Title
Urging the Pennsylvania State Legislature to pass Governor Wolf's proposal to raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour, with a pathway to $15 an hour, for all workers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Body
WHEREAS, Both the federal and state minimum wages have remained stagnant at $7.25 an hour since July 2019. An adult working at a wage of $7.25 an hour, 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year yields an annual income of only $15,080, a figure that is not high enough to keep even a family of two above the federal poverty line, let alone a family of three or more. It is clear: workers are not being paid fairly; and
WHEREAS, The consequences of this shamefully low minimum wage are dire for all citizens, those who are directly affected by it and those who are not alike: individuals, even those employed in full-time jobs, struggle to make ends meet and rely on public assistance programs to get by; and
WHEREAS, Stephanie Williams provides an emblematic case of the effects of a sub-optimal minimum wage. A home care worker, Williams helps "seniors stay in their homes instead of going into a nursing home. It's important work, but I only make $10.50 an hour and have to rely on friends to be able to pay my bills. Raising the minimum wage would mean I wouldn't struggle just to survive anymore"; and
WHEREAS, On January 30, 2019, Governor Tom Wolf announced a plan to raise the minimum wage for all workers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Under his proposal, the minimum wage would increase to $12 an hour in July 2019, with gradual 50 cent increases until reaching $15 an hour in 2025; and
WHEREAS, According to Governor Wolf, a minimum wage hike would affect all Pennsylvanians, not just those who would see an increase in their wages: "Raising the minimum wage lets people afford the basics, like food, rent and transportation. One fair wage saves tax dollars, grows the middle class and creates new customers for businesses, which benefits all of us"; and
WHEREAS,...
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