Maryland Minimum Wage Campaign Gets High-Level Boost
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
(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