As lawmakers consider House Bill 2189 today, Pennsylvania small business owners remind them of the unintended consequences of a one-size-fits-all wage mandate. NFIB’s Pennsylvania Team recently sent a memo to lawmakers explaining why this legislation is bad for Main Street.

“Small employers are already increasing wages despite their concerns about current and future economic conditions and increased employer costs,” said Greg Moreland, NFIB Pennsylvania State Director. “A government-imposed increase in labor costs is not needed. If passed, small businesses will be the ones to suffer job losses and owners will be forced to reduce their workers’ hours. We strongly urge lawmakers to reject HB 2189 and refrain from adding increased costs and mandates on Main Street.”

HB 2189 would increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2029 and is permanently indexed to inflation. NFIB conducted a 2023 study which shows Pennsylvania will lose over 101,000 jobs, with almost 57,000 of those job losses being suffered by small businesses, if a similar bill was enacted. View our memo here.