While the nationwide federal minimum wage rate is $7.25 per hour, many state and municipal governments have introduced higher minimum wages that apply to workers within their jurisdictions. Thirty states have elected to have a higher minimum wage, with the lowest rate of $16 per hour. Since 2009, 20 states, including Pennsylvania, have kept their minimum wage at $7.25 per hour.
In 2021, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that incrementally raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 would benefit 17 million workers. It would also lift about 900,000 people out of poverty.
Pennsylvania’s HB 1500 passed the House in June 2023 (103-100). It created a new minimum wage schedule, setting rates as follows: $11 per hour on Jan. 1, 2024; $13 per hour in January 2025; and $15 per hour in January 2026. From Jan. 1, 2027, onwards, the minimum wage would adjust annually based on the CPI-U for the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland area.
Eric Davanzo voted “no” on this bill.
His opponent in District 58, Cherri Rogers, will fight for individuals living in poverty with a $7.25 per hour minimum wage. She will support those 17 million workers, lifting 900,000 out of poverty.
Vote for Cherri Rogers Nov. 5. She cares about Pennsylvania workers and will fight for them.
Kristine Melillo
Scottdale