Some Prince George’s County Council Members Want to Index the Minimum Wage/ Donations Page
Some Prince George’s County Council Members Want to Index the Minimum Wage/ Donations Page
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This week we published a story on how some Prince George’s County council members want to index the minimum wage for the county. We add a bit more context. Last year, The Intersection Mag reported on Maryland’s Fair Wage Act. That bill kicked up the minimum wage to $15 per hour. However, this bill did not include subminimum wage nor indexing. So, if the legislature wants to have a wage that increases with inflation (or not) then it would have to pass another bill. Montgomery County and DC have indexed its minimum wage. Other states have as well.
Some Prince George’s County Council Members Want to Index the Minimum Wage
Excerpt: The fight to provide Maryland citizens with a livable wage continues. On Monday, Oct. 7, members from activist organizations stood alongside Tom Dernoga (District 1), and Krystal Oriadha (District 7) at The Wayne K. Curry building in Upper Marlboro to publicly advocate for a bill that would index the minimum wage in Prince George’s County.
“We now have a majority of the council to sponsor this bill,” said Dernoga, who co-sponsored it with Oriadha. “To me, getting a fair wage – I am not even sure this minimum wage is fair enough – should be a human right for people to make enough money to feed and take care of their families. When you look at the history of wages in this country and this state, that’s not always been the case. I'm not sure it will be the case today.” He said most of the people making minimum wage today aren’t “students, but people with families.”
“They're working two jobs or more, and struggling to make ends meet,” he explained. “ So it’s great that the state has moved the minimum wage to $15 per hour, but just like back in the day, there is no indexing,” he explained.
Oriadha also spoke. She said people will tell those who are making low-wages to get a better education so that they can obtain a better job. “The reality is you can have someone who received a college degree…and is still making minimum wage in this country,” she said. “This has nothing to do with effort; or a lack of trying.”
Currently, the bill has passed the government operations and fiscal policy committee. The county council will vote on the bill in November. If the county council were to pass it, the minimum wage would increase along with the cost of living. Dernoga said that step would increase the county’s wage to $15.45 per hour, adding 45 cents to the $15 minimum wage.
“What I’m worried about going forward isn’t the 45 cents,” Council chair Jolene Ivey ( District 5) told the Washington Post. “I’m concerned about this upcoming budget. I don’t know. Every little bit extra, I worry about.”
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