Last summer, as I was passing a business in a town near where I camp in Pennsylvania, I noticed the sign was looking for new hires with an $11 dollar an hour wage. To be honest, since I don't live in Pennsylvania, my first thought was that the wage seemed low. After all, fast-food workers in New York start at $15 dollars an hour.

Well, I quickly learned that the minimum wage in Pennsylvania is $7.25 an hour. Wow, how can anyone keep their head above water on that wage? And it's been that way for 15 years. The cost of living has far surpassed that amount.

Pennsylvania Governor Thomas Wolf has long complained and felt embarrassed over the state's low minimum wage. Last week, Governor Wolf's announced that he and other legislatures are working on increasing the minimum age to $12 dollars per hour and to eventually reach $15 dollars per hour.

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If the wage increase becomes a reality, it could go into effect on July 1st, 2022, and increase annually by 50 cents, until reaching the $15 dollars per hour mark on July 1st, 2028. The Governor's office states that this wage increase would affect about 1.5 million people, which is approximately 25 percent of the workforce in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Currently, 29 states have a higher minimum wage than Pennsylvania, including New York (outside of New York City. Long Island & Westchester) which is at $13.20 per hour, except those who work in the fast-food industry where the minimum wage is $15 dollars per hour. And 10 states already have plans in place to raise their minimum wage to $15 dollars per hour.

In other Pennsylvania wage news, Governor Wolf announced that the minimum wage for commonwealth employees increased to $15 per hour on January 31st.

via Governor Tom Wolf

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