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$15 minimum wage passes out of Baltimore City Council Labor Committee

Posted at 4:16 PM, Jul 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-28 18:10:54-04

The Baltimore City Council Labor Committee approved a gradual increase to the city's minimum wage Thursday. 

If the measure is approved by the full City Council, which is scheduled to vote on it Aug. 8, workers in Baltimore could look forward to a $15 an hour minimum wage by July 2022.

According to Fight for $15 Baltimore, a local group of an international organization that fights for an increase in the minimum wage, nearly 100,000 workers in Baltimore would benefit from the increased wage.

The minimum wage in Maryland is $8.75, a full $1.50 higher than the federal minimum wage. The General Assembly passed a bill in 2014 that will raise Maryland's minimum wage to $10.10 by July 2018. 

The bill that passed committee also includes a provision that the minimum wage will continue to rise with inflation, even after $15 an hour is reached in 2022. 

Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke said she was "proud" to bring the bill to the full council, and that she's expecting a positive outcome, according to Fight for $15 Baltimore.

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