HARRISBURG, June 29, 2007 - While thousands of Pennsylvania workers will be getting a raise Sunday, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione is working to make sure they don’t fall into poverty again. Tartaglione, who fought a six-year battle to win a raise for Pennsylvania’s low-wage workers, said politics should be taken out of the equation and has introduced legislation to tie Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to consumer prices. “I was happy to see thousands of Pennsylvania families get some relief when the first phase of the new minimum wage went into effect in January,” Tartaglione said. “But those families started sinking back into poverty at the rate of a dollar a day because of inflation. We cannot depend on the political process to recognize this.” The buying power of the minimum wage reached a 40-year low before Pennsylvania’s new rate went into effect. Tartaglione's Senate Bill 682 would adjust the minimum wage every January taking into account the Consumer Price Index. “This bill is fair to workers and easier on business owners who can raise wages gradually and can better predict what’s ahead,” Tartaglione said. “The buying power of the minimum wage today should be the buying power of the minimum wage tomorrow.” In the meantime, an estimated 400,000 workers will be affected by Sunday’s increase. While that increase will bring the minimum wage to $7.15 an hour, certain small businesses are allowed to raise the minimum wage at a slower rate. The minimum wage for businesses with the equivalent of 10 or fewer full-time employees rises to $6.65 on July 1 and to $7.15 on July 1, 2008. The following is a schedule for federal and state minimum wage levels: July 1 - $7.15 - Pa. businesses with more than 10 full-time employees July 1 - $6.65 - Pa. businesses with 10 or fewer full-time employees July 24 - $5.85 - federal minimum wage and PA training wage July 1, 2008 - $7.15 - All Pennsylvania employees July 24, 2008 - $6.55 - federal minimum wage and PA training wage July 24, 2009 - $7.25 - federal minimum wage and PA training wage For more information and graphics on the various minimum wage rates and dates, visit www.pasenate.com/tartaglione
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