Pittsburgh Review

Gov. Tom Wolf said state employees will be getting at least $15 per hour, which was effective on Jan. 31.

A release from Wolf in January stated Executive Order 2016-02 was signed in March 2016 that raised the minimum wage for Pennsylvania employees to $10.15. This was amended by Wolf in 2018 to increase pay for these employees to no less than $12 per hour on July 1, 2018, and that would increase 50 cents a year until 2024 when it would hit $15. The move by Wolf to amend this executive order again accelerated the timeline to this year.

“I am committed to supporting workers, creating family-sustaining jobs and ensuring that, in Pennsylvania, hard work is rewarded fairly,” Wolf said. “In 2018, I made a promise to our state workers, to ensure that they are fairly compensated for their service to our commonwealth. Increases in the minimum wage raise employee morale, productivity and work quality, while lowering turnover and training costs. Accelerating the increase to $15 will better align worker salaries with the current cost of living, while providing even greater cost and efficiency savings for state government.”

Wolf has also called for the Republican-controlled general assembly to raise the minimum wage for all Pennsylvanians, saying that it is an embarrassment that the minimum wage has not been raised in 13 years, especially with the cost of food, gas and other items increasing significantly over the past decade. He said that compared to 50 years ago, the minimum wage has lost 31% of its value. The current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

“It’s an insult to hardworking Pennsylvanians who are doing the same amount of work but finding that their paychecks cover less and less every single year,” Wolf said. 

Rep. Darisha Parker was pleased with the the fact that state employee minimum rates are getting a bump and then through Twitter, said this should not just be for state employees.

“We need prosperity, not poverty,” Parker said. “There's no reason for anyone to not be making $15/hr. Every single working person deserves to make a living wage. When people make money, they spend money. The economy does better, tax revenues grow.”