Annapolis, MD – With just days left in the 2018 Maryland General Assembly Session, a bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour (SB 543/HB 664) has yet to receive a committee vote in the either the Senate or the House of Delegates. In response, Ricarra Jones of the Maryland Fight For $15 campaign released the following statement:
We are very disappointed that this bill to improve the lives of Maryland workers has not yet progressed. Studies show that increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour will help 573,000 workers. What’s more – recent polling shows that Marylanders across the state support this action. Even in swing districts where Governor Hogan has high approval ratings, there is broad support for raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2023. The recent Goucher poll found that 66 percent of Marylanders of both political parties support raising the minimum wage to $15 dollars.
Even though the clock is ticking, we’re not giving up on our fight for $15. We know we have the votes on the floor to pass this bill. Maryland’s elected leaders, particularly Democratic leadership, still have time to show they care about Maryland families and pass this bill before midnight on Monday.
This is an issue that will matter at the ballot box. Maryland voters support a minimum wage increase and will hold elected officials accountable in June if they don’t pass this bill. Raising the wage would lift thousands of families out of poverty, create new customers and profits for local businesses and strengthen our neighborhoods.
