HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania officials call the state’s minimum wage archaic and are pushing to raise it.
Currently, the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. The push is to raise it to $12 an hour this year, and then to $15 an hour by 2027.
The last time there was an in increase to minimum wage in Pennsylvania was 2009.
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration contends raising the minimum wage will benefit working families and local economies, as well as boost incomes.
“Pennsylvanians are facing job loss and have no savings because they’re working jobs that paid too little to allow them to set aside money for emergencies. We cannot let this crisis continue. We need to raise our minimum wage now,” Department of Labor & Industry Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier said.
In a recent survey of economists, a majority oppose a $15 federal minimum wage, calling it a bad idea. However, Berrier believes a substandard minimum wage is one of the many reasons so many Pennsylvanians are stuck in a cycle of poverty.
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