SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL: The new state tourism slogan to be introduced today probably will not be: “Pennsylvania — Lowest Minimum Wage in the Northeast!” But what that slogan lacks in pizzazz, it makes up for in sad accuracy.
Gov. Tom Wolf deserves great credit for his new executive order that will increase the minimum wage from the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour to $10.15 for state employees and workers for companies that have state contracts.
Pennsylvania is one of just 20 states to adhere to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. It is an island of minimum-wage stagnation among its six bordering neighbors. New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia and Ohio all have established higher minimum wages than Pennsylvania’s, eliminating the argument that raising the wage here would cause a jobs bleed to other states.
Mr. Wolf’s order emulated President Obama’s 2014 executive order increasing the minimum for federal employees and those working for federal contractors… (more)
NEWSLANC EDITOR: The low minimum wages are a national disgrace. The alternative is higher taxes on the top 1% and more supplemental income for the poor from the federal government. We prefer the dignity of the former.
