by Christin Brown | September 29, 2014 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 29, 2014 – Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione, advocates and members of Raise the Wage PA today marched to Gov. Tom Corbett’s office here to finally urge his endorsement of legislation that would increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.
Raise the Wage PA’s “statewide action day” featured similar rallies in nine other cities.
Sen. Tartaglione’s Senate Bill 1300 would incrementally increase the commonwealth’s minimum from $7.25 to $10.10. Her companion proposal, Senate Bill 1099, would increase the tipped minimum wage to 70 percent of the regular base hourly rate.
“We continue our fight because Pennsylvania is falling behind dozens of other states that have already agreed that raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do,” Tartaglione said today. “Our front-line workers have not been able to sustain themselves on $7.25 an hour for years.
“Mandating that they receive a fairer $10.10 an hour would be good for them and it would be good for their employers and their communities. Most studies show that a more livable minimum wage will help more than it will hurt,” she said.
Gov. Corbett and leading Republican lawmakers have so far refused to consider her proposals and those presented by other House and Senate members.
Meanwhile, 10 states and Washington D.C. raised their minimum wage rates this year to bring the total count of states with higher base hourly wages to 23 plus D.C.
As Tartaglione and Raise the Wage PA were marching today from Fergie’s Pub to the governor’s office, rallies in support of a higher minimum wage were happening – or had happened – in Allentown, Altoona, Erie, Harrisburg, Media, Morrisville, Pittsburgh, Reading and York.
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by Christin Brown | June 3, 2014 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, June 3, 2014 – State Sen. Christine Tartaglione rallied inside the Capitol today with Raise the Wage PA to again urge legislative action on proposals to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage and deal with the paltry hourly rate established for workers who receive tips.
“Someone in the House or the Senate has proposed a bill to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage 13 times during this session,” Tartaglione said. “And, 13 times, Republican leaders and Gov. Tom Corbett have decided those bills will not be considered even in committee.
“As state after state acts to protect their hardworking, frontline employees, the people who could help Pennsylvania’s hourly employees thumb their nose at them instead,” she said.
“Republicans are blocking proposals to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage because they listen to fear mongering instead of learning what this country’s best economists overwhelmingly conclude about minimum wage increases. That clear message is minimum wage increases help way more than they hurt,” Tartaglione said to applause.
“Our own Department of Labor and Industry found that the last time Pennsylvania increased its minimum wage in 2007, the overall number of jobs ‘hit an all-time high’ and the increase ‘did not materially impact the overall health of Pennsylvania’s economy’,” the senator said.
Sen. Tartaglione has proposed four of the 13 bills to increase the minimum wage. Her current proposals, Senate Bill 1300 and Senate Bill 1099, would incrementally increase the commonwealth’s base hourly rate from $7.25 to $10.10 by 2016 and set the tipped minimum to 70 percent of the regular minimum wage, respectively.
Once enacted, SB 1300 would direct future increases be tied to inflation.
Today was Raise the Wage PA’s lobby day in Harrisburg. The rally was part of the advocacy group’s activities to convince state lawmakers that increasing the minimum wage needs to happen now.
Studies have shown that increasing Pennsylvania’s minimum wage would help more than one million residents.
“The ongoing Republican opposition to increasing the minimum wage and lifting hardworking men and women out of poverty makes no sense,” Tartaglione said. “It is incalcitrance, only, that is keeping this from happening in Pennsylvania. Gov. Corbett is the head incalcitrant here. Hopefully, he and leading members of the GOP will finally listen to us today and increase the minimum wage.”
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by Christin Brown | April 22, 2014 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, April 23, 2014 – A national public policy organization’s study of how the salaries of fast food industry executives continue to blow away the measly pay of their frontline workers has state Sen. Christine Tartaglione demanding once again that Pennsylvania Republicans act now to increase the commonwealth’s minimum wage.
Demos said today that the CEO-to-worker pay ratio in the fast food industry was a whopping 543-to-1 in 2012. Between 2000 and 2012 the overall average ratio was 332-to-1.
“As of today, according to Demos’ study, fast food executives make an average of $3,937 an hour while their cashiers, cooks and maintenance crews who work in Pennsylvania pocket a paltry $7.25 an hour,” Tartaglione said.
“This study is important because it goes to the heart of opponents’ arguments that a meager, incremental increase in the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would somehow be unaffordable. Clearly, it would be very affordable in the fast food industry,” the senator said.
As Tartaglione underscored in Demos’ study, “Fast Food Failure,” income inequality like this could jeopardize Pennsylvania’s economy and the companies operating in the fast food industry.
