(The Center Square) – The Pennsylvania House passed a bill that would move the needle on the state’s minimum wage after 15 years of fighting for increases.
The bill, which takes an incremental approach to raising the wage, passed on a party line vote, 102-101. Whether the bill will find traction in the Republican-controlled Senate remains to be seen.
The bill will gradually raise the minimum wage in more populous areas, like Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties, to $15 per hour while raising the minimum to $12 per hour elsewhere. In Philadelphia County, the rate would change on January 1st of next year, while the other counties would see an increase through 2028.
Beginning in 2029, the minimum wage would continue to rise annually, tied to cost of living to prevent the stagnation seen over the past fifteen years due to legislative inaction. It would also raise the minimum for tipped workers to 60% of the state minimum.
Last month, legislators and union members rallied in favor of an increase.
“We need to send a message in this Commonwealth that all work has dignity,” said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis. “I know what it’s like to come from a working class family to come from a working class community, and we need to say now is the time more than ever to give them a raise to make sure that they can afford the basic necessities.”
Republicans say the bill was rushed. Those who oppose raising the wage say that it would result in the closure of small businesses who can’t afford to pay their employees that much. They’ve also indicated that very few people make the minimum wage, with most of them being workers like servers who supplement those earnings with tips.
The current minimum wage mirrors the federal rate of $7.25 per hour. This is lower than every state that borders Pennsylvania and less than half of neighboring Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York. It’s a pivotal issue in a state eager to draw more workers to combat its demographic shift.
In April at the federal level, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has proposed a bill that would increase the national wage to $17 per hour by 2030. It was a national increase that last moved Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to its current rate.
