Montgomery County raises minimum wage for county workers by 25%

Montgomery County‘s lowest-paid county workers got a roughly 25% raise Wednesday after the county’s board of commissioners bumped its minimum wage by $4 to $20.52.

The salary board, made up of the county’s commissioners and controller, voted unanimously Wednesday to increase the county’s minimum wage for employees to what officials say will now be the highest rate for county workers in Pennsylvania, and nearly three times the state minimum wage of $7.25.

“If we want strong communities, we have to start with strong teams. That means paying people fairly,” said Commissioner Jamila Winder, a Democrat.

The increased wage still falls below a living wage for the county, which would be $26.61 per hour for a single adult without children, according to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator.

The new policy will immediately offer raises to 129 Montgomery County employees, but it will not directly affect wages in the private sector across the county. Commissioner Neil Makhija, a Democrat, and Winder said they were hopeful other communities and employers may follow.

“It’s important to recognize that at the county level we can set an example,” Makhija said.

The county did not immediately raise wages for workers who made just above $20.52, but Makhija said in an interview after the meeting that discussions were in progress about additional raises.

Funds for the raises, Makhija said, were gathered through cost-saving measures identified by the county’s new office of innovation, strategy, and performance.

Makhija announced the rate increase while holding up handwritten signs comparing Montgomery County’s new minimum wage with neighboring counties in Pennsylvania and comparing Pennsylvania’s minimum wage with neighboring states.

According to data gathered by Montgomery County, Philadelphia’s lowest hourly wage is $16.35 per hour, while lowest wages in the other three collar counties range from $12.50 to $15.30.

Pennsylvania is one of 20 states that have not raised their minimum wage above the federal minimum, which has been unchanged at $7.25 since 2009.

Gov. Josh Shapiro and his predecessor Tom Wolf, both Democrats, proposed significant increases to the state minimum wage. But as discussions on the issue have stalled in Harrisburg, Makhija said he hoped Montgomery County could be a leader in the state.

Commissioner Tom DiBello, the lone Republican on the board, said his decision to support the raises was driven by market forces rather than a desire to offer the best wages in the state.

The move follows efforts by the board over the last two years to improve compensation and benefits for workers across the county. Last year, the county began offering the most expansive parental leave benefits in the state — offering 12 weeks to all parents and an additional four weeks to birthing parents.