Maryland Minimum Wage Campaign Gets High-Level Boost

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Hundreds of minimum wage supporters cheered last night as Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown pledged to raise the state’s minimum wage to $10.10 by 2016 and then index it to inflation. The rally in front of the state capitol in Annapolis drew elected officials, faith leaders, low-wage workers, business owners and union members and leaders who repeatedly chanted “Raise the wage!” The state’s highest elected officials also spoke of the need to increase pay for tipped workers – from 50 to 70 percent of the prevailing wage. "We’re going to raise the minimum wage because it's an important step to grow our economy from the middle out, increase consumer demand, and create more jobs for Maryland families,” said Governor O’Malley. “When Maryland's working families are strong, our economy is strong,” added Brown. “Treat your workers as assets, not liabilities,” demanded Pascal Njii, a manual laborer from Beltsville who immigrated from Cameroon and whose family lives with another family to be able to afford housing. “We are going to fight and we are going to win!” said AFSCME Maryland Council 3 President Pat Moran. The Raise Maryland campaign yesterday released a list of legislators – a majority of Democrats in both the House of Delegates and the Senate -- who are committed to raising the minimum wage in this year’s General Assembly session. photo of UFCW 400 members at rally courtesy Raise Maryland