Minimum Wage Up To $15 For Large Businesses In Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Minimum wage is now $15 in Montgomery County for large businesses. The change went into effect on July 1 as part of a multi-year plan to get the minimum to $15 per hour countywide, a goal that the county is expected to reach next year.

Medium employers now must pay $14 per hour and small employers must pay $13.50. "Large" employers have 51 or more employees, medium have between 11 and 5o employees generally, and small employers have under 1o or fewer employees.

Wages are critical to societal function, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said at a news conference. They are what allow people to pay for child care and what can allow people to work just one job, he said.

"People who work deserve to earn a decent wage," said Elrich in a news release. "This will help them earn enough to put a roof over their heads, feed their families and not have to choose between putting food on the table and medical visits. A decent wage is the path to more opportunity and improved equity.”

The wage plan was signed into law in 2017, when Elrich was a county councilor. Employees age 18 and under who work under 20 hours per week are exempt from the county's minimum wage rate, according to a county news release. Businesses are required to pay them at least 85 percent of the State minimum wage rate.

In the future, wages will rise according to the inflation index, Elrich said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. Smaller businesses will rise by 1 percent until they also reach $15 per hour.

“I was proud to champion the increase in minimum wage when I was a County council member and pleased to see that it is finally reached $15 per hour for large employers,” said Elrich in the release. “Montgomery County has been at the forefront of minimum wage policies and this increase will not just help those earning minimum wages but will also increase wages for all hourly workers throughout the County."

Read the full minimum wage plan here.

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