Alex Bernstein: Raise minimum wage to build a better future

Everyone in Pennsylvania, from here in Pittsburgh to Erie, Scranton, Philly and everywhere in between deserves to earn a fair wage. But right now, thousands of Pennsylvanians are struggling to stay afloat, trying to navigate the cost of living crisis on a minimum wage of $7.25/hour — unchanged for nearly 15 years — because an archaic system called preemption doesn’t allow cities like Pittsburgh to set a local minimum wage that supports working families. Now that Democrats retained the majority in the primary election, it is time for them to prioritize empowering our locally elected leaders to pass local minimum wage laws here in Pittsburgh and in cities and counties across the state.

The minimum wage in Pennsylvania is the lowest of all neighboring states. The last time our state Legislature raised Pennsylvania’s minimum wage was 2009. Factoring in inflation, that means every dollar earned by a worker today is worth a full 51% less than it was 14 years ago. You can travel across state lines and make almost twice as much, putting Pennsylvania families and businesses like ours at a significant disadvantage. Pennsylvania already loses workers to every state that surrounds us.

As a small business owner, I know firsthand the price of depressing wages — from businesses struggling with recruiting and retaining employees to community members fighting to survive on poverty wages.

If we want people to stay here and raise families in Pittsburgh, we need to make sure they can earn a fair return on their work.

The cost of living differences throughout Pennsylvania are vast, and no one is more tuned in to the needs of their own community than those elected locally to lead and serve. Ending preemption and freeing local governments to set the minimum wage would position our local elected leaders to set a wage that works for employees, businesses and the community.

When our families and communities have their basic needs met, it allows them space to not only survive, but build a foundation to thrive. That’s why we are urging our leaders in Harrisburg to raise the minimum wage and restore local control to municipalities working to push back against the cost of living crisis. No one should work a 40- or 40-plus-hour week and live in poverty.

Now more than ever, we need our leaders to step up and put residents across the commonwealth on track for a stronger future. Local elected leaders must have the ability to legislate — that’s what we put them there to do. It’s time for the Pennsylvania General Assembly to give decision-making power back to whom it belongs: local voters and communities.

Alex Bernstein is owner of ASCEND Climbing in Pittsburgh.