District Chronicles (MD), Jan 20, 2014
ANNAPOLIS – 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 index it to inflation thereafter at a rally before hundreds of minimum wage supporters as well as elected officials, faith leaders, low-wage workers and business owners in Annapolis. ...
National polls show that 67 percent of small business owners support increasing the federal minimum wage and adjusting it yearly to keep pace with the cost of living. The most rigorous studies of the impact of actual minimum wage increases show they do not cause job loss – whether during periods of economic growth or during recessions.
“Business opposition to higher wages will tell you that increasing their wages will cause layoffs, lowered hours, or increased prices of their goods,” said Amanda Rothschild, co-owner and manager of Charmington’s Café in Baltimore City. “They’re forgetting that employees are not raw costs of goods - they’re people, and they are assets to your business. Invest in your employees, and they will bring a return on that investment. It’s a pretty simple recipe for success.” ...