Rep. Dean of PA says $15 minimum wage fight won't end with stimulus bill

State and federal lawmakers said Tuesday new legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour will come sooner rather than later.

U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, of Pensylvania's 4th Congressional District outside Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania state Rep. Patty Kim, D-103, announced plans to continue a push to raise low-income worker pay for the first time since 2009.

The federal hourly minimum wage rate is currently at $7.25, but could be increased through the $1.9 trillion American Recovery Plan Act if the Senate passes the bill in its current form.

Dean, of Montgomery County, and Kim, of Dauphin County, said the current rate, which pays $15,100 annually, is an "embarrassing" poverty wage.

"That is not a livable wage, that is poverty level. It is a disgrace that here in America, you can work that hard for your family and live in poverty," Dean told members of the Keystone Research Institute and PA Budget and Policy Center.

The two groups released a report Tuesday finding a $15 minimum wage increase by 2027 would directly impact 1.6 million workers in the commonwealth, roughly 27.5% of the state's estimated labor force.

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The Senate parliamentarian ruled last week that the minimum wage increase could not be considered when the House bill comes to its chamber. 

The ruling is key because the COVID relief package is being considered under "reconciliation" rules that bypass the filibuster and allow a simple majority to pass the bill.

Tuesday also saw a series of rallies across Pennsylvania supporting Keystone State U.S. House members who voted for the recovery act and pressuring senators to approve the bill as is.

Dean echoed comments from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that the aid package isn't the last chance for a wage increase this year.

"We'll keep doing everything in our power. If we can't get it through as part of the American Rescue plan, we'll get it through — I pray and hope — very soon as a stand alone bill or an amendment elsewhere," Dean said.

At the state level, Kim said she would soon introduce her own minimum wage bill in the General Assembly on March 15, expected as House Bill 345.

Kim said the new Keystone report underscores the importance of a wage increase for families struggling both before and during the coronavirus pandemic.

The report is based on the Economic Policy Institute Minimum Wage Simulation Model using data from the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and Congressional Budget Office.

Roughly 82% of minimum wage workers in Pennsylvania are over 20 years old, and roughly half of all minimum wage workers live in households making less than $50,000 a year.

At least 29 states in 2020 had a minimum wage rate higher than $7.25 an hour, including New Jersey, $11;  Delaware, $9.25; Ohio, $8.70; Maryland, $11; and New York, $11.80.

More than a quarter of all minimum wage workers live below the federal poverty threshold, a benchmark for which many public assistance programs set benefits.

"It is clear that the data supports a higher minimum wage and it is clear that we're on the right side of history,"  Kim said.

Kim added that her planned bill would mirror state Senate Bill 12, introduced this past December by Sen. Christine Tartaglione, D-2, of Philadelphia.

That bill would set a $12 hourly wage immediately, followed by staggered increases to $15 an hour over the next several years.

Kim added that her bill would also tie the wage to the cost of living or other economic benchmarks. 

"We have to raise the floor up so that we don't have to wait years and years and years for businesses to realize that their wages are not enough for working families."

More information about the research center and budget policy group, including a copy of the minimum wage report, can be found at www.krc-pbpc.org.

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