1199ers to MD Chamber Of Commerce: Spend A Day The Minimum Wage Way

(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