Low-wage workers in Pennsylvania haven't seen a minimum-wage increase in more than a decade, but a new bill with bipartisan support would change that.

The Raise the Wage Act of 2025, introduced in both chambers of Congress on April 8, aims to gradually raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $17 per hour by 2030.

Andrea Grove, owner of Elementary Coffee Co. in Harrisburg, said the change would lead to bigger paychecks and boost the economy.

"There has been a lot of movement, a lot of momentum, a lot of bills presented to hopefully get the minimum wage increased, even just incrementally," she said, "and I would really love to see this actually go through this time."

An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute finds that increasing the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour by 2030 would affect one million workers in Pennsylvania and more than 22 million workers nationwide.

Grove said she works with a lot of small and micro-businesses, with most already paying more than the federal minimum wage. She said the minimum wage remaining low results in employers paying less.

"Nine dollars an hour isn't even very good for minimum wage at this point in time," she said, "and if you look at the increase in rising costs and just what it takes for just to live, that's not keeping up, and that's not keeping pace with what just the average person needs to work a 40 hour work week and be able to provide for themselves."

The Pennsylvania House already passed House Bill 1500, which would raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026. The idea has bipartisan support but the Senate has not yet acted on a similar bill.

Workers' rights advocates are celebrating a new law mandating "good faith and fair dealing" in Washington's workers' compensation system.

They said the law will curb abuses which have denied workers fair claims.

Doug Palmer, a workers' compensation attorney in Vancouver, explained Washington does not allow private insurers to provide workers comp coverage. Instead, employees are covered either by the state or large employers. Palmer said it means large companies and municipalities pay claims directly, which motivates them to be stingy.

"It creates a lot of incentives for self-insured employers like Boeing, like Weyerhaeuser, to minimize those workers' compensation costs, despite evidence on the claim," Palmer pointed out.

Palmer cited the example of an injured police officer who faced unexplained pay cuts for nearly a year, despite clear entitlement to the workers' compensation claim. He noted the new law now requires employers to treat injured workers' interests as equal to their own.

Previously, penalties for violations were as low as $500, which is insignificant for large companies. Under the new law, Palmer emphasized, fines for unreasonable delays in benefits will be increased and employers can lose their self-insurance certification if they violate the law too many times.

"That is really the ultimate penalty because they want to have that control over the claim," Palmer stressed.

This win has been in the works for years, Palmer added, starting in 2020 with several related bills. He recommended if an injured worker believes their employer is not managing their claim in good faith they can file a complaint with the Department of Labor and Industries.


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New data show improvements in reducing job vacancy rates in Minnesota but researchers said the numbers are still too stubbornly high in most rural regions.

The Center for Rural Policy and Development released an analysis of state survey data on filling the many job openings around Minnesota. It showed rates have climbed down from their pandemic peak but leaving out the Twin Cities and southeast region, they are still above what's considered healthy levels.

Kelly Asche, senior researcher at the center, said smaller towns and cities have jobs to fill but the talent is not lining up for them.

"In the 1970s and '80s, we were all worried about how do we get more jobs to our rural areas 'cause we had people that were unemployed," Asche recounted. "Now, we have so many jobs and we just don't have the people to fill those jobs. And so, it's a very different world."

The center said it is a glaring issue in southwestern Minnesota, which has about 90% more openings than it did two decades ago but unlike most other regions, it is seeing negative movement in hiring.

Asche explained if the problems persist, companies will leave, making it even harder for communities to provide services for their aging populations.

As older residents leave the workforce, Asche noted municipal leaders are having different conversations these days about attracting younger workers and it is not just about building a new industrial park.

"How do we provide more housing? How do we provide child care?" Asche outlined. "Things that make people want to move to these areas, such as parks and natural amenities."

Asche acknowledged an awareness gap about job opportunities in rural areas offering strong wages. He pointed out residents might think they have to move to the Twin Cities or attend school out-of-state to launch a career. However, their local technical college might offer courses to train them for a job paying more than minimum wage. The findings suggested a job vacancy rate of around 4% is manageable but four of Minnesota's six geographic regions are at 5% or higher.


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A possible partnership between U.S. Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel is drawing publicity but some environmental groups in Pennsylvania are raising concerns.

President Donald Trump visited U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works-Irvin Plant on Friday, telling steelworkers the partnership would add $14 billion to the U.S. economy and create 70,000 jobs. Trump also announced he would raise steel import tariffs to 50%.

Matthew Mehalik, executive director of the Breathe Project in Pittsburgh, said the rally follows a familiar pattern where Trump makes flashy promises which are often pulled back. He added there is uncertainty as to how the partnership would help workers in the Mon Valley.

"Still left unanswered is what's being proposed for a $2.1 billion investment in the Mon Valley," Mehalik pointed out. "We think it might be a new hot strip mill at the Irvin Works. But what does that mean for the coke works or the Edgar Thomson blast furnaces? New mills employ fewer people. That's completely unaddressed."

Mehalik referred to investments in the Mon Valley promised by Nippon last year. He argued those investments fail to promote the decarbonization of steel, which he believes is necessary for the steel industry in the long term.

Mehalik said U.S. Steel has established no clear plan to address ongoing public health concerns. He noted the company has paid more than $65 billion in pollution fines and settlements since 2020 and spent nearly a million dollars on lobbying this year. Mehalik asserted the company wants to avoid tougher air quality rules, and refuses to update old equipment running on fossil fuels.

"There were no remarks addressed to the ongoing pollution problems for the Mon Valley works, no health issues, no community investment issues were brought up during this presentation," Mehalik outlined.

Dr. Deborah Gentile, medical director for Community Partners in Asthma Care in McMurray, helped author a study which found children suffered from living near the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works facility, the largest coke plant in the country. She said the children frequently stay home due to poor air quality and suffer from high rates of asthma and disease.

"We were curious to see if this was leading to school absenteeism," Gentile emphasized. "We found that on high pollution days, if the particulate matter is very small, tiny, fine particle pollution, we're finding a 20% increase in school absenteeism among asthmatic children on those days."

Gentile pointed out missing days of school due to asthma can hurt academic success and limit future job opportunities. She added the study recommends lawmakers strengthen air pollution laws and improve alerts for high pollution days.


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