Helen believes that all workers should be paid equitably for the work they do and supports the recent increase in overtime pay for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania workers. In addition to improving the lives of so many who are struggling to make ends meet, increasing the minimum wage and overtime rates will improve the state’s economy by reducing employee turnover, creating more competitive salaries, and keeping more high-paying jobs in the state. It will also pump more money right back into the economy.
For those currently unemployed or under-employed, Helen believes the state must help create good-paying jobs, ensure that its citizens are trained for those jobs, and pay people who hold those jobs fairly.
With regard to equitable pay for Pennsylvania women, in 2016 their median earnings were just 79% of those of men. While efforts at the federal level to rectify this are stalled, our state legislature can enact laws to make sure equal pay laws are applied to all businesses in the state, employers compensate men and women equitably for jobs that are comparable if not identical, and all employees are protected from intentional and unintentional discrimination.
