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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Mark Cohen |
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Cohen calls for minimum wage increase
HARRISBURG, Aug. 6 – The federal minimum wage increased to $7.25 per hour on July 14, passing Pennsylvania’s minimum wage of $7.15 an hour. State Rep. Mark B. Cohen, D-Phila., the state legislature’s most vocal advocate for the minimum wage, says that the new federal increase is welcome but is still not enough for working families.
Cohen points out the federal government’s own statistics tell the story. A full-time worker employed 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year at the minimum wage earns a meager $15,080 a year. For a small family of three, that amount is $3,230 below the 2009 federal poverty guideline. With no federal or state increases scheduled for next year, workers can expect to fall further behind.
"Unfortunately, this has been the long-term trend since 1980 – the last time the minimum wage earnings for a full-time worker exceeded the federal poverty level for a family of three," Cohen said.
"The minimum wage would have to be over $8.80 per hour for a minimum wage worker to raise a small family out of poverty."
Cohen plans to reintroduce legislation to once again raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage.
"One of my legislative goals has always been to have a minimum wage that enables a worker to keep a small family out of poverty and provide the most basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter."
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