Rabb: All workers deserve a living wage

Files amendment to minimum wage legislation passed by state House

Rep. Christopher M. Rabb June 11, 2025 | 4:44 PM

HARRISBURG, June 11 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., issued the following statement in response to House passage of H.B. 1549:

“Raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is long overdue, and I commend the efforts of the maker of H.B. 1549, but this bill doesn’t go far enough or fast enough and fails to include individuals historically excluded by statute rooted in racial and economic injustice.

“In a city like Philadelphia, $15 per hour is barely enough to survive, let alone thrive. If we’re serious about equity and dignity, we need to commit ourselves to a path toward a living wage now—not years down the line—and we must ensure no one is left behind.

“Fighting for a living wage isn’t about choosing between bold ideas and practical progress—it’s about doing both. I believe we can push the conversation forward with honesty and urgency while still finding common ground to move policy in the right direction. Raising expectations and raising wages go hand in hand. Our advocacy for workers must be as courageous as it is strategic.”

Rabb filed an amendment to H.B. 1549 that would have:

Expanded eligibility to the minimum wage to all classes of individuals in the workforce originally excluded from the 1938 federal minimum wage statute.

Abolished the sub-minimum wage of $2.83/hour.

Set the minimum wage at $15/hour by July 1, 2026.

Increased this wage by $1/hour every year until it reaches a living wage for a household of two adults and two children based on the average cost of living by county as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor and Industry.

Automatically indexed the minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index upon meeting or exceeding the aforementioned threshold for a living wage for the prior fiscal year.

Rabb recently proposed legislation to make structural improvements to Pennsylvania’s minimum wage statute, including abolishing the sub-minimum tipped wage and expanding minimum wage eligibility to vulnerable sectors of the workforce.

According to One Fair Wage, Rabb is the first state lawmaker in the nation to introduce a minimum wage bill that explicitly expands eligibility to incarcerated workers.

As a consistent advocate for a living wage for all Pennsylvania workers throughout his tenure in office, Rabb introduced related bills in the following legislative sessions: