By Scott Dance
The Baltimore Sun, Jan 15, 2018
A coalition of Democrats, union leaders and workers launched a campaign to raise Maryland’s minimum hourly wage to $15 on Monday, saying they chose to do so on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to carry on his message of justice and fairness.
They are proposing to reach that wage floor by 2023, a move they say would benefit about 570,000 workers, about a fifth of the state’s work force. They cited data from a United Way study released last year that showed that 35 percent of Maryland households struggle to afford basic necessities. ...
The Maryland $15 coalition includes some businesses who ... say that raising wages decreases turnover and drives consumer demand.
MOM’s Organic Market increased its starting hourly wage to $12 two years ago, and the company, which has nine stores in Maryland, supports a statewide $15 minimum, said Emily Ellis, a regional manager for the grocery chain. Raising wages helped workers’ productivity and engagement, she said. ...
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