Reading City Council calls for increase in PA minimum wage
City Council is calling on the state Legislature to increase Pennsylvania's minimum wage.
Council recently unanimously adopted a resolution introduced by Councilman Jaime Baez Jr. urging the state Senate to approve House Bill 1150.
The bill, proposed by state Rep. G. Roni Green, a Philadelphia Democrat, would raise the hourly minimum wage to $15 from $7.25, beginning Jan. 1.
It would also require that any future minimum wage legislation include an annual cost of living adjustment and lift the current state restrictions that keep municipalities from setting their own minimum wage standards or other wage-related regulations.
'I want to thank Rep. Roni Green for presenting this, and I want to thank the House Representatives for continuing to pass not only one year but multiple years of minimum wage legislation,' Baez said.
Baez, who last year introduced a similar resolution also passed by council, said previous efforts to raise the minimum wage got stuck in the state Senate.
Reading City Council calls for increase in Pennsylvania's minimum hourly wage
'So I urge the public, those who are watching, those here present, including ourselves as councilors, and those present here in the audience, to reach out to your state senators to apply some pressure,' Baez said. 'Make sure you're emailing, calling, letting them know that this is necessary.'
Green in a February memo to fellow House members said it is impossible to raise a family on Pennsylvania's current minimum wage.
'Even households of one cannot feed themselves, pay rent and utilities, and save for their future on a $7.25 per hour wage,' she wrote.
Pennsylvania last raised its hourly minimum wage to $7.25 from $7.15 in 2009, when the federal minimum wage was increased to $7.25 from $6.55.
Currently, 34 states, territories and districts have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures' website,
The District of Columbia, at $17 per hour, has the highest minimum wage, followed by Washington at $16.28 per hour.
New Jersey's new hourly minimum wage of $15.13 for most employees took effect at the start of last year. For seasonal and small employers, that state's minimum is lower: $13.73 up from $12.93.
New York also raised its hourly minimum wage, effective Jan. 1, 2024, to $16 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County and $15 in the rest of the state.
'I have to say that I think we all love Pennsylvania, but sometimes Pennsylvania is way behind a lot of other states in many ways, Council President Donna Reed said. 'The fact that all our surrounding states have pretty much improved their minimum wage and we are still at a minimum wage that is 20-plus years old is absurd.'
Reed thanked Baez for introducing the resolution and urged city residents to contact their state senators and ask them to adopt the bill.
'Whenever you can, however you can, call them, write emails, get to Harrisburg, visit their offices,' she said.
Several residents, including representatives of the advocacy organization Berks Stands Up, spoke to council during the public comment period. They urged council members to support the resolution.
Jae Elizabeth Giesen said she has a college degree and has held a job in Reading for the past eight years. She would like to move out of her parents' home, but at current rental rates she cannot afford an apartment on her own.
'The only reason I'm able to keep myself going right now is because I have the support of my parents,' she said, urging council to pass the resolution.
City Managing Director Jack Gombach read a statement from Mayor Eddie Moran, who also urged the Senate to take action to increase the minimum wage.
The city raised the minimum starting wages for its employees, the mayor said, because it was the right thing to do.
'Now it's time for the state to follow,' he said. 'I strongly support raising Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $15 an hour and urge the Legislature to pass HB 1150. Let's make sure everyone who works hard has a fair shot to build a better life.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
12 minutes ago
- Politico
Jolly takes the plunge into wide open field
BREAKING LAST NIGHT — 'President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a sweeping new travel ban for people from 19 countries, citing national security risks,' reports POLITICO's Myah Ward. The ban fully restricts people from Haiti and partially restricts entry for nationals of Cuba and Venezuela. Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Zero Democrats in statewide office. An electoral shortfall of 1.3 million voters. The home for much of President DONALD TRUMP's staff and his 'Winter White House.' The testing ground for MAGA. It's how Florida looks for Democrats. And running for Florida governor in that kind of environment, where fundraising is sputtering and the party has immense hurdles to overcome? Seemingly no one would rush to take that on. Except for DAVID JOLLY. The former Republican congressman, who was a politically independent voter since 2018 and registered as a Democrat in April, has officially filed to run for governor. The biggest challenger on the Republican side so far is Trump-endorsed Rep. BYRON DONALDS. But the Democratic field has been full of only crickets thus far. Those who openly expressed interest in running a year ago have since stepped back, underscoring just how bleak the landscape appears after Trump won Florida by 13 points in 2024. 'People who might have been very strong candidates would want to see the party infrastructure build up and be a better atmosphere to run,' said state Sen. TINA POLSKY (D-Boca Raton). 'But then it kind of takes someone maybe a little bit different, a little bit out of the norm — like David Jolly is — to upend the system. If anyone's going to do it, I think he has a better chance than a run-of-the-mill Democrat.' A lot could change ahead of the August 2026 primary. But the dearth of interest — or of candidates even at the very least floating trial balloons to gauge reaction — stands in contrast to what's happening at the national level, where Democratic hopefuls are already making moves to signal their 2028 presidential interest. The last time Florida had an open seat for governor, in 2018, seven Democrats competed for the nomination. But Jolly could help unify the party with an easy path to the nomination. He told Playbook in an interview that he's hoping the 2026 cycle will be a 'change election' in which voters are driven to outside-the-norm candidates given Trump's policies and how unaffordable Florida has become under GOP leadership. He said he's going to try to bring together not just Democrats but unaffiliated voters and Republicans. 