LANCASTER, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — More than 9 million Americans are getting a raise on New Year’s Day as 21 states lift their minimum wage rate. Pennsylvania is not one of them. But a trio of state legislators said they hope to change that.
State Rep. — and soon to be state Senator — Patty Kim has been trying to raise the minimum wage since she first took office in 2013. She got as far as she ever had in 2023, when Democrats took the majority in the state House and passed an increase to $15 — more than double the current rate of $7.25.
It died in the state Senate. State Sen. Art Haywood of Philadelphia said anyone making under $15 an hour and are struggling to make ends meet shouldn’t blame inflation or even their employer alone.
“Senate Republicans in Pennsylvania have blocked raising the minimum wage,” he charged.
Kim said on Tuesday she would try again in 2025. Along with Haywood and Lancaster County state Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, she announced a plan to introduce a bill that would raise the wage to $15 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2025, with cost of living increases built in every year.
“By establishing a dignified wage, our legislation will help citizens obtain the sustainable living everyone deserves,” said Kim.
Pennsylvania lawmakers last raised the minimum wage in 2009 because the federal minimum wage went up. All of the states bordering Pennsylvania — New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio and even West Virginia — have higher minimum wages, with New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, setting minimum wage at $15 and above. Many states are also getting increases this Jan. 1.
“When will that tomorrow come for Pennsylvanians? Our time to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania is now,” said Haywood, who added that most Pennsylvanians support the increase. “I ask each individual to reach out to their state senator and let them know, ‘Our time is now.’”
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said there’s potential for raising the minimum wage but with a “common sense adjustment,” and is unlikely to go for the $15 hourly wage. Smith-Wade-El said that’s insulting to the state’s workers.
“I cannot imagine my colleagues have the courage to go back to their districts and tell their constituents they’re not worth $15 an hour,” he said. “If you wouldn’t say it to your neighbor’s face, then you shouldn’t legislate that way.”