Gov. Tom Wolf Monday signed an Executive Order to ensure employees under the governor's jurisdiction will be paid no less than $10.15 an hour.
The executive order also covers employees of organizations that negotiate state contracts or that lease property to the Commonwealth. The Order affects approximately 450 state employees of 80,293 employees and will costs about $1.6 million.
Those employees that perform direct services to the Commonwealth or spend at least 20 percent of their working time on ancillary services related to the contract or lease will be paid a minimum of $10.15 an hour.
This provision will take effect when contracts or leases are solicited or bilaterally modified on or after July 1, 2016.
If the General Assembly acts to expand the raise to the entire state, revenue would be boosted by roughly $60 million annually, Wolf said, providing additional resources to fund critical programs across the Commonwealth.
"Since the beginning of my administration, I have made creating good paying jobs, increasing efficiency, and achieving cost savings in state government top priorities," said Gov. Wolf. "An increase in the minimum wage will achieve efficiency and cost savings for state government, reduce state expenditures on income support programs, and give valued employees a well-deserved raise.
"I am calling on the Pennsylvania House and Senate to pass legislation that increases the minimum wage in Pennsylvania," said Gov. Wolf. "A minimum wage increase to $10.15 per hour supports local businesses, creates new jobs, and would boost state revenue by roughly $60 million annually."
Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-Centre) said this about Wolf’s Executive Order: “With this action, Gov. Wolf again demonstrates that he has absolutely no ability or desire to work with the legislature on policy initiatives. The Governor promised different, but his definition of different is turning Pennsylvania into Washington, D.C., by mimicking the Obama philosophy. “Outside of his two budget addresses, raising the minimum wage is not something the Governor has emphasized as important during our ongoing conversations. The sudden attention to the issue indicates that Governor must have noticed that, during the last year, his accomplishments are limited at best. “Gov. Rendell was able to work with a Republican-controlled legislature to accomplish his goal of increasing the minimum wage. Choosing to take symbolic executive action on this issue instead of working with the legislature underscores his failures to collaborate.”
A copy of the Executive Order is available online.
Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-Centre) said this about Wolf’s Executive Order: “With this action, Gov. Wolf again demonstrates that he has absolutely no ability or desire to work with the legislature on policy initiatives. The Governor promised different, but his definition of different is turning Pennsylvania into Washington, D.C., by mimicking the Obama philosophy. “Outside of his two budget addresses, raising the minimum wage is not something the Governor has emphasized as important during our ongoing conversations. The sudden attention to the issue indicates that Governor must have noticed that, during the last year, his accomplishments are limited at best. “Gov. Rendell was able to work with a Republican-controlled legislature to accomplish his goal of increasing the minimum wage. Choosing to take symbolic executive action on this issue instead of working with the legislature underscores his failures to collaborate.”
