Minimum wage hike sought in Pa.
A new push is under way to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to more than $10 an hour.
State Rep. Patty Kim has proposed an immediate hike to $9 an hour. After a year, her measure calls for a minimum wage of $10.10.
Kim, D-Dauphin, said her mother was a small-business owner, so she understands any concerns they might have.
“We need to give people a fair share, and with the economy still stagnant, [it hurts] the lowest paid workers,” she said. “Once they receive more, it immediately goes back into the economy. to small businesses.”
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage now stands at $7.25, the same as the federal baseline.
Earlier this year, a state senator unveiled a plan to hike the rate to $9 an hour and index it to inflation. That plan remains before the Labor and Industry Committee.
Voters in New Jersey this month approved a constitutional amendment that raises the minimum wage to $8.25 and provides for increases each year linked to the inflation rate.
Delaware’s minimum wage is $7.25.
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