Support for Raising Minimum Wage Gains Momentum

Last week, both Governor O’Malley and President Obama expressed support for raising the minimum wage. In the coming legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly has the opportunity to act on these calls and increase the economic security and earning power of Maryland workers.

On Thursday, President Obama expressed support for raising the Federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour via the Harkin-Miller bill. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25. The Harkin-Miller bill would raise the minimum wage in three incremental steps of 95 cents over two years, after which the minimum wage would be indexed to inflation. Indexing the minimum wage to inflation is an important policy measure that would allow it to keep up with the cost of living so that workers’ earnings do not erode when policy makers fail to adjust the minimum wage even as prices increase.

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Source: Economic Policy Institute  

While the President’s support for raising the minimum wage is a positive step, Maryland lawmakers should not wait for the federal government to act. These days that seems like a losing proposition. Instead they should take a leadership role and raise the minimum wage in Maryland independent of federal action. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia currently have minimum wages higher than the level set by the federal government. Maryland is not one of them. Nor is Maryland among the ranks of the ten states which currently index their minimum wage to inflation.

For his part, Governor O’Malley argued that raising the minimum wage is a way to “give dignity to every Maryland family that works hard and plays by the rules” and other state lawmakers and candidates for office have expressed support for raising the minimum wage as well. Further, recent polls suggest that the public favors doing so by a four-to-one margin.

In the coming legislative session, Maryland lawmakers should capitalize on this momentum and enact an increase in the minimum wage that will reduce inequality and support economic growth.