The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed a bill to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour three times. The state Senate has failed to act. Over half a million workers in Pennsylvania earn less than $15/hour, while purchasing power has been reduced by 36% since 2009.

A person making minimum wage of $3290/week, $15,080/year cannot make enough in an hour to buy two gallons of gas to get to work.

Once minimum wage is raised to $15/hour, I feel this will help workers transition from public assistance and generate new revenue. The money will boost the Pennsylvania economy because people will have more money to spend.

Meanwhile, our state representatives get a cost-of-living adjustment every year. Their base salary in 2025 was $110,016. Plus, they have a daily meal and lodging allowance of $181 to $202 when traveling more than 50 miles from home for legislative purposes. They, along with their families, also enjoy comprehensive health benefits that cover medical, prescription, dental and vision.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said, “You shouldn’t have to work two or three jobs just to put food on the table and a roof over your head.”

I think that the minimum wage should at least be raised by a few dollars each year, to get to $15/hour, so workers can be paid fairly for their labor.

Sue Mraz,

Slippery Rock