By Alex Rose
Delaware County Daily Times, July 6, 2017
Media, PA - Members of the Service Employees International Union Local 668 joined elected officials and representatives of small business on the steps of the county courthouse Thursday to rally for an increase in the state’s minimum wage. ... Pennsylvania matches the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour for non-tipped employees. Gov. Tom Wolf vowed in February to increase the minimum wage to $12 an hour. State Rep. Patty Kim, D-103, of Dauphin County, has introduced a bill that would ... bring the minimum wage up to $15 by 2024 ...
Jennifer Weigel, general manager of MOM’s Organic Market, said Thursday that the tradeoff in reduced turnover, customer satisfaction and wasted job training dollars more than makes up the difference of paying higher wages.
MOM’s has increased its starting wage in recent years from $8 to $12 per hour, which Weigel said was a “strategic investment” that is showing dividends. The company is more profitable than ever, according to Weigel, with more than 1,000 employees and more than $200 million in annual sales.
“Long-term employees are more productive and also offer more expertise and better customer service, which increases revenue,” she said. “Raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is a business strategy. We can’t hire anyone unless people buy our products. When people earn more money, they spend more at local businesses like ours.”
State Rep. Joanna E. McClinton, D-191, of Philadelphia, a co-sponsor of HB 1520, said Pennsylvania’s low minimum wage has prevented her constituents from providing for their families. ...
Copyright 2017 The Delaware County Daily Times