Baltimore legislators, businesses set for minimum wage clash

Despite pushback from businesses that say the plan will be “devastating” to them, Baltimore City Council members want to eventually raise the minimum wage in the city to $15 an hour.

City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, at a news conference touting legislation to reach that goal, said he’s already dealt with angry phone calls from business owners threatening to move out of the city if the bill becomes law.

“Not everybody is happy with the bill. I had a couple of business folk call me today complaining about it, saying what it’s going to do and how it’s going to be devastating to their business. I had some choice words for one of them, because I said, ‘This is a compromise and we’re going to move this bill through this council,’” Young said.

Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke introduced the bill to the city council on Monday. The bill hikes the minimum hourly wage to $15 an hour by 2022. Firms with less than 50 employees are spared the full increase until 2026 with an annual increase of 60 cents. Under the legislation the city’s minimum wage hike uncouples from the state on July 1 2018.

The Greater Baltimore Committee, which advocates for business interests in the area, opposes the legislation and expressed concern about the potential impact on the city’s economy.

“If passed, this bill would place Baltimore City at a serious competitive disadvantage. It has the potential to result in job losses and businesses leaving the city,” said Donald C. Fry, the GBC’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

The current minimum wage in Maryland is $8.75 an hour. That is scheduled to increase to $10.10 by July 2018. If Baltimore passes legislation increasing the minimum wage to $15 it will join other municipalities, such as Seattle, San Francisco and Washington. A recent effort to raise the minimum wage in Montgomery County failed.

Clarke tried to pass similar legislation last summer but was unable to secure the eight votes needed. She pulled the bill after it became clear the legislation would not pass.

But the new measures faces better odds of passage because of Young’s support and because of the number of co-sponsors already on board. Clarke and Young said they’re pushing for the entire city council to sign on as sponsors.

But city legislators will also have to fight off legislation in the Maryland General Assembly that strips local jurisdictions of their ability to increase the minimum wage.

Late last month Clarke, and several allies on the council, held a news conference criticizing efforts to stop cities and counties from increasing the minimum wage.

During that new conference council members, such as Zeke Cohen, Ryan Dorsey and Shannon Sneed all criticized the bill and Democrats in Annapolis backing it.