of them are among the 25 states with planned increases for 2022. As of January 1, 2022, Pennsylvania is surrounded by states with the following minimum wages: Delaware ($10.50); Maryland ($12.20); New Jersey ($13); New York ($13.20); Ohio ($9.30); and West Virginia ($8.75).
Rural workers stand to gain the most from raising the minimum wage. The highest percentage of workers who would get a raise with a $15 minimum wage are in 29 rural counties, according to findings from the Keystone Research Center. ■