'The ones we've spoken to have either indicated they're not running or they'll support us, either privately or publicly,' Jolly told Playbook of top Florida Democrats. While he does anticipate a primary, he added: 'What I know is we have to unify this primary early if we want to win next November.' Of course, the primary would have been contested early if state Sen. JASON PIZZO had remained a Democrat. Now, they'll just be delaying a showdown. Pizzo plans to run as an independent in a move that has many Democrats concerned he'll serve as a spoiler and deliver the governor's mansion to Republicans. But Jolly and Pizzo have had a chance to talk, and it seems there's no bad blood there. While Jolly didn't disclose details of the conversation, he said he respected 'anyone who follows their convictions,' and that he thinks Pizzo is 'doing what he believes he can do to change Florida.' 'You won't hear me say an ill word about Jason Pizzo,' Jolly said. 'I respect his decision.' Reached by text, Pizzo called Jolly 'bright' and said their conversation went well. 'I commend him for the endeavor,' he said, 'and wish him well.' WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis will speak at the Florida Professional Firefighters convention in Palm Beach Gardens at 9:45 a.m. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... FLORIDA'S NEW EDUCATION COMMISSIONER — 'The state Board of Education on Wednesday unanimously backed Anastasios Kamoutsas, the governor's deputy chief of staff who has long played a key behind the scenes role, to lead the agency. Kamoutsas, in accepting the position, pledged to follow through on Florida's reforms on parental rights and school choice that have thrust the state into the national spotlight,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'During his time with the agency, Kamoutsas, who is known as 'Stasi,' helped the state carry out policies bolstering parental rights, quashing 'wokeness' in education and battling with school districts that pushed pandemic student masking.' TIME IS TICKING — 'State lawmakers forged through a second day of Florida budget negotiations Wednesday, reaching accords on several significant items including how much money they will steer into a program designed to help homeowners hurricane-proof their homes,' report POLITICO's Gary Fineout and Bruce Ritchie. 'Lawmakers are racing to wrap up their budget work in time for a mid-June vote — about two weeks before the end of the fiscal year. The two sides agreed to spend half of the $200 million proposed by Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus farmer from Wauchula, to boost the state's ailing citrus industry. That includes $70 million for replacement trees, less than the $125 million he had proposed.' STATE PARK SLASHES — 'Florida's renowned state parks would suffer under state House and Senate proposals for the 2025-26 state budget, supporters of the public lands said this week,' reports POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie. 'Budget negotiators from both chambers met publicly Tuesday for the first time on a 2025-26 state budget. The House proposal that passed in April would slash 25 vacant positions in the Florida Park Service as part of a workforce reduction across state government.' RESERVOIR CLAW BACK — 'State House and Senate budget negotiators agreed this week to revert $400 million in spending approved last year for a controversial Central Florida reservoir to appropriations for the coming year,' reports POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie. 'The two sides also got closer on slashing funding from the 2023 state budget for the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a priority of then-Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples).' NEW LIFE FOR AP AND IB — 'The Florida Legislature's latest budget proposal could relieve concerns of local schools that feared devastating funding losses were coming for top programs like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'A Tuesday offer by the state Senate scraps a previous plan that would have reduced by half the bonus funding levels schools receive for a list of popular programs, replacing the idea with a new section of the budget for these costs. Lawmakers say this proposed change would ensure schools can still score coveted extra cash for AP, IB, Advanced International Certificate of Education, dual enrollment and early graduation, while giving the state a clearer picture of where the money is going.' STILL FAR APART — 'The state House and Senate made some progress Wednesday in hammering out the state health care budget for next year, but the two chambers' proposals are still more 2,000 vacant agency jobs apart when it comes to possible cuts,' reports POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian. 'The latest budget offer presented to the Senate by House Health Care Budget Subcommittee Chair Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola) on Wednesday afternoon called for cuts of more than 2,900 vacant jobs, still well over 2,000 more than the 454 cuts proposed by the Senate. Andrade had asked the health care agencies facing the proposed job cuts to justify why those positions should exist. None of the agencies offered a justification, and the state Department of Children and Families, which could lose 802 vacant jobs under the latest House offer, did not respond.' NO HOPE FOR HOPE? — State Rep. ALEX ANDRADE (R-Pensacola) proposed cutting millions of dollars from Hope Florida's state funding early on in the dedicated two-week budget conference which started on Tuesday, Alexandra Glorioso and Lawrence Mower of the Miami Herald report. Andrade spent a good deal of the session investigating Hope Florida, the state program spearheaded by Florida first lady CASEY DESANTIS intended to gradually get Floridians off government assistance. The cuts would affect 20 Hope navigator positions who work on a helpline that connects Floridians in need to nongovernment assistance. MUSEUM DISCONNECT — 'The House is failing to go along with proposed funding for several Holocaust museum projects across the state,' reports Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics. 