$15 PA Minimum Wage Proposal Reintroduced, Controversy Reignited

HARRISBURG, PA — One of the longest ongoing dramas in Pennsylvania politics entered a new chapter this week as officials moved once again to raise the state's minimum wage above the federally mandated $7.25 an hour.

Despite efforts by previous governors and legislative assemblies, Pennsylvania remains one of just 19 states in America which has not changed its minimum wage, despite ongoing pressures of inflation and increased awareness that minimum wage does not get most people out of abject poverty.

That could change now, as Gov. Josh Shapiro's new budget calls for an initiative in line with past efforts by Gov. Tom Wolf to raise the floor to $15 an hour.

"Pennsylvania must take action to raise the minimum wage and compete with neighboring states — including Maryland, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey who are all over $15 an hour," Shapiro said in his address. "Our current minimum wage is too low, and it’s hurting workers."

Republicans and some business owners and trying to push back, as they have done successfully for years, claiming the increases will hurt the economy. Multiple individuals in GOP leadership have indicated they're willing to consider the move, but Republican Leader Joe Pittman indicated that $15 an hour was too much.

“Raising the minimum wage does not grow the economy. It simply does not," House Minority Leader Jesse Topper told the PA Capital Star. "It does not drive the economy the way that we need it to here in Pennsylvania."

That position, while shared by some business owners who fear rising costs, is not shared by analysts. The nonprofit think tank Keystone Research says that low minimum wages prevent citizens from being able to buy more, resulting in a greater harm to the economy.

In his budget address, Shapiro echoed that notion in saying that the proposal will "generate economic activity, increase the purchasing power of Pennsylvania residents, and add roughly $100 million annually in increased revenue to the Commonwealth once fully implemented."

Shapiro himself, though, has been under fire from Democrats for not prioritizing minimum wage sooner. Critics say the proposal took a back seat to other agenda items in his budget address, and pointed to Shapiro's support in the days since for corporate tax cuts, a scheme which they say aims to appease Republicans.

"Democrats like this secede the debate to conservatives. Period," said activist and former Bernie Sanders campaign advisor Nina Turner. "The minimum wage in PA is $7.25, that is what Democrats could focus on, not corporate tax cuts. This is bad policy *and* bad politics. Conservatives won’t reward this with votes."

More than 67,000 Pennsylvanians made minimum wage in 2023, according to statistics from the state.

Democrats passed a $15 minimum wage bill in 2023, when they gained narrow control of the body for the first time in decades.

In 2020, former Gov. Wolf proposed a graduated raise of the wage in Pennsylvania, which would have seen the minimum bumped to $12 an hour last year, with small increases each year until $15 was reached in 2026. He made similar formal proposals seven times while he was in office, and legislation was introduced every year. It never made it far in the Republican dominated legislature.

Typical workweeks remain nearly impossible for those on minimum wage looking to obtain basic shelter in the Keystone State. More than 100 hours a week are required in some areas, according data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows.

Fair Market Rent for a two bedroom apartment in the state is $1,087 (it's $882 for a one bedroom). Even though this is just the 27th highest rate in the nation, it still means that a minimum wage worker would need to work 115 hours a week for a two bedroom and 94 hours a week for a one bedroom. Similarly, uf an individual works just 40 hours a week, in order to afford the Fair Market Rent they'd need to make at least $20.90 an hour, or $43,463 a year.

Other $7.25 an hour states aside from Pennsylvania are Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.