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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 11, 2014 03:41 PM |
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| From: | Representative Vanessa Lowery Brown |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | LEGISLATION: STOP GAP MEASURE FOR LOW-WAGE WORKERS |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to that will serve as a stop gap measure for Pennsylvania’s low-wage workers. Specifically, this measure would prescribe that employees who make less than $10.10 an hour receive automatic raises of at least $0.50 an hour on a semi-annual basis, until which time that the $10.10 hourly wage rate is attained. Additionally, automatic raises would be applicable to tipped employees, but would cease immediately upon the tipped employee attaining the wage rate of $5.00 an hour. As both Congress and our General Assembly wrestles with the question of exactly when and how much to raise the minimum wage, Pennsylvania’s low-wage workers are left hanging in the balance. In an effort to equitably weigh the concerns of the business community against those of low-wage workers, I am attempting to explore an approach that would potentially serve as a boon for all parties involved. As most of you may be aware, many employers (particularly in the service industry) experience high rates of turnover as their employees often seek higher paying jobs or become disenchanted with their employer. High employee turnover not only adversely affects employers from a workforce seniority and reliability standpoint, it is also accompanied by many underlying administrative costs. Therefore, the prime opportunity and critical need to tie reasonable automatic wage increases to employee seniority seems to be the most commonsense and practical solution at this time. Under this automatic wage increase model, the employer would benefit by decreasing their employee turnover while creating a more knowledgeable and reliable workforce. Conversely, the employee would also benefit by having a more tangible and definitive wage increase to look forward to, should they remain with any given applicable company for at least six (6) consecutive months. It should be noted that this is not a novel idea as many employers already provide nominal wage increases on a more subjectively periodic basis. However, what is distinct about this measure is that it provides for greater uniformity relative to both the time period and the amount of the wage increase. It is also important to note that this measure was drafted in consultation with professors of economics, local restaurateurs, convenience store operators, and other related stakeholders. In summary, until which time that either this General Assembly or Congress (as an increase in Pennsylvania’s minimum wage would mirror any increase newly set forth in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938) addresses the subject of minimum wage, my objective is to kill the proverbial two birds with one stone. That is, provide low-wage workers with a pathway to financial stability and applicable Pennsylvania employers with a more reliable and productive workforce. Higher wages and stable jobs not only benefit our workers and their families, but also promote a healthier economy for our both our commonwealth and nation. Therefore, I am appealing to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to please join me in securing a much needed victory for Pennsylvania’s low-wage workers and its employers alike. For more information concerning this legislation, you are asked to please contact Mr. Brandon J. Flood at (717)772-6955 or bflood@pahouse.net. |
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| View Attachment | ||
Introduced as HB2437