SCRANTON — University of Scranton students and Pennsylvania’s governor agree — it’s time to raise the state’s minimum wage.

In early February, Gov. Josh Shapiro again proposed to raise the state’s minimum wage. He posted on X, formerly Twitter, after the state budget proposal and said, “It’s time to finally raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania. Let’s get it done.”

Shapiro recently used X to call on the state to raise its minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. This is the third year in a row that Shapiro, a Democrat, tried to raise the minimum wage.

According to the March 2024 Minimum Wage Advisory Board on pa.gov, the last time the wage was raised was July 24, 2009, when Ed Rendell was governor.

Political science professor Jean Harris, Ph.D., presented a map with the minimum wages for every state.

“Every state around Pa. has a higher minimum wage. Which is problematic then for Pa., right? In terms of our workforce. If you live near a border, you get a job in the other state,” Harris said.

According to the University of Scranton’s Livable Wage Analysis (2022), they calculated that the hourly wage required per adult to keep up with the cost of living in Lackawanna County is $16.64.

“Pennsylvania is often behind in things, and this is one of those that really has a huge impact on people's quality of life,” Harris said.

Most University of Scranton work study students make $7.25 an hour.

Students voiced their opinions on Yik Yak, an anonymous posting app that people with university emails can use.

One user posted, “Work study is for students who can’t afford things, why is the minimum wage so low like how can I buy the things I need if I work 5 hours and only make 35 dollars.”

This post generated a lot of traction compared to other posts on the app. People responded to the user’s post in agreement and aired their frustrations.

Tatiana Baide Franco, a senior advertising and public relations major from Katrine, New York, has a work study job and a job at home.

Baide Franco said she loves working in the communications department, running the social media accounts.  She works between 10 and 15 hours a week on campus. However, she does not think this is enough to financially support her needs.

“Not at all, but I budget well to make it work,” Baide Franco said.

At home, Baide Franco said she earns more money working at Dunkin part-time between 12 and 20 hours a week.

“I’m from New York, a state that has a high minimum wage compared to Pennsylvania,” she said.

Baide Franco said her main motivations for working are to cover her phone plan, small bills, subscriptions and doing fun activities.

Former Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania said that a low minimum wage directly affects families. If parents need to work long hours and at a low wage, it affects their child’s quality of life.

Casey also said a boost in minimum wage will boost the economy. More people have more money to spend, and they are more willing to spend it. He recognized that small businesses could be concerned if the minimum wage were to rise, but with more people spending it can help them.

The former senator said he has been impressed with the amount of change younger generations have made. He said two significant bills were passed because of the pressure younger generations put on the politicians.

The first bill is the Safer Communities Act. He said this was the only gun bill that got passed in the United States Senate in 25 years. The second was the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 to battle climate change.

One way students can make their opinions known is by voting.

“Every American has a duty to vote. Because if you don’t vote, someone else is making a decision for you,” Casey said.

Midterm elections are this year. The primaries are May 19, and the general election is Nov. 3. Midterm elections decide who controls the House of Representatives and the Senate.