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ANNAPOLIS (February 10, 2005) – Delegate Herman L.
Taylor Jr knows what it’s like to grow up poor. His mother raised three
children by herself, including a daughter with a mental retardation. She
did it by working double shifts as an admitting clerk at the Washington
Hospital Center.
Now a member of the House of Delegates and former
president and founder of Deskmate Office Products, Del. Taylor says he
hasn’t forgotten his mother’s hard work toiling for her family in a
low-paying job. There are plenty of people like her who are just as
dedicated, but who still can’t make ends meet, he said.
That’s why the Montgomery County Democrat is one of the
chief sponsors of a bill that would raise the minimum wage in Maryland.
The effort is being strongly endorsed by the Maryland Catholic
Conference (MCC), which represents the state’s Catholic bishops in
Annapolis.
“When you talk about the poor, you are talking about
people who are working two and sometimes three jobs,” said Del. Taylor.
“There’s this mindset out there that minimum wage workers are kids at
Burger King,” he adds. “The truth is that the bulk of these people are
adults.”
While the details of the bill are still being worked
out, the Catholic Conference is supporting an increase in the minimum
wage over the next two years, along with a measure that would
automatically provide an annual cost of living adjustment.
The current minimum wage stands at $5.15 an hour, the
minimum required of the federal government. Because the federal
government has not increased the minimum wage since 1997, 14 states
(including Delaware and the District of Columbia) have recently provided
their own adjustments.
The minimum wage has lost more than 12 percent of its
buying power in the last eight years. A minimum wage worker currently
makes $8,000 below the poverty level for a family of four. Many
immigrants also depend on minimum wage jobs. The minimum wage level
cannot even bring someone to the poverty level at this point. We need to
ensure that the most vulnerable are protected.
Del. Taylor said that it’s in the interest of businesses
and workers alike to increase minimum wage. A low minimum wage does
nothing more then force workers to take on more jobs than they can
handle, which affects their health and productivity, he says.
“If you don’t have healthy employees who can take care
of their families, how can they help sell your products?”
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