1199ers to MD Chamber Of Commerce: Spend A Day The Minimum Wage Way
Thursday, February 21, 2013
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)On February 7, 1199SEIU members joined minimum-wage workers and supporters
outside the Maryland Chamber of Commerce to issue a challenge to Chamber
President Kathleen T. Snyder. Members of Raise
Maryland, a coalition seeking to raise the state’s minimum wage, presented
Snyder with an oversized invitation to spend a day as a minimum-wage worker.
“I’m out here for my kids and for our future,” explained 1199 member
Ditanya Rosebud, a cook from Baltimore. “Working people shouldn’t have to
choose between bus fair and paying a bill. These people should walk a day in our
shoes.” Snyder, who earns at least $170,000 each year, recently indicated that
the Chamber is likely to lobby the Maryland General Assembly against a bill to
raise the state minimum wage under consideration this session. The bill, which
is gaining momentum in the House and Senate, would raise the Maryland’s
minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 per hour by 2015 and index it thereafter to keep
up with the cost of living. Nineteen states plus the District of Columbia have a
higher minimum wage than Maryland. - photo courtesy 1199SEIU