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Ten years without a raise

The minimum wage rose in 21 states this week, but not in Pa.

  • Ed Mahon
The darker the shade of blue, the higher the minimum wage is in a particular state. Washington's is highest, at $13.50 per hour, followed by the $12.75 per hour rate in Massachusetts. Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s cartographic boundary shapefiles, 2016 edition, United States, U.S. Department of Labor minimum wage data / As of January 1, 2020 (Created by Ed Mahon / PA Post).

The darker the shade of blue, the higher the minimum wage is in a particular state. Washington's is highest, at $13.50 per hour, followed by the $12.75 per hour rate in Massachusetts. Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s cartographic boundary shapefiles, 2016 edition, United States, U.S. Department of Labor minimum wage data / As of January 1, 2020 (Created by Ed Mahon / PA Post).

Some sobering stats about the state of our commonwealth: The percentage of people under the age of 18 shrunk in Pennsylvania over the past decade, according to Census Dept. estimates parsed by Axios and the Brookings Institution. And hardly surprising: Fewer young people means declining population growth. But at least Pa. isn’t projected to have fewer people, which is the situation in Illinois, West Virginia, Vermont and Connecticut. One impact of slower growth: Experts already predict that Pa. will lose one member of the U.S. House of Representatives starting with the 2022 election. — Ed Mahon, PA Post reporter.
Minimum Wage 50 States

The darker the shade of blue, the higher the minimum wage is in a particular state. Washington’s is highest, at $13.50 per hour, followed by the $12.75 per hour rate in Massachusetts. Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s cartographic boundary shapefiles, 2016 edition, United States, U.S. Department of Labor minimum wage data / As of January 1, 2020 (Created by Ed Mahon / PA Post).

  • New Jersey’s minimum wage increased from $10 an hour to $11 an hour with the start of the new year. The increase is one of several planned as part of a law that Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed in February. The minimum wage in the Garden State is scheduled to reach $15 an hour, with some exceptions, in 2024.

  • Meanwhile, New York saw its minimum wage rise this week from $11.10 per hour to $11.80 per hour — also part of a gradual increase to $15 an hour.

  • Across the country, 21 states saw a minimum wage increase on (or close to) Jan. 1, according to the National Employment Law Project (which supports a higher minimum wage). In some states, annual increases are automatic since they are linked to inflation.

  • But in Pennsylvania, workers didn’t see a minimum wage increase this year. Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has been set at $7.25 an hour since July 2009, when it rose to match a federal rate increase. In November, the state Senate voted 42-7 to approve gradually raising the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour by 2022. But the bill’s fate is uncertain in the state House. For more on the debate and the potential impact, check out this story from WITF’s Katie Meyer.

  • And here’s an interactive version of a map showing how Pennsylvania compares to the rest of the country.

  • Despite no minimum wage increase here, some workers can expect to see pay increases thanks to new federal overtime rules. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry estimates 61,000 workers in Pennsylvania are newly eligible for overtime pay of time and half. TribLive has details on who is covered by the new rule.

  • Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports that many of the country’s lowest-paid workers are starting to see bigger paychecks. The story explores whether a tight labor market, President Donald Trump’s tax policies or minimum wage hikes deserve the credit.

Best of the rest

The 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show butter sculpture, carved from a half-ton of butter, depicts three of Pennsylvania’s beloved professional sports mascots: Philadelphia Flyers’ Gritty, Philadelphia Eagles’ Swoop, and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Steely McBeam celebrating with a spread of Pennsylvania dairy products.

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

The 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show butter sculpture, carved from a half-ton of butter, depicts three of Pennsylvania’s beloved professional sports mascots: Philadelphia Flyers’ Gritty, Philadelphia Eagles’ Swoop, and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Steely McBeam celebrating with a spread of Pennsylvania dairy products.  (Courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services)

  • As state leaders unveiled the half-ton butter sculpture, WITF’s Katie Meyer provided live coverage. “Oh my god it’s gritty,” she wrote on Twitter, later adding, “Must spread as widely as possible…BUTTER SCULPTURE IS GRITTY (and friends).”

  • Yes, this year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show butter sculpture features the Philadelphia Flyers mascot / social media phenomenon, along with the somewhat less viral mascots for the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. Gritty joins a distinguished group. Others who have been honored by the butter sculpture include Ben Franklin, former president Dwight D. Eisenhower and members of the Pennsylvania National Guard.

  • The sculpture is fun and all. But are there any policy implications behind Gritty’s appearance? Sure! The dairy industry has struggled for years in Pennsylvania, and Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding says he’s hoping Gritty’s fame could bring more attention to the importance of dairy.

  • The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board says it is time to shut down the Berks County Residential Center, one of three U.S. facilities that houses detained families who are seeking asylum or entered the country illegally.

  • Erie Coke struggled financially before it abruptly shut down last month, GoErie.com reports. The news organization obtained documents the company submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry in which the company’s president said an oversupply in the foundry coke market and overseas competition led Erie Coke to operate at less than half capacity. Coke, by the way, is a key ingredient for steel manufacturing.

  • Congratulations! PennLive’s Charlie Thompson says you — yes, YOU — are one of the 21 Pennsylvanians worth watching in the new year. (That’s assuming you will be at least 18 years old and registered to vote in Pennsylvania in time for the presidential election). Feel free to put this achievement on your resume, right after the line about being Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 2006.

  • Charlie’s list is worth checking out. It includes some obvious political heavy hitters, such as Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. The Berks County-bred singer Taylor Swift also makes the list.


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Interactive map: How Pa.'s minimum wage compares to other states