Increase the minimum wage?

By Kia Hinton

and Shymara Jones

Today, about halfway through Mayor Kenney's first 99 days in office, it is clear that the city has moved in a positive direction - but plenty of work remains to be done.

Most critically, the mayor can make the next 50 days even better by adopting a $15 minimum wage for all city government employees, a bold move that would follow in the footsteps of big-city mayors like Bill de Blasio in New York and set the bar higher for other elected officials still on the fence.

Raising the wage floor would strengthen neighborhoods across the city. Boosting the purchasing power of working families in Philadelphia would fuel wage-led growth by giving people more money to spend at businesses in the city. With current wages so low, too many families cannot afford their basic needs, which puts more strain on public-assistance programs and holds back our city.

Currently, Pennsylvania's minimum wage sits at the woefully low rate of $7.25 an hour, which is lower than those of 29 other states, including all six of our neighbors. It's simply not a wage that can lift families out of poverty.

Other cities, such as Los Angeles and Seattle, have the ability to raise the wage for all workers. In Pennsylvania, however, the power to raise the wage citywide is left to the state - and the Republican-controlled legislature is unlikely to enact a higher minimum wage anytime soon.

As state and federal lawmakers drag their feet, it is up to Kenney to exercise his power to raise the wages of city workers and lay the groundwork to give families the means to pay the rent and put food on the table. Last month, New York City followed the lead of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto by lifting wages for city workers and support staff to at least $15 an hour, a critical step toward reducing income inequality.

And New York will be far from the last locality to take up this cause. In fact, over the past year, a cavalcade of cities from Chicago to Los Angeles have moved to raise wages above the low federal rate of $7.25 - and campaigns for higher minimum wages have been planned in more than a dozen states and cities around the country in the coming year.

The momentum reflects the extraordinary power of a growing worker-led movement that has swept the country with a call for better wages and working conditions.

Inspired by this movement, our 99 Days Coalition in Philadelphia has turned up the heat on Kenney to enact progressive policies that can reduce inequality and make Philadelphia a more prosperous city. A higher minimum wage is at the core of our platform.

The city desperately needs this change. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly half of all workers in Pennsylvania make less than $15 an hour. The state's minimum wage, meanwhile, does not allow workers to afford rent in any county across the state.

Our coalition - and millions of workers nationwide - will not wait on the sidelines until meaningful reforms are enacted. Officials who have not responded to the call will be put on notice until they do what's right for their constituents. In the meantime, progressive mayors like Kenney have a responsibility to pave the way for the rest of the country.

Now is the time for Philadelphia's new mayor to listen to the needs of his city's workers and support our workforce with wages that give thousands the chance at a better life. We cannot afford to drag our feet any longer.

Kia Hinton is board chair of Action United (www.actionunited.org), a statewide community organization headquartered in Philadelphia and a partner of the Center for Popular Democracy. khinton@actionunited.org

Shymara Jones is a Philadelphia Popeyes worker and a member of the Fight for $15 National Organizing Committee (www.fightfor15.org). shymarajones@gmail.com