Pennsylvania Sec. Manderino's 'Jobs that Pay' Tour in Johnstown and Claysburg Focuses on Minimum Wage

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. and CLAYSBURG, Pa., April 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Kathy Manderino today focused her "Jobs that Pay" tour in Cambria County on raising the minimum wage.

At the Greater Johnstown Career & Technical Center, Sec. Manderino and several area business representatives and workforce development stakeholders participated in a business roundtable hosted by the Southern Alleghenies Workforce Development Board.

"The variety of workforce development professionals present at today's roundtable was truly exceptional," said Sec. Manderino. "We discussed a wide-range of issues, with a particular emphasis on the importance of raising the minimum wage, regional talent pipeline needs, and the benefits of hiring employees with disabilities. Today was a great step toward holistically looking at and addressing the commonwealth's workforce development needs."   

Manderino followed the Johnstown visit with a tour of a Sheetz convenience store and the Sheetz Distribution Center, bakery, and test kitchen in Claysburg. There, Sec. Manderino discussed Governor Tom Wolf's plan to raise the PA minimum wage to $10.15 an hour and praised Sheetz's decision to raise its workers' pay. 

"I am here today to applaud Sheetz's decision to raise its workers' wages, and say that Governor Wolf and I encourage other employers to take similar steps to provide fair and livable wages," Manderino said. "Raising the minimum wage is the single most-powerful poverty fighting tool we have.

"Moreover, empowering employees with better wages increases productivity and decreases turnover; and increasing purchasing power for low-wage workers means more customers for Pennsylvania businesses. It's a win-win."

In his 2016-17 budget, Governor Tom Wolf proposed raising the minimum wage to $10.15 an hour. The increase would benefit more than 1.2 million Pennsylvania workers, many of whom are adults with families.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sara Goulet, 717-787-7530

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

Related Links

http://www.state.pa.us