On July 1, Maryland’s minimum wage increased to $8.25 on July 1, a setback for small business owners across the state.
The hike comes as nearby D.C. also increased its minimum wage to $10.50—the first among U.S. Cities to hit that level, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Maryland lawmakers were among 10 state legislatures to raise their minimum wages in 2014. Four other states increased their minimum wages through ballot measures.
This month’s increase is the first in what will be a series of such hikes, until July 1, 2018, when the wage is set to top out at $10.10 an hour. Those mandated boosts come according to the schedule below:
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Jan. 1, 2015 – $8.00
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July 1, 2015 – $8.25
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July 1, 2016 – $8.75
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July 1, 2017 – $9.25
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July 1, 2018 – $10.10
The final mandated increase is a result of a sustained fight against such an increase by NFIB in 2014.
“Although this is a tough break, it could have been worse, and you’re tougher,” said NFIB/Maryland State Director Jessica Cooper in 2014. “You’ll make the decisions and the sacrifices and the innovations necessary to succeed. Meanwhile, there will be other battles to fight and if we win those we can offset the damage that this new one will cause.”