“The most unequal sectors are among those providing the greatest numbers of new jobs in the economy, replacing jobs in sectors with lower income inequality,” Demos’ executive summary states. “Income inequality is increasing legal, regulatory, and operating risks for fast food firms. Millions of dollars in legal fees, increasing customer wait times, and labor unrest are evidence of the systemic problems of income inequality in fast food.”
Pennsylvania is one of the last Northeast states to adopt an increase in its minimum wage, but Sen. Tartaglione has proposed legislation to change that.
Her Senate Bill 1300 would incrementally increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by 2016. Her proposal to increase PA’s tipped minimum wage to 70 percent of the regular minimum wage, Senate Bill 1099, is also waiting for consideration.
Since proposing SB 1300 March 18, a new coalition, “Raise the Wage PA,” has formed; Connecticut increased its minimum to $10.10; AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka began to actively push for the nationwide adoption of the $10.10 hourly rate, and Maryland recently approved an increase in its minimum.
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by Christin Brown | April 8, 2014 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, April 8, 2014 – With another state voting overwhelmingly to increase its minimum wage, state Sen. Christine Tartaglione said today that Republicans and Gov. Tom Corbett are in danger of telling tens of thousands of hardworking Pennsylvanians they aren’t worth the same consideration.
Sen. Tartaglione said she is also pleased to see that the U.S. Senate approved a bill to restore extended benefits to the country’s long-time unemployed.
“Maryland has now joined New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Delaware as our neighbors who show they care about the people who must work minimum wage jobs. Pennsylvania’s continued inaction on this front becomes more pathetic by the vote,” Tartaglione said.
“Make no mistake about why this is not happening in the commonwealth. The only reason why Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is not moving up with every other state’s is Republican leadership and Gov. Tom Corbett,” she said.
Tartaglione introduced a new bill, Senate Bill 1300, last month to incrementally increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by 2016. Maryland voted yesterday to make its base hourly rate the same $10.10 by 2018. Her proposal to increase PA’s tipped minimum wage to 70 percent of the regular minimum wage, Senate Bill 1099, is also waiting for consideration.
“What is more outrageous,” Tartaglione said,” is there are other proposals before the General Assembly that Republican leaders and Gov. Corbett could consider. But they have proven by their silence that this is more about them and less about the people they represent.”
Since proposing SB 1300 March 18, a new coalition, “Raise the Wage PA,” has formed; Connecticut increased its minimum to $10.10; AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka began to actively push for the nationwide adoption of the $10.10 hourly rate, and now Maryland has approved an increase in its minimum.
In addition to the higher base hourly wage, Tartaglione’s SB 1300 would increase the fines and penalties for companies that violate the new law, provide for increased enforcement of the state’s minimum wage act, and it would allow municipalities that have a higher cost-of-living to consider a higher minimum wage.
Tartaglione also noted the U.S. Senate’s vote to extend federal jobless benefits through May 31.
“This bill faces an uncertain future in the U.S. House, but the Senate’s vote is a huge step forward for about 2 million workers who have been devastated by the recession and need this assistance to help them get back on their feet,” Sen. Tartaglione said.
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by Christin Brown | March 18, 2014 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, March 18, 2014 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione said today she will replace her proposal to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $ 9 an hour with a new bill that would increase it to $10.10 by 2016.
Minimum wage increases under Senate Bill 1300 would be tied to inflation once the base hourly rate hits $10.10.
“A rising tide lifts all boats,” Sen. Tartaglione said during a rally to increase the minimum wage with “Raise the Wage PA.” “Pennsylvania’s hardworking women and men must have a fairer shake when it comes to paydays. They are drowning today with the paltry $7.25 they make each hour.
“To the critics who say an increase in the minimum wage will hurt the economy: you are wrong. Studies and history show that increases in the minimum have very little to no negative impact on the economy,” she said.
Citing a University of California-Berkeley study released last week, Sen. Tartaglione said the evidence in that review shows increases in the base hourly rate might mean small rises in the prices of products but it also sparks higher worker productivity and a more positive impact on businesses.
While other state lawmakers have proposed bills to provide a higher minimum, Tartaglione said she believes an incremental increase to $10.10 an hour is the more reasonable compromise. However, the senator’s new proposal would allow municipalities that have a higher cost-of-living to consider a higher minimum wage.
“We must act now to make sure people who are working 60-to-80-hour weeks and crazy hours are still not stuck in poverty once they are paid,” Tartaglione said. “And, once this becomes law, we must make sure minimum wage workers are covered if inflation affects their buying power.”
“Increasing the minimum wage benefits everyone,” she said.
In addition to the higher minimum wage, Tartaglione said SB 1300 would increase the fines and penalties for companies that violate the new law, once adopted. It would also provide for increased enforcement of the state’s minimum wage act.
