Despite the presence of 10 last-minute amendments, the Delaware House voted Thursday to raise Delaware’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025.
The bill passed on a party-line vote. Click here for yes and no votes.
Under Senate Bill 15, which cleared the Senate earlier in the session, Delaware’s lowest base wage will increase to $10.50 per hour next year, followed by a $1.25 raise in 2023, a $1.50 raise in 2024, and a $1.75 raise in 2025.
Supporters said what they described as “gradual increases will help to lift hundreds of families out of poverty, bolster Delaware’s economy and keep local businesses competitive with surrounding states.”
The bill was fiercely opposed by the restaurant business and other small businesses’ interests. However, Amazon, one of the state’s largest employers, was a vocal supporter of the increase.
Gov. John Carney is expected to sign the bill into law. Delaware will join neighboring New Jersey and Maryland in moving toward the $15 an hour wage. In Pennsylvania, workers are paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour – a rate unchanged since 2009.
“Raising the minimum wage will help ensure that working people share in Delaware’s post-pandemic economic recovery. A higher minimum wage will put more money in the pockets of the very same customers that small businesses rely on, and it will reduce strain on the social safety net and state spending on programs to aid people who don’t earn enough to live on,” said Rep. Gerald Brady, D-Wilmington, lead House sponsor of SB 15. “This legislation is also a major step toward restoring the promise that a job brings with it a fundamental level of dignity and peace of mind for every Delawarean. I look forward to the governor signing this bill into law and helping to bolster economic security for so many Delaware families.”
“This is a great day for the essential Delaware worker,” said Sen. Jack Walsh, D-Newport-Stanton, the prime sponsor of SB 15. “After standing on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic for over a year, thousands of grocery store clerks, retail workers, janitors, and long-term care workers will be able to sleep tonight, knowing Delaware has their backs. I want to thank my colleagues in the House for recognizing we owed them more than our gratitude. We owe them a better life. This legislation will help lift families out of poverty and inject money back into our small businesses at the exact moment they need it the most, creating a virtuous cycle that will help power our economy for years to come.”
Delaware’s current minimum wage is $9.25 an hour.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, 60% of minimum-wage earners in the United States are older than 25, nearly 60% are women, 51% are people of color, and 25% support children.
Many of Delaware’s largest private employers are already providing starting or average wages of $15 an hour, including ChristianaCare, Walmart, Amazon, and Target.