'St. Petersburg's Florida Holocaust Museum was chosen to hold a permanent exhibit to preserve the legacy of Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who later won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Senate is proposing to fund the exhibit with $850,000 while the House doesn't want to fund it at all.' LAND ON CABINET AGENDA — The governor and Cabinet next week will consider buying 75,000 acres of conservation easements in rural north central Florida. The state would pay $93.6 million to Weyerhaeuser Forest Holdings, Inc. for an easement over 61,389 acres in Baker and Union Counties. And the state would pay Blackbottom Holdings LLC $24.3 million for an easement over 14,743 acres in Baker and Bradford counties. The Tampa Bay Times reported that the Cabinet also will consider a proposal by Cabot Citrus Farms, a golf course developer, to sell 340 acres in Hernando County near where it sought to acquire state forest land in a controversial 2024 trade deal that was recently scrapped. — Bruce Ritchie BALLOT INITIATIVE LATEST — 'A federal judge on Wednesday placed a temporary halt on part of a new law tightening Florida's control over ballot initiatives. But he refused to press pause on the entire measure,' reports POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian. 'A group called Florida Decides Health Care filed a lawsuit in Tallahassee federal court about a month ago challenging a new state law. The measure has been heralded by DeSantis and other state GOP leaders as the solution to fraud allegations made by state elections officials as campaigns gathered enough voter-signed petitions to qualify for the ballot. The new restrictions also come with hefty penalties and tight deadlines critics believe were designed to make the state's citizen-led initiative process unaffordable for most groups.' TALLAHASSEE ICE RAID — The families of more than 100 ICE detainees say they are struggling to locate their loved ones, Ana Goñi-Lessan and Valentina Palm of USA Today Network — Florida. The detainees, construction workers who were arrested at their job site, were taken into custody by ICE during the largest immigration raid in Florida this year. Some remain in Florida, some were sent to El Paso, Texas, and some are already in Mexico less than a week after being detained. Family members' questions about the whereabouts of some of the detainees have been unanswered since May 29. — 'Florida quickly appeals injunction against law aimed at keeping kids off social media,' reports Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida. — 'Florida's National Guard will soon leave state prisons,' reports Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times. PENINSULA AND BEYOND NO IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT — The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says it is following city attorneys' legal advice by not enforcing the city's two-month-old immigration enforcement law which serves to punish people who enter Jacksonville while they are in the country illegally, reports David Bauerlein of the Florida Times-Union. City Councilor KEVIN CARRICO, who introduced the legislation, said the lack of enforcement undermined the will of City Council and the state Legislature by siding with 'open-border politics.' — 'Hialeah's $45,000 farewell to Bovo: When public money pays for private parties,' by Verónica Egui Brito of the Miami Herald. — 'It's not just his wife. Lee County undersheriff has another relative on the payroll,' by Bob Norman of the Florida Trident. TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP FREE LAND FOR PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY — 'Of the locations considered, FAU in Boca Raton, Fla., emerged as the preferred site because of its proximity to Mar-a-Lago, a private Trump club,' report The Wall Street Journal's Meridith McGraw, Josh Dawsey and Annie Linskey. 'A person familiar with the negotiations said that Trump's team is nearing a deal with FAU — which has offered a 100-year lease at no cost — and that Trump expressed interest in the university during a meeting with lawyers at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.' ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN BIRTHDAYS: Former Chief Financial Officer and gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink, founder of Ruth's List … former State Rep. Seth McKeel … Heidi Otway, president and partner at SalterMitchell PR. CORRECTION: Wednesday's newsletter incorrectly stated that the Stanley Cup finals began in Florida on Wednesday. The first game was in Edmonton.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How Dems will run on GOP's tax-and-spending bill
House and Senate Democrats' campaign arms teamed up on new internal polling that surveyed almost 20,000 voters to test how lawmakers can run on Republicans' sprawling tax-and-spending bill in 2026. The results: 'Messages that highlight GOP plans to cut key programs like Medicare and Medicaid … are consistently the most effective,' the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee wrote in a memo shared with Semafor. The firm that conducted the polling, Blue Rose Research, also found that only one in four voters think the bill will 'help them and their families.' The polling serves as a useful road map for how Democrats in both chambers plan to keep talking about the legislation over the next two years. Most have already seized on similar talking points even as GOP colleagues argue that changes to the programs are necessary to protect their integrity and reduce the deficit. 'Both House and Senate Republicans' cutting health care and food assistance programs, all to benefit the wealthy over working families is a potent negative attack,' the DCCC and DSCC wrote. 'Given these findings, it is key that both House and Senate Democrats continue to implement this message as far and wide as possible.'
