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Poll: Do you support raising the minimum wage in PA to $12.00 or more?

HARRISBURG, Pa.– State Representative Patty Kim has reintroduced legislation that aims to increase minimum wage. House Bill 1520 would increase the minimu...
Fight for higher wages

HARRISBURG, Pa.– State Representative Patty Kim has reintroduced legislation that aims to increase minimum wage.

House Bill 1520 would increase the minimum wage for non-tipped employees to $12.00 per hour effective on January 1, 2018. The increase would go up to $15.00 an hour by 2024, along with an increase of $9.00 per hour for tipped employees to $12.00 per hour by 2024.

​”House Bill 1520 will help raise the wages of our lowest wage workers, stimulate economic activity, and reduce spending on public benefits,” said Representative Kim (D-Dauphin). “The facts are clear. Raising the minimum wage is not just the right thing to do. It’s a smart economic decision as well.”

Neighboring states have all increased the minimum wage, while the minimum wage in PA has not increased since 2007.  Currently a full time worker paid at the minimum hourly wage of $7.25 has an annual income of $15,080 which is $4,700 below the federal poverty level.

“We do all the hard work to make our companies profitable, but they will continue to pay us pennies if we let them,” said Norma Timothy, an airport worker with Prospect Airport Services at the Philadelphia International Airport.  “Our elected leaders in Harrisburg have a chance to better the lives of working men and women like myself and raise the wage.”

Raising the minimum wage in Pennsylvania will provide additional tax revenues to state and local government, while it helps provide working families access to the basic needs, such as shelter, food, and utilities with less dependence on government assistance.

However, other states that have raised minimum wage are struggling with the results.

For example, the Washington Post recently published a study on Seattle, who is gradually raising the minimum wage to $15.00 an hour.

However, some of the effects have been employers unable to pay the higher wages, which has led to cuts in payroll, layoffs, pushing off hiring new employees and reducing hours.

The study estimates that the average low-wage worker actually lost $125 a month due to effects of the new changes.

Our question is, do you support raising the minimum wage in PA to $12.00 or more?

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