Cohen calls minimum-wage increase passage

'a great victory for working families'

HARRISBURG, July 1 – State Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Phila., said today’s passage of a minimum-wage increase in Pennsylvania was the result of a tireless effort on the part of the state House and Senate Democratic caucuses, labor groups, and religious and community organizations from across the state. Gov. Ed Rendell supported the increase and is expected to sign the bill.

Republicans insisted that the increase be delayed until January 2007. Both Cohen and Rendell hoped the wage would take effect sooner. Cohen said, “I do not understand why we must make minimum-wage workers wail until next January for any increase; they have already waited for nine years.”

Cohen, who led the charge in the House to raise the wage, had hoped the raise would take effect sooner and provide for automatic adjustments for inflation.

“This is a great victory for Pennsylvanians, but it is also just a first step. A minimum-wage job should provide dignity and not poverty for working families,” he said.

Under the approved legislation, the minimum wage would increase to $6.25 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2007, up from $5.15 currently; and would increase again to $7.15 an hour beginning July 1, 2007.

The bill also includes a lower training wage for young people equal to 85 percent of the new minimums, and also would allow employers with 10 employees or less to have more time to reach the wage target. Under the amendment, the wage for those small employers would increase to $5.65 an hour on Jan. 1, 2007; $6.65 on July. 1, 2007; and $7.15 on July 1, 2008.

Cohen has been battling for years to raise the minimum wage and this victory is the result of the ongoing efforts by Cohen and his Democratic colleagues. Realizing that this is just the first step in restoring the minimum wage to its former buying power for working families, Cohen has already introduced legislation to raise the wage to $8 an hour in 2008 with automatic increases being tied to the federal poverty guideline for a small family of three.

“I will support this bill today and begin work on a new minimum-wage increase tomorrow,” Cohen said

Pennsylvania will now join 21 other states including New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, and the District of Columbia, which have a wage higher than the federal minimum, which was established in 1997.

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