Higher Minimum Wage Concerns
By: Kevin Flanigan
Updated: February 13, 2013
ALTOONA, BLAIR COUNTY - As part of his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, President Obama called for raising the federal minimum age to $9 an hour over the next couple of years. A number of local business people say that is a change that will be difficult to cover.
With its current minimum wage set at $7.25 an hour, Pennsylvania is one of the states that has followed the federal government in terms of a minimum wage. But with the President is now calling for raising the minimum wage in stages so that it hits $9 an hour by the end of 2015, the head of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce says that rapid increase would be a big hit for some small business people.
Supporters of the higher federal minimum wage say the sizable increase is needed because people being paid the current minimum wage have been losing buying power for the past thirty years and raising their base line pay rate could provide a needed economic boost.
The manager of Delgrosso's Park says while the park is exempt from some current state minimum wage regulations as a seasonal business, raising the minimum would have a significant effect on their operations. The Delgrosso's manager points out that private businesses can raise their prices, cut costs or find some other way to cover the expense of higher minimum wages. In any case, the higher minimum wage has the potential to change to bottom line for plenty of small business people.
The push for a high minimum wage is expected to run into considerable opposition in Congress. Opponents of the move say the higher wages could lead to the loss of jobs especially for younger and unskilled workers.
With its current minimum wage set at $7.25 an hour, Pennsylvania is one of the states that has followed the federal government in terms of a minimum wage. But with the President is now calling for raising the minimum wage in stages so that it hits $9 an hour by the end of 2015, the head of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce says that rapid increase would be a big hit for some small business people.
Supporters of the higher federal minimum wage say the sizable increase is needed because people being paid the current minimum wage have been losing buying power for the past thirty years and raising their base line pay rate could provide a needed economic boost.
The manager of Delgrosso's Park says while the park is exempt from some current state minimum wage regulations as a seasonal business, raising the minimum would have a significant effect on their operations. The Delgrosso's manager points out that private businesses can raise their prices, cut costs or find some other way to cover the expense of higher minimum wages. In any case, the higher minimum wage has the potential to change to bottom line for plenty of small business people.
The push for a high minimum wage is expected to run into considerable opposition in Congress. Opponents of the move say the higher wages could lead to the loss of jobs especially for younger and unskilled workers.
