Short Title: An Act amending the act of January 17, 1968
(P.L.11, No.5), known as The Minimum Wage Act of 1968, further providing for
minimum wages.
Prime Sponsor: Senator
TARTAGLIONE
Last Action: Referred to LABOR
AND INDUSTRY, Jan. 28, 2015 [Senate]
Printer's No.: 244*
MEMORANDUM
Posted: December 15, 2014 04:45 PM
From: Senator
Christine Tartaglione
To: All Senate
members
Subject: Co-Sponsorship
of Legislation: Cost-of-Living Adjustment
In the near future, I plan to reintroduce legislation,
formerly S.B. 326 of 2013-2014, which would provide for a cost-of-living
adjustment to Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Act.
For several decades, wages of low and middle income
workers have remained fairly stagnant, while wages of the highest paid workers
have increased steadily. This has caused
growing disparity among the state’s wealthiest and poorest citizens. According to the U.S. Department of Labor,
there were 3.4 million hourly wage workers in Pennsylvania in 2012. Of those individuals receiving hourly wages,
87,000 were paid at the minimum wage rate and 108,000 were paid below this
rate.
Increasing the state’s minimum wage rate by an annual
cost-of-living adjustment according to the Consumer Price Index will avoid
future years of decline in purchasing power.
Not only will higher wages benefit employees and their families, but
also, they will encourage more spending, which will prompt job creation.
New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Ohio and Maryland have
passed legislation raising their minimum wage rates far beyond Pennsylvania’s
hourly rate of $7.25. By raising the
minimum wage rate in Pennsylvania, we will provide a much needed boost to our
economy, and we will keep our wages in alignment with our neighboring
states.
Members who co-sponsored this legislation previously
include Senators Stack, Farnese, Kitchen, Hughes, Fontana, Costa, Brewster and
Blake.
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