We need a $15 minimum wage!

Montgomery County Council

The time is right for Montgomery County to give its low wage workers a much needed boost.

Montgomery County ranks among the top 20 wealthiest counties in the country, has an unemployment rate well below the national and state level, and is neighbored by two major jurisdictions in Baltimore City and Washington DC that have already moved to set their workers on a path to $15.

There is no excuse for Montgomery County not to act.

We want the council to pass a clean $15 minimum wage without exclusions or delays based on age, occupation or employer size. The time is right and the conditions are right for low wage workers to get a raise. Sign the petition demanding Montgomery County pass this bill and make sure no working families are left behind.

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To: Montgomery County Council
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The right to earn a family sustaining wage is central to our fight. No one who puts in hard day’s work should go home without enough to support themselves and their loved ones. At the current County minimum this is a near impossible task. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that the cost of providing a modest standard of living for a family of four in Montgomery County is almost $80,000. This equates to a wage of over $19 an hour if there are two income earners in a household.
For low-wage workers, an increase in the minimum wage to $15 will not mean luxury, but it will mean a huge step forward on the path to living a more secure life.

The time is right for Montgomery County to give its low wage workers a much needed boost. It ranks among the top 20 wealthiest counties in the country, has an unemployment rate well below the national and state level, and is neighbored by two major jurisdictions in Baltimore City and Washington DC that have already moved to set their workers on a path to $15.

There is no excuse for Montgomery County not to act.

We strongly urge the council to pass a clean $15 minimum wage without exclusions or delays based on age, occupation or employer size. There is no need either for an economic exit lane that would result in workers being denied much needed increases. After years of real wage stagnation – it is not wages of the lowest paid that should be used as a buffer for economic fluctuations - but the fiscal and monetary policy tools available at the state and federal level.

The time is right and the conditions are right for low wage workers to get a raise. Let’s pass this bill and make sure no working families are left behind.