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Yahoo
a day ago
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Minimum wage would be $15 in big counties, $12 in smaller ones under novel bill passed by Pa. House
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania would raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour in 20 of its counties, and to $12 in the rest under a bill the Democratic-controlled state House passed Wednesday. It's a new approach for the chamber that is designed to win critical Republican support, and it comes after years of unsuccessful attempts to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour across the entire state. Pennsylvania's minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since the federal minimum went up in 2009, and has stayed stagnant even as every neighboring state has set a higher floor. Under the House bill, Pennsylvania's biggest county, Philadelphia, would see its minimum wage immediately jump to $15 an hour on Jan. 1, 2026. In the next 16 most populous counties, including Allegheny, Erie, and Lancaster, the minimum wage would move to $12 an hour at the start of 2026, increase to $13 an hour the following year, then jump to $15 an hour in 2028. Three smaller counties, Centre, Monroe, and Pike, would also be included in this tier — all three have at least one Democratic representative, and a spokesperson for House Democrats said they had been included in the tier 'at the request of our members.' For the other 47 counties, the minimum wage would increase to $10 an hour in 2026, then grow by $1 each year until hitting $12 an hour in 2028. All counties would also receive an annual cost-of-living adjustment starting in 2029. That COLA would be based on consumer price data from Pennsylvania and neighboring states, as collected by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The minimum wage for tipped workers, such as those in restaurants, would also increase under the measure. These workers are currently paid $2.83 an hour, and the bill would require employers to pay them 60% of their county's minimum wage. The proposal passed the state House 102 to 101, along party lines. It now goes to the Labor and Industry Committee in the GOP-controlled state Senate for consideration. State Rep. Jason Dawkins (D., Philadelphia), the prime sponsor of the state House bill, told Spotlight PA he hopes Senate Republicans see the legislation as a sign of good-faith negotiation. Speaking on the state House floor Wednesday ahead of the bill's passage, he told his fellow members it would impose 'a living wage that transforms all communities throughout Pennsylvania.' Dawkins tried to pass a minimum wage hike last legislative session, too, but that proposal would have simply raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour across the state. The bill passed the state House, but Senate Republicans did not act on it. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has also called on the legislature to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour during each of his annual budget proposals since taking office. State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) has said he isn't opposed to a minimum wage increase in principle, but in 2023 as House lawmakers considered Dawkins' last bill, he said that $15 an hour is 'not a practical number.' It could, he said at the time, negatively impact nonprofit organizations that provide essential services, such as in-home medical care. In a new statement to Spotlight PA, Pittman said it is possible the legislature could find 'a middle ground for an increase to the minimum wage,' but that any change would need to be a 'commonsense adjustment' that is sensitive to the impact on small businesses and nonprofits. More of his attention, he said, is on 'maximum wage jobs.' He cited a Senate GOP proposal that would prevent Pennsylvania from participating in a carbon cap-and-trade program as an area of focus, and said his caucus also wants to keep making it easier for builders to get project permits. Dawkins said his new minimum wage tier approach is a response to feedback from people like Pittman. 'The hope,' he said, 'is to create a dialogue.' He said this approach is also designed to address counties' differing needs without repealing Pennsylvania's minimum wage preemption law. First put in place in 2006, the last time Pennsylvania raised its wage on the state level, the law requires that any change to the minimum wage be made by state lawmakers. This prevents larger, more expensive cities like Philadelphia from acting independently to raise their wages. Philadelphia's mayor and city council president sent state lawmakers a letter in April asking for authorization to set a higher minimum wage, saying that as the state's biggest municipality, it has 'unique circumstances' and is 'faced with both increasing housing costs and high poverty levels, issues that an increased minimum wage could alleviate.' City officials aren't the only ones who feel this way. The head of Brandywine Realty Trust, a major employer in Southeastern Pennsylvania, sent a letter last month asking for a higher statewide wage, saying it makes sense 'from a business perspective' because 'better-paid workers are more reliable, more productive, and more likely to stay with their employers.' As part of the trade-off of trying to appeal to state Senate Republicans, Dawkins' bill is a difficult pill to swallow for some of the more progressive members of his caucus. State Rep. Chris Rabb (D., Philadelphia) said he supports the measure but wishes it raised wages higher and didn't allow separate minimum wages to be set for tipped workers, and for workers who are incarcerated or have disabilities. He called it the 'lowest common denominator,' but added, 'at least it moves us in the right direction.' 'For those of us who believe in a living wage for all, it's a hard vote to take,' Rabb told Spotlight PA. Rabb plans to introduce legislation that would eliminate separate minimum wages for tipped or incarcerated workers and workers with disabilities, plus repeal the state's preemption of local wage laws. Still, he acknowledged that Senate Republicans are likely to oppose those provisions. He called Dawkins' bill a 'good-faith effort.' 