The Philadelphia Democrat had proposed a legislative package to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum from $7.25 to $9/hour (SB 858) and the tipped minimum from $2.83/hour to 70 percent of the regular minimum. While her latest proposal would increase the minimum wage even further, she said she continues to support raising the tipped wage to 70 percent of the minimum.
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by Christin Brown | January 29, 2014 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 29, 2014 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today applauded President Barack Obama for his decision to use his executive powers to increase the minimum wage to $10.10/hour for new federal contract workers.
She urged Pennsylvania’s legislature and Gov. Tom Corbett to similarly act to raise the state’s base hourly rate, as well as the tipped hourly minimum.
“We need decisive leadership on the minimum wage. It is why I have been working non-stop to raise the base hourly rate in Pennsylvania to a level that lifts our hard-working men and women out of poverty and into a more self-sustaining quality of life,” Tartaglione said.
“The president’s decision to lift the minimum for new federal contract workers is great news and his actions must be replicated now. Other states, including our neighboring Ohio, New York and New Jersey, have already increased their minimum wage rates for 2014.
“Better yet, New Jersey and Ohio have tied future increases to the rise or fall of the Consumer Price Index, which removes the political opposition to this most basic of social safety net provisions,” she said.
Tartaglione’s Senate Bill 858 would raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage from $7.25/hour to $9/hour by 2015.
“Unfortunately, my bill has been before lawmakers for too long and I think it should be amended to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum to at least $10 an hour,” the senator said today. “I also believe future minimum wage increases should be tied to the Consumer Price Index.”
Tartaglione has also crafted legislation, Senate Bill 1099, to increase the minimum hourly rate for tipped employees to 70 percent of the regular minimum wage. The tipped minimum has been stuck at $2.83/hour since 1999.
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by Christin Brown | December 17, 2013 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 17, 2013 – With thousands of Pennsylvanians buying the most popular Christmas gifts and planning family get-togethers by plane, train and automobile, state Sens. Christine M. Tartaglione and Vincent Hughes today said too many people will not be able to afford an average holiday because they earn a poverty-level minimum wage.
The Democratic lawmakers said the time is now to begin to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $9/hour.
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“A hardworking minimum wage earner has to work 64 hours to cover the costs of traveling to be with loved ones for the holiday,” Sen. Tartaglione, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Labor & Industry Committee, said. “And that is only if they don’t have to buy food, pay the rent, or cover utilities. But nearly all of them do.”
“It costs about $50 to provide an average Christmas dinner, according to the American Farm Bureau,” Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee Chairman Hughes said. “A minimum wage worker has to work an entire day to be able to pay for that but chances are good they will not even consider doing so due to the demands on their cash.”
Tartaglione has sponsored Senate Bill 858 to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage from $7.25/hour to $9/hour by 2015. She has also crafted legislation to increase the minimum hourly rate for tipped employees to 70 percent of the regular minimum wage. The tipped minimum has been $2.83/hour since 1999.
“As a wheelchair attendant working for a subcontractor at the airport I get paid $5.25 per hour plus tips, which usually averages out to little more than the minimum wage,” said John Stewart, a wheelchair attendant at Philadelphia International Airport who participated in today’s press conference. “While my wages stay the same, the cost of food, transportation, rent, clothing and medicine keeps going up making it more difficult to get by.”
Stewart said he is making less annually than he was 30 years ago. He emphasized he is seeking a minimum wage increase that keeps pace with the cost of living.
“If ever there is a time to truly be compassionate about the plight of women and men who are working their fingers to the bone and are earning little in return, it is now,” Tartaglione said. “And John Stewart is a good example of why.”
“For Pennsylvania’s minimum wage workers, the holidays are the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future – rolled into one repeating nightmare – every year,” Hughes said. “They don’t get to wake-up from their nightmare, as Ebenezer Scrooge does, to enjoy the holidays and truly revel in the joy of giving. They can’t afford it.”
The senators urged lawmakers to quickly consider and adopt SB 858 and SB 1099 to provide a more solid step for minimum wage earners.
President Obama called for Congress to adopt a minimum age increase this month, the lawmakers said. Also, 10 other states, including Ohio, have upped their base hourly wage and also tied future increases to inflation.
“Unfortunately, Pennsylvania is mired with a belief, spawned and massaged by Gov. Tom Corbett and some leading Republicans, that corporations will not be able to afford adding another $1.75/hour to the state’s minimum wage rate,” Tartaglione said. “Why? Those same corporations can afford skyrocketing bonuses.”
“Businesses cannot afford to not increase the minimum wage,” Hughes said. “Employees are more productive if they don’t have to worry about life issues. Having to work multiple minimum wage jobs – because they are the only jobs many adults can find – is a problem for everyone and is a major worry.
“Even Scrooge would pay more than Pennsylvania’s $7.25/hour minimum,” Hughes said.
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