Gov. Wolf boosts minimum wage again for Pa. state employees

In this Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018 photo, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his office in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

HARRISBURG, Pa. — HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - Gov. Tom Wolf is raising the minimum wage for a second time for Pennsylvania government employees and contractors under his jurisdiction.

Wolf on Thursday signed an executive order increasing it to $12 an hour starting Sunday. It orders an annual boost of 50 cents-an-hour until it reaches $15 in 2024.

The administration says wages will rise immediately for 879 employees. Wolf raised the minimum wage to $10.15 in 2016, which was expected to benefit a few hundred state employees.

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Ensuing governors could undo the order. Wolf's term ends in January and he's seeking a second four-year term against Republican Scott Wagner in November's election.

Pennsylvania's wages are set at the decade-old federal minimum of $7.25 an hour, like 20 other states, and the Republican-controlled Legislature has rejected Wolf's overtures to raise it.