HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Wolf administration called to raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour with a pathway to $15 an hour by 2027.
A $15 minimum wage would benefit 18 percent of healthcare workers in the state, said Secretary of Labor and Industry Jennifer Berrier.
Several Republican legislators have signaled they would support raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour.
“While $10 an hour isn’t necessarily where we think it should be at, it’s still great that there is discussion over raising the minimum wage from the abhorrent $7.25 an hour,” Berrier said.
Raising the minimum wage was a key component of the governor’s proposed 2021-2022 budget, for which hearings are continuing. A budget is usually passed in June.
Democratic legislators said a higher minimum wage would support the economy.
“The perpetuation of a $7.25 wage is sustaining a welfare state that we could never have imagined. By increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour, we will reduce the number of low-income families that rely on government aid,” said Thom Welby, chief of staff to State Rep. Marty Flynn (D-Lackawanna).
All of the states bordering Pennsylvania have higher minimum wages:
Delaware: $9.25
Maryland: $11.75
New Jersey: $12
New York: $12.50
Ohio: $8.80
West Virginia: $8.75