O'Malley, Cummings Attend Minimum Wage Rally
CATONSVILLE, Md. (WJZ) -- Supporters of a bill to raise the state's minimum wage want to make the most of the time they have left before the General Assembly adjourns next month.
Pat Warren reports on the sticking points.
The House of Delegates passed an increase to $10.10 an hour over the next three years, but the bill is having trouble in the Senate.
The governor takes his campaign to raise the wage to Catonsville.
"It's time to raise the wage to lift people out of poverty. It's time to raise the wage to make our economy grow. It's time to raise the wage to move Maryland forward and not back. It's time to raise the wage," Gov. O'Malley said.
Congressman Elijah Cummings backs the increase.
"We've got a few senators down there we're going to have to have to kind of push along a little bit in Annapolis," he said.
The bill to raise the wage is having trouble in a Senate committee, where Chairman Mac Middleton is insisting those who work with the developmentally disabled also get a raise.
"I don't mind a degree of horsetrading, but I don't have a whole lot of horses to trade," the governor said.
Carrie Latimore works at Atwater's Bakery, where she counts herself fortunate to make considerably more than $7.25 an hour.
"It makes you able to breathe easy and know that you can make ends meet," she said.
But some businesses are concerned about their ends meeting as well.
"You have rent and you have utilities and you have taxes and you have insurance and you have labor," said Dave Norman, restaurant owner.
The General Assembly has until April 7 to act.
"We just all have to keep pushing right now to get it done," O'Malley said.
More action on the bill is scheduled next week.
This would be the state's first minimum wage increase since 2006.
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