As Pennsylvania’s legislature prepares to tackle the state budget in the coming weeks, lawmakers and advocates are pushing legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, a change that could lift the incomes of more than 250,000 residents in Philadelphia alone.
The longstanding fight over whether to boost the minimum wage of $7.25 — the same as the federal minimum — is bound to be front and center as legislators return to the Capitol on Monday to begin trying to wrap up the budget by the June 30 deadline. Gov. Wolf, a Democrat, proposed an increase to $12 as part of his budget proposal this year, and several Democratic lawmakers and at least one Republican senator also support a hike.
Advocates say an increase would not only help low-income families live more comfortably, but help bolster the economy by giving more people more spending power. Critics counter that it would cost jobs as businesses hire fewer people.
Whether the issue comes up for a vote remains a question mark. It’s an election year, when legislators tend to avoid taking on controversial topics and engaging in prolonged partisan fights.
Instead of passing resolutions to achieve impossible goals at the federal level, IMHO, PA townships should adopt a PA $15 per Hour Minimum Wage Resolution to send to state lawmakers.