Chamber Co-Signs Letter Opposing Minimum Wage Increase

As the debate on whether to increase the state’s minimum wage goes on, the Chamber joined a coalition of local chambers of commerce from across the Commonwealth and the PA Chamber in sending a letter last week to state lawmakers warning of the adverse effects on jobs and urging their opposition to a mandated wage hike. This is in addition to a letter the Chamber sent to our state and federal delegations last month opposing an increase at either level.

The letter was sent the same day that minimum wage proponents held a ‘Raise the Wage’ rally in the state Capitol. The PA Chamber continues to counter the minimum wage debate because those advocating for it aren’t considering the impact that a minimum wage hike would have on small business owners, who are the most common employers to pay minimum wage and would be most likely to halt hiring or cut jobs as a result of the wage hike.

In addition to the letter, the PA Chamber also issued a press release listing a myriad of problems that would likely arise for small business owners in the event of a wage increase. The release referenced a report by the Congressional Budget Office stating that a forced wage increase would jeopardize more than 500,000 jobs. Interestingly, the jobs that would be most at risk are held by the very people proponents of the wage hike claim they are aiming to help.