LANCASTER, Pa. — Sen. Art Haywood (D-Montgomery/Phila) and Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El (D-Lancaster) held a rally yesterday to call on government officials to raise the minimum wage.
The Raise the Wage rally introduced Sen. Haywood's new legislation, which would:
- Enact a $15 minimum wage by January 2024.
- End preemption so that local governments can set their own rates.
- End the $2.83 tip wage so that there is one fair wage for all, including those in the food service industry.
- Enact a yearly cost-of-living adjustment to avoid repeating this legislative battle year-over-year.
"Raising the minimum wage is critical to not only respect the dignity of hardworking people so that they can afford housing and food, and so that they don't have to choose between food, heat, clothing, and other basic needs,” Sen. Haywood said. "This legislation supports businesses who need shoppers with more money in their pockets when they come to their stores."
Representatives from CASA, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People - Lancaster and local leaders joined the legislators at the rally.
Rep. Smith-Wade-El said, "Our families deserve a living wage – one that supports them and their families to thrive in this community. I was proud to join state Sen. Art Haywood and my fellow Lancastrians today to rally to raise the wage. The benefits of raising the wage would be vast, from helping reverse decades of pay inequality to narrowing the racial pay gap for workers of color. Raising the minimum wage would particularly benefit women, who make up the majority of minimum-wage workers. Those benefits extend to small businesses, too. When our families have more to work with, they spend more money nurturing homegrown businesses instead of sending our community's wealth to corporate executives and shareholders who don't care about our neighborhoods."