Legislation that clarifies the controversial training wage has been introduced.
State Rep., Kim Williams, D-Stanton, introduced the bill, which has co-sponsors from both parties.
The legislation further defines the training wage as being effective “during the first 90 days after the employee is initially hired by the employer. This bill defines that as the first time an employee is trained for the duties of a position or a substantially similar position.”
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The fear is that employers will keep new workers on the lower wage during training for other positions.
The training and youth wages were part of a compromise that Republican legislators insisted on after Democrats pushed through a minimum wage hike at the end of a legislative session.
Some Democratic legislators want to eliminate the training wage, a move that has earned the ire of Republicans.
Nearby New Jersey and Maryland are gradually raising their minimum wage to $15 an hour.Delaware’s base wage ist $9.25 an hour, with no path to $15. Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
The training and youth wages in Delaware total $8.75 an hour.
Efforts continue to raise the minimum wage to $15 by the mid 2020s in Delaware are ongoing, with the restaurant and lodging industries and chambers of commerce opposed to the move.
The $15 an hour base wage is widespread in northern Delaware, due to tight labor markets for many entry level positions.
Top trending: Delaware’s minimum wage rises to $9.25 an hour
