By Timothy B. Wheeler
Baltimore Sun, January 14, 2014
Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Tuesday that he will push for raising the minimum wage in Maryland to $10.10 an hour over the next two years, with automatic increases after that to keep pace with inflation. O'Malley appeared at an evening rally outside the State House, which drew hundreds of union members, clergy, business owners and others who support a higher minimum wage. ...
Raising the minimum wage is expected to be one of the most significant issues to be debated in Annapolis this legislative session. The General Assembly voted in 2005 to increase the wage $1 above the federal level, after Congress had left the rate unchanged for a decade. The current $7.25 has been in effect since 2009. ...
While some major employers oppose the increase, campaign organizers say they've lined up [more than] 100 employers who favor it. Two of them spoke at the rally, including John Shepley, co-owner of Emory Knoll Farms in Street, who said his business raising plants for green roofs already pays its workers well above the minimum.
"If a little nine- to 10-person nursery in rural Harford County can do it, any business can do it," Shepley said. ...
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