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Watching, waiting and wondering about West Virginia's teacher shortage
Gov. Patrick Morrisey held a ceremonial bill signing for Senate Bill 765, which establishes a Troops to Teachers program on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at Hedgesville Middle School in Hedgesville, (West Virginia Office of Gov. Patrick Morrisey | Courtesy photo) As a former educator at the high school and college levels, my interest in public and private and collegiate avenues of acquiring knowledge through education remains steadfast, even though I no longer teach; instead, I write books and commentaries that I hope will not only resonate with my readers but make a difference (however slight) in the way they see the world around them, asking, 'What can I do? What will my contribution be to minimizing the escalating concerns that plague educational institutions and the teachers who deliver that knowledge?' And if all we do is look at the overwhelming task, we've already been defeated in answering those questions. Yes, the issues are countless and to tackle any single one of them is a monumental task. Still, we can take that thousand piece puzzle and break it down, one piece at a time or better still, put it together one piece at a time. As I read of education's global concerns, I also make certain to read of what is happening in my own backyard, from what the new administration didn't do this past legislative session for students and schools and teachers to what they did do: school vaccines, for instance. The powers that be continue to push aside the very real teacher vacancies that continue to escalate. Recently, Amelia Ferrell Knisely reported that Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a bill creating 'Troops to Teachers,' in an attempt to address West Virginia's teacher shortage, a program that aims to put veterans in the classroom. He called the program a 'common sense solution.' Let's remind ourselves that one reason for the teacher shortage in West Virginia is low teacher pay, compared to surrounding states. Until that discrepancy is remedied, the exodus of teachers in West Virginia will continue to rise. And the multi-leveled, arduous journey for these veterans to become certified teachers might reach beyond common sense. In fact, there's a bit more to it than that. George Bernard Shaw is credited with the phrase, 'Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.' In fact though, it was Aristotle who first said, 'Those that can, do; those that understand, teach.' There's a world of difference between the two sentiments. Shaw suggests that teachers are those who don't know or haven't learned their discipline. It's absurd, and my suggestion would be to not repeat those words to an educator. Let's be clear: teachers are highly skilled and experienced in their fields, with strong communication, interpersonal and pedagogical skills. The profession involves planning, delivering lessons and assessing student learning. It's a teacher's ability to articulate and explain complex concepts clearly, not simply perform a task, that educates and enlightens. And if we, as students, are very fortunate, it is those very teachers who choose that profession in order to share their knowledge and passion with us that catapult us to our highest heights, giving us every possible opportunity to excel and succeed. I'm often asked why, in my commentaries, do I never offer a solution to a problem. Why do I focus only on the human factor? My answer never changes. I hone in on the human factor because I'm a humanist, because if I didn't stay true to my core, then I would in fact be doing a disservice to those high school and college and graduate school professors who made certain that my liberal arts education was as well-rounded as they could impart. And until each and every one of us recognizes and prioritizes this undeniable truth, we cannot begin the journey to heal the wounds that scar each of us. Too, I will not disrespect my teachers or myself by even putting forth a viable solution to problems for which I'm not qualified. Are you following me? I know that Harvard University is under the spotlight right now, but I've always maintained that my West Virginia education could stand with pride alongside any other respected institution of higher learning. There are countless individuals (particularly those occupying offices of power) who can and must implement programs and support educators to make certain that not only I can continue to speak those words of praise but that every learned student to follow me can say them with pride as well. There's a great line from the movie 'Cold Mountain,' when an aged woman who lives isolated in the mountains kills a goat in order to help an escaped soldier heal: 'Bird flies somewhere, picks up a seed, [expels] the seed out, plant grows. Bird's got a job, [seed's] got a job. And you've got a job.' Can we please — each of us — do our job, rather than being so self-absorbed and concerned with who gets credit for what. As elementary as it may sound, let's work together. It's the only way progress moves forward. Who cares who gets credit? Shouldn't the only thing that matters be that the job got done? SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
