NELP Applauds Montgomery County’s Approval of a $15 Minimum Wage, Building Momentum for Statewide Action in 2018

In response to the Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett’s signing of legislation raising the County minimum wage to $15 an hour, Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project (NELP), a non-partisan, non-profit research and advocacy organization specializing in employment policy:

“The $15 minimum wage win in Montgomery County comes on the heels of last week’s election victories of Fight for $15 supporters Ralph Northam in Virginia and Phil Murphy in New Jersey. It shows the continued power of this movement and builds momentum for state-wide action next year in Maryland and other states.”

“The coalition made progress in narrowing Montgomery County’s harmful youth wage exemption, and state lawmakers should finish the job and guarantee the full $15 wage for younger workers—many of whom are from low-income families or are struggling to work their way through two or four-year colleges – and tipped workers.”