By Associated Press, March 7, 2013
Maryland’s minimum wage earners say they need a raise and some state lawmakers agree.
A bill that would increase the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 by 2015 was taken up Thursday by the Senate Finance Committee.
“When you increase wages for nearly 500,000 Marylanders, we are putting cash in their pockets,” [state Sen. Robert] Garagiola said. “They’re not likely to spend that out of state on a boat. They are more likely to buy basic needs to live, and those basic needs will be bought in Maryland. Some studies show that it can help inject nearly half a billion dollars into the Maryland economy.”
Nathaly Uribe, 17, a Glen Burnie resident who receives slightly more than the minimum wage at her job at Chik-fil-A, hopes the increase measure passes.
“I had to start working in order to help my parents,” Uribe said. “This affects various aspects of my life. It could determine whether or not I will be able to pay my first semester of college.” ...
Raise Maryland, a group advocating for an increase in Maryland’s minimum wage, announced support on Thursday from Costco CEO Craig Jelinek, the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce and more than 70 Maryland businesses, who signed onto a letter of support organized by Maryland Business for a Fair Minimum Wage.
Walmart employee Lana Stewart, 49, also hopes the measure passes and that her hourly wage of $8.80 is increased.
“An increase would help me to get my own place, instead of living with my daughter,” Stewart said.
The measure would raise the minimum wage for tipped workers from 50 percent to 70 percent of the full minimum wage. It also would adjust the minimum wage annually with the cost of living. ...
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press