Pennsylvania’s minimum wage sits at the same place it was in 2009- $7.25 an hour. Democrats- and some republicans- say it is time for the state to raise its standards.

But- disagreements abound on what the new status quo should be; and success depends on winning over senate republican leadership.

 

This week, dozens of union workers crowded onto the steps in the main rotunda, their shouts for change deafening in the capitol.

Senator Christine Tartaglione spoke on a new bill she plans to introduce that would raise the minimum wage to $20 an hour. That would be the highest in the nation- with Washington D.C. Sitting at $17 right now.

The bill also allows cities to set minimums higher than the state.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor & Industry reported that 67,800 citizens worked at or below minimum wage in 2023. That accounts for 1% of Pennsylvania’s workforce. 335,100 citizens worked for wages between $7.25 and $12; which is 5.3% of the state’s workforce population (6,338,000 in April, 2024).

In a memorandum, Senator Tartaglione cited an MIT study that said a 'childless adult needs $21.95 an hour to support themselves’. 

“What’s happening is corporate- greedflation as Senator Casey talks about all the time- is happening,” said Senator Sharif Street, (D-Philadelphia). "Corporations are charging as much as they could possibly charge. We need some of those profits to get in the hands of workers. So they can afford to pay all those higher prices.”

There has been a push at the federal level to nationally raise minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Research from the Harvard Business Review responding to that push did note that raising minimum wage can lead to workers being scheduled for less hours and more inconsistent hours.

The Pennsylvania House passed similar legislation last summer calling for $15 an hour as the minimum wage.

The Senate has not taken any action on that bill.