'We know that the Republican controlled Senate is not likely to move on this bill, and if they do, they're going to ask for their pound of flesh,' Rabb said. Senate Republicans most recently voted to raise the minimum wage in 2019, under former Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. That proposal would have set a statewide floor of $9.50 an hour. However the state House, which was then controlled by Republicans, declined to take it up. At least one state Senate Republican supports a $15 minimum wage. Sen. Dan Laughlin (R., Erie) introduced a bill last session that would have raised the floor to $15 an hour by 2026. He told Spotlight PA that he plans to re-introduce similar legislation before the end of June. State Sen. Christine Tartaglione (D., Philadelphia), a longtime advocate for raising the minimum wage, said she feels lawmakers are getting 'a little bit closer' to agreement on the issue. Still, key details remain unresolved, she said — particularly a consensus among Senate Republicans on the appropriate wage floor and how to handle cost-of-living increases. 'So far, that's been the block,' Tartaglione said of the COLA. The bill now heads to the Senate Labor and Industry Committee, where Chair Sen. Devlin Robinson (R., Allegheny) called the House measure a good place to 'get the conversation started,' and said he's open to a COLA. But he said he still plans to introduce his own proposal to raise the wage to a still-undetermined 'reasonable' floor. Marc Stier, the executive director of the progressive Pennsylvania Policy Center, said that he's 'hopeful but uncertain' that lawmakers will be able to get the bill over the finish line. Stier thinks that a key factor will be how hard Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro pushes for the change, saying that he has to know 'the governor's bottom line.' He's hoping that after funding public education, raising the minimum wage is Shapiro's second priority. 'We've been talking this to death,' Stier told Spotlight PA. 'There's not much more to say.' If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania lawmakers pass changes to minimum wage, future uncertain
(WHTM) — A bill proposing changes to Pennsylvania's minimum wage has passed the State House today. House Bill 1549, sponsored by Rep. Jason Dawkins (D-179), passed the Pennsylvania State House, 102-101. The bill proposes amending the Minimum Wage Act of 1968 to further provide for 'definitions, for minimum wages, and for exemptions.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'Using a tiered approach will allow us to tailor the minimum wage to reflect the cost-of-living in a local area,' said Dawkins on Wednesday. 'It's no secret that a $12 wage in Philadelphia is different than a $12 wage in Altoona. This bill reflects that reality and creates a framework to raise the wage for all workers – and ensure they can afford to live in their communities.' The bill would provide 'a fixed minimum wage and overtime rates for employees, with certain exceptions; providing for minimum rates for learners and apprentices; creating a Minimum Wage Advisory Board and defining its powers and duties; conferring powers and imposing duties upon the Department of Labor and Industry; imposing duties on employers; and providing penalties, further providing for definitions, for minimum wages and for exemptions.' Every State Democrat in the House voted in favor of the bill, while every Republican voted against the bill. The bill will move to the Senate for consideration and will likely be dead on arrival due to the Republican majority. 'Our workers deserve a fair wage for a hard day's work, and this bill gets them there. I am urging my Senate colleagues to take this bill up and get this done for the working people of Pennsylvania,' added Dawkins. This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
State House advances bill to increase minimum wage in Pennsylvania
The exterior of the Pennsylvania state Capitol. (Photo by Amanda Mustard for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star). The state House is inching closer to passing a bill to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania, an outcome long sought by Democrats and opposed by Republicans. House Bill 1549 would increase it to $15 per hour for most Pennsylvanians, though in some smaller counties, it would only raise it to $12. The proposal would also raise the minimum wage for tipped workers. 'We are falling far, far, far behind,' Rep. Jason Dawkins (D-Philadelphia), the bill's sponsor said when it was debated in committee last week. 'Given our economic uncertainty, I think it's our duty as elected members to give [to] families across this commonwealth who have struggled to afford basic necessities.' The commonwealth's current minimum wage matches the federal rate at $7.25. It has not increased since 2008, and remains lower than those in surrounding states – New York, Ohio, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. The timeline laid out in the bill for the proposed minimum wage, as well as the ultimate figure, would vary county by county. For employers in Philadelphia County, the minimum wage would be $15 on January 1, 2026. Elsewhere, the minimum wage would increase gradually, reaching $15 or $12 on January 1, 2028. The difference is based on population. Counties with under 210,000 people, with the exception of Centre, Pike and Monroe Counties, will only see their minimum wage rise to $12. Beginning in 2029, the minimum wage would increase annually, based on federal cost of living statistics. On the floor Tuesday, Rep. Seth Grove (R-York), criticized the bill, calling its county-based tier system a 'dumb idea.' 'I look at York right next to Adams County. We're gonna have two different rates for those two now,' Grove said. 'How do businesses operate under such draconian policies? How is anyone supposed to figure this out?' Democrats, however, have long pushed for an increase to Pennsylvania's minimum wage, with most Republicans opposing it. Gov. Josh Shapiro, however, has long endorsed a minimum wage hike. On Monday, he posted on social media that the current minimum wage is 'too damn low.' 'It's time to put more money back in Pennsylvanian's pockets and raise the minimum wage,' he wrote. The bill would also raise the minimum wage for tipped workers from the current $2.83 per hour to 60% of the minimum wage. That would be $9 where the minimum wage is $15 and $7.20 where it's $12. House Bill 1549 must still be voted on one more time on the state House floor before it can pass. It will also have to earn support in the Republican-controlled Senate. Across the country, some Republicans are calling for a hike in minimum wage. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday that would raise the minimum wage everywhere in the U.S. to $15. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
