The Benefits of Gradually Phasing in a $15 Minimum Wage in Maryland Would Be Far-Reaching & Would Help Reverse Decades of Pay Inequality
Due to flat or falling wages, today, approximately 573,000 workers in Maryland earn less than $15 an hour and would benefit from legislation that would increase the state’s wage floor to that amount, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). These workers comprise nearly one-fourth of all workers in Maryland—22 percent of its workforce.[1]
The average worker would see a raise of $4,600 a year by 2023, when the higher wage floor is fully phased-in. That’s a life-changing difference for low-wage workers, such as home health aides, security guards, and cashiers, who are entitled to just $21,000 a year working full-time under the state’s current minimum wage.[2]
[1]. National Employment Law Project, The Case for a $15 Minimum Wage in Maryland, January 2018, http://stage.nelp.org/wp-content/uploads/Case-for-15-in-Maryland-January-2018.pdf.
The Benefits of Gradually Phasing in a $15 Minimum Wage in Maryland Would Be Far-Reaching & Would Help Reverse Decades of Pay Inequality
Due to flat or falling wages, today, approximately 573,000 workers in Maryland earn less than $15 an hour and would benefit from legislation that would increase the state’s wage floor to that amount, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). These workers comprise nearly one-fourth of all workers in Maryland—22 percent of its workforce.[1]
The average worker would see a raise of $4,600 a year by 2023, when the higher wage floor is fully phased-in. That’s a life-changing difference for low-wage workers, such as home health aides, security guards, and cashiers, who are entitled to just $21,000 a year working full-time under the state’s current minimum wage.[2]
