By Chris English
Bucks County Courier Times, April 4, 2016
Hiking Pennsylvania's minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.15 an hour makes sense on a lot of levels, Gov. Tom Wolf told a small gathering at Exact Solar's warehouse in Newtown Township on Monday afternoon. "It would make for more motivated employees and less turnover," said Wolf, who recently issued an executive order hiking the minimum wage for state workers to $10.15 an hour.
"When I owned a business, we didn't have anyone that was anywhere near (as low as) the minimum wage," the Democratic governor continued. "Higher wages means more money in employees' pockets and that means they will buy things and contribute to the economy. Paying someone $7.25 an hour basically puts them at the poverty level, and that puts a drain on taxpayer-funded services like welfare and food stamps. ... He said that if legislation raising the minimum wage got out of committees and up for a vote, it would be approved overwhelmingly by both the House and Senate.
The governor stopped by Exact Solar's warehouse after becoming aware of the business because founder and President Mark Bortman is a member of a group called Business for a Fair Minimum Wage. Exact Solar has seven employees spread between the warehouse and the company's offices in Lower Makefield, Bortman said. The firm installs solar energy systems for homes and businesses, he said.
"As a small business owner, I understand costs and this knee-jerk reaction that raising the minimum wage would hurt businesses is not true," Bortman said. "Well-paid employees are good employees. Raising the minimum wage would be good for business and good for the community." ...
The governor spent the first 15 or 20 minutes of Monday's visit touring the warehouse with Bortman, his wife, Dara, who is also company vice president for marketing and sales, other Exact Solar employees, local media and solar energy consultant Ron Celentano. Also there was the Bortmans' son Ari, a Pennsbury High School senior and member of the Calkins Media reality team.
Copyright 2016 Bucks County Courier Times