Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Wolf pitches wage proposal
Eatery is backdrop for latest plan to increase minimum
WILLOW GROVE » Gov. Tom Wolf visited Montgomery County on Feb. 24 to discuss a topic he’s talked about time and time again: the state’s minimum wage.
The minimum wage in Pennsylvania is set at $7.25 per hour, and according to Wolf, it “hasn’t been raised in 15 years.”
“In fact, this is an insult to Pennsylvania workers,” Wolf said during a press conference Thursday Feb. 24 at &Pizza, located at 2500 W. Moreland Road, in Willow Grove Park.
States surrounding the Keystone State have higher minimum wages, as Wolf pointed out, referencing Delaware at $10.50 per hour, Maryland at $12.20 per hour, New Jersey at $13 per hour, New York at $13.20 per hour, Ohio at $9.30 per hour, and West Virginia at $8.75 per hour, according to the governor’s office.
Along with Wolf, several Democratic Pennsylvania lawmakers were present Thursday afternoon at the Willow Grove-based eatery in voicing support to raise the minimum wage.
“Pennsylvania’s minimum wage at $7.25 an hour is shameful and unlivable, period,” said State Sen. Maria Collett, D-12th Dist. She said “25 percent of households do not make enough money to meet the basic cost of living.”
Wolf said he’s worked to raise the state’s minimum wage “every single year” throughout his time in office. He’s again calling for state legislators to act.
“One of these days I’m going to actually get it across the finish line,” he said.
Wolf’s latest proposal would increase the minimum to $12 per hour. If approved, that would take effect on July 1 “with annual increases of $0.50 until reaching $15 per hour on July 1, 2028,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.
In Montgomery County, a $15 per hour wage for its 2,800 full-and-part-time employees took effect last January. Wolf announced a
wage increase for state employees on Tuesday, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The $15 per hour rate is slated to take effect on Monday. That same figure also applies to federal workers, according to a statement from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
On Thursday, the Montgomery County-based eatery &Pizza served as a backdrop for Wolf’s latest pitch on wages. A spokesperson for the governor’s office told MediaNews
Group the company “starts its employees at $15 per hour,” and endorses a higher minimum wage. The pizza chain has 60 locations in the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, according to Kelly Maguire, general manager of &Pizza’s Willow Grove location.
“People can make a living at &Pizza,” Maguire said. “But the reality is too many working Pennsylvanians can’t make ends meet. It is impossible to get by on 7.25
an hour. We need a state minimum wage that says to every worker, wherever they work, we value you.”
She said she started with the company as an hourly worker back in 2018 and has been “promoted several times” since.
“As someone who hires and trains employees, I’ve also seen what a difference &Pizza’s wages, benefits and internal promotions mean for other employees,” Maguire said. “With good pay, and support, people can breath easier about
having rent paid. They can put food on the table for themselves and their children. They aren’t worried about bills stacking up.”
“When you’re breathing easier, you’re healthier, and happier because you’re happier, you go to work happier,” she continued. “That creates a much better environment for everyone working, and for your guests. Happy employees make all the difference in ensuring our guests have an excellent experience and keep coming back.”