Maryland first with living wage law

Maryland first with living wage law

	Published : Tue, 08 May 2007 21:26 By : Agencies Print this Story

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the nation's first statewide living wage law on Tuesday, a measure that requires state contractors to pay at least $8.50 to workers and $11.30 in parts of Maryland such as Baltimore and Washington where it is more expensive to live.

The bill, which O'Malley said was designed to strengthen the state's middle class, was one of 203 signed by the Democratic governor.

O'Malley said he pushed for the legislation to make sure that people who work on a contract funded by the state will be treated 'in a fair and just and decent way, so that you will be able to put food on your family's table for your day of labor on behalf of the people of our state.'

'It's the right thing to do,' O'Malley said. 'It's the fair thing to do.'

The law, which will take effect in October, was cheered by labor and civil rights groups. It is modeled on local laws across the country, but advocacy groups say it is the first statewide law. It affects contracts worth at least $100,000 and includes loopholes for the University System of Maryland and some other state agencies, such as the Maryland State Lottery. The wage requirement also wouldn't apply to 16-year-olds or nonprofits.

The measure allows employers to reduce the amount they have to pay workers if they pay for health insurance for affected employees.

Sean Dobson, director of a grassroots organization called Progressive Maryland that represents working families, applauded the governor and state leaders for making Maryland the first state to approve the law, saying it's an effective way to fight poverty.

'It's gratifying to see that lawmakers ended up listening to the thousands of constituents who voiced support for this bill,' said Dobson, whose organization joined with labor and civil rights groups to lobby for a measure that faced obstacles in the legislature.

While Maryland is the first to approve a statewide living wage law, several other states are considering it.

Many Republicans resisted the measure in the Democratic-controlled legislature, taking issue with the provision that some areas of the state would have higher wages than others. Rural areas are where the $8.50 wage applies. The Maryland chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business also opposed the bill, saying it would hurt small businesses.

In 1994, Baltimore became the first city to require the higher wage, and living wages now are required by more than 100 cities nationwide. Maryland's Democratic legislature passed a similar measure in 2004, but it was vetoed by former Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich. Democrats didn't attempt to override the veto, opting instead to raise the state's minimum wage $1 to $6.15 and passing that bill over another Ehrlich veto.

Strengthening the middle class was a theme of the governor's bill signing. O'Malley also signed a bill to freeze tuition in the University System of Maryland. O'Malley said the law puts a halt to a four-year run on tuition increases 'that fall on working families and make it very very difficult for middle-class Marylanders, working people of Maryland, to be able to send their kids to college.'

'So we know that we can only stop those tuition increases if we are willing to make, together, a collective investment in higher education,' O'Malley said.

The measure O'Malley signed applies to the next school year. The governor said he hopes to continue the freeze 'as we wrestle our budgetary problems to the ground.' Maryland is facing a $1.5 billion structural deficit next year.

O'Malley also signed a bill to create the Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board, which is designed to attract biotechnology companies to the state. He also signed a resolution in which Maryland apologizes for slavery.