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<p>We agree with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Tom Wolf that workers deserve an increase in the minimum wage.</p><p>We also feel that the more gradual approach proposed at the federal level by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders &#8212; and supported by Casey &#8212; is more appropriate than a sudden increase, as favored in Pennsylvania by Wolf.</p><p>The current federal minimum wage is $7.25, and has not increased since July 2009. Pennsylvania is one of 20 states that remain at $7.25.</p><p>Democrat Casey on Tuesday announced his co-sponsorship of Sanders&#8217; proposal to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024 and eliminate sub-minimum wages for young workers and workers with disabilities. It would do so in six annual steps.</p><p>Wolf in January unveiled a proposal that would bring the state&#8217;s minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2025, but it would start by raising the minimum to $12 this year &#8212; propelling Pennsylvania from among the lowest to among the highest &#8212; followed by a series of annual 50-cent increases.</p><p>We applaud the intentions of Casey, Sanders, Wolf and those who support these proposals: namely to increase incomes and living standards for millions of hardworking Americans at the lower end of the economic spectrum, ideally lessening their dependence on taxpayer-supported programs in the process.</p><p>What we fear here in Pennsylvania is a very real and potentially damaging impact on many companies, especially small businesses, if the state&#8217;s minimum wage were to suddenly jump to $12 this year.</p><p>That is a 65.5 percent increase in the minimum wage, coming after many years with no increases. We suspect many families would struggle with such a large increase in their personal expenses given barely six months&#8217; notice. Why would companies be any different?</p><p>It is shameful that state and federal lawmakers have waited this many years to take action, but it is not reasonable or responsible to attempt such a large increase all at once.</p><p>The reality, however, is that neither Wolf&#8217;s nor Sanders&#8217; proposals are likely to pass at this time, and they know it.</p><p>In Harrisburg, both legislative houses remain Republican-controlled. Democrat Wolf has called for an increase every year since taking office in 2015, to no avail.</p><p>Even though the Sanders bill in D.C. is backed by 30 Democrats &#8212; and there is a similar proposal in the Democrat-controlled House &#8212; it&#8217;s hard to imagine any such measure gaining approval from the Senate&#8217;s current Republican majority. A previous attempt by Sanders in 2017 stalled in Congress.</p><p>But 2020 creates new impetus. Medicare-for-all and free college might be radical socialist pipe dreams in the eyes of Republicans &#8212; and maybe for more than a few conservative Democrats &#8212; but a gradual bump in a long-stagnant minimum wage is a much more centrist goal that could potentially benefit millions of Americans from both parties.</p><p>Sanders knows this. So do the Senate Democrats who are also running or considering a run for the White House next year. So do state and federal Republicans haunted by the possibility that the GOP&#8217;s less than stellar 2018 midterms might be just the beginning of their problems.</p><p>As an AP story pointed out, Pennsylvania Republicans &#8220;are emerging from an election cycle in which they lost seats, primarily in Philadelphia&#8217;s moderate suburbs, and GOP leaders are being warned by members there that they will lose more seats in 2020 if they do not move to the middle on things like a minimum wage increase.&#8221;</p><p>The good news for workers is that all these trends point toward some upward movement in the next year or two. It&#8217;s long overdue. We just hope, again, that when it comes it is done gradually enough for businesses to adjust.</p><p><em> &#8212; Times Leader</em></p><style>
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Our View: Yes to gradual minimum wage hike