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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The minimum wage has not increased in Pennsylvania in about a decade, and a group gathered at City Hall on Thursday believes a hike is long overdue.</p><p>Speakers at the rally said raising the $7.25-per-hour minimum rate is a critical step to increase the earnings of workers in Pennsylvania. It would also provide additional income tax revenue while ensuring that working families have access to basic needs, they argued.</p><p>State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, said a person earning minimum wage makes $15,080 per year, some $4,700 below the poverty line.</p><p>&#8220;At that rate, they can still qualify for welfare,&#8221; Pashinski said. &#8220;Wages in Pennsylvania have been at the bottom for too many years. Everything keeps going up &#8212; it&#8217;s time for the minimum wage to go up as well.&#8221;</p><p>Joining Pashinski at the rally were Michael Clemente, regional director of Arias Agencies; Joe Padavan, of United Steelworkers and president of the Wilkes-Barre Labor Council; John Walton, president of the local AFGE (American Federation of Government Employees) chapter; Aaron Troisi of SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Healthcare PA; Greg Riedlinger of SEIU Local 668; Alisha Hoffman-Mirilovich of Action Together; and Rose Yanko, of SEIU Healthcare PA.</p><p>Gov. Tom Wolf has included a raise for Pennsylvania&#8217;s lowest-paid workers in his proposed budget, and more than 70 percent of Pennsylvanians support raising the wage, Troisi said, adding that neighboring states have all increased their minimum pay rates.</p><p>J.J. Abbott, Wolf&#8217;s press secretary, said the governor&#8217;s budget included raising the minimum wage to $12 per hour.</p><p>&#8220;Gov. Wolf believes workers are long-overdue for an increase in the minimum wage and is open to working with the Legislature to enact one, even if at a different rate than he proposed,&#8221; Abbott said.</p><p>State Rep. Patty Kim, D-Dauphin County, has proposed legislation &#8212; House Bill 1520 &#8212; that contains seven scheduled minimum wage increases, beginning with $12 per hour and followed with additional 50-cent incremental increases yearly to $15 per hour by 2023.</p><p>Troisi of SEIU said low-wage workers, elected officials, advocates, business leaders and the public continue to call on the Legislature to pass HB-1520. It would increase the minimum wage for non-tipped employees to $12 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2018, and to $9 per hour for tipped employees.</p><p>&#8220;No worker should have to work for poverty-level wages,&#8221; said Padavan of United Steelworkers. &#8220;Raising the minimum wage is a no-brainer and I strongly support HB-1520.&#8221;</p><p>Meanwhile, Clemente of Arias Agencies said his business also supports increasing Pennsylvania&#8217;s minimum wage to $15 hourly by the middle of the next decade.</p><p>&#8220;Paying a higher wage has been a critical component of our business success,&#8221; Clemente said. &#8220;We know our employees are the best investment in our agency&#8217;s long-term growth. Likewise, raising the state&#8217;s minimum wage is an investment in economic growth for our state. It will lift consumer-buying power and strengthen the economy for both workers and businesses.&#8221;</p><p>Troisi said increasing the minimum wage would create $95 million in new state tax receipts, which could be applied to the state&#8217;s existing deficit.</p><p>Rep. Pashinski said HB-1520 would help 1.4 million Pennsylvania workers.</p><p>&#8220;This is the right direction and path for Pennsylvanian to take as we find ourselves struggling to finance our spending and retire our structural deficit,&#8221; Pashinski said. &#8220;At a time when not only the state but local governments are asked to provide more services with less money, I support Gov. Wolf&#8217;s budget proposal to raise the minimum wage for all hourly workers.&#8221;</p><p>Hoffman-Mirilovich of Action Together said the perception is that most minimum-wage jobs are held by high school students. But in reality, many people over 40 and many senior citizens are in the lowest-paying positions.</p><p>&#8220;Luzerne County and Pennsylvania deserve a raise,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Northeastern Pennsylvania is one of the most economically depressed regions in Pennsylvania. We are hard-working people who need a chance.&#8221;</p><p>Action Together describes itself online as an advocate of &#8220;using liberal ideas to promote progressivism.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Aaron Troisi of SEIU, Service Employees International Union, leads a rally Thursday at Wilkes-Barre City Hall in support of raising the minimum wage in Pennsylvania. Current minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Minimum-Wage-rally.jpg</photo0><caption0>Aaron Troisi of SEIU, Service Employees International Union, leads a rally Thursday at Wilkes-Barre City Hall in support of raising the minimum wage in Pennsylvania. Current minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill O&#8217;Boyle | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Rally held in support of raising state’s minimum wage