Some in Butler County call minimum wage hike proposal hopeful, others consider it a ‘slippery slope’
Raising the state minimum wage could be the right decision, if “done wisely,” the president of the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber said in a recent interview about a proposal to raise the state minimum wage incrementally to $15 by 2029.
Denise Martin and other business owners and leaders in the community shared opinions about legislation — Pennsylvania House Bill 2189 — after the bill earlier this year passed the House and proceeded to the senate.
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage, which sits at $7.25, was last raised in 2009.
“I do feel that it should be raised,” Martin said. “But we do have to take into consideration the small businesses that will need to adjust payroll according to the new increases.”
Gradual increases would be key to successfully increasing the wage, she said.
The bill aims to increase the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour by 2029. The minimum wage would go up to $11 in 2027, $13 in 2028 and $15 in 2029.
Jordan Grady, president of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, said he disagrees with the bill from a business and economic perspective.
“Mandating a $15 per hour minimum wage across the commonwealth would have significant negative consequences, particularly for small businesses, many of which simply cannot absorb that level of increase,” Grady said. “Policies like this risk fueling inflation, and ultimately, consumers will bear much of that burden.”
He said such legislation could cause businesses to scale back operations, reduce products or services, delay growth, or, in some cases, close their doors altogether.
“Do I believe $7.25 per hour is a livable wage? No. But do I believe increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next 2.5 years is the right solution? Also no,” Grady said.
Despite the incremental increases, people in the business community, like Saxonburg grocery store owner Doug Sprankle, expressed skepticism.
“It’s a very slippery slope. I’m against it from a business standpoint,” he said.
Sprankle, owner of Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market grocery store in Saxonburg, said he believes that it is not the job of the government to interfere in business.
“I think anytime the government gets involved in markets by setting prices or setting wages, it creates a lot of instability in the market, and it leads to smaller businesses in our most rural areas to either raise prices, or they’re no longer able to operate,” Sprankle said.
Martin said she sees the need to look at the issue.
“I do applaud (the House) for looking at this, to help families that need to take care of their children and pay bills,” Martin said. “The cost of living just keeps increasing.”
Heidi Priest, who formed the “Butler for Progress & Democracy” Facebook group, said a minimum-wage increase is long overdue.
She said she worked for $6.25 an hour in 2004 shortly after graduating from college. The minimum wage in Pennsylvania is only $1 higher today.
“It’s really hard to get a job in Butler that pays more than $16 or $17 an hour, and I think that it directly correlates with the fact that we have not had a minimum-wage increase in such a long time,” Priest said. “You can’t live on $16 an hour. You can’t support a family on that.”
She said she knows many people working multiple jobs to stay afloat.
The bill passed the House in March and awaits a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.
“I can’t see it getting through the Senate, especially with that dramatic of an increase,” Sprankle said.
