Living Wage
Montgomery County's Living Wage Law
In the summer of 2002, Montgomery County, the state's largest jurisdiction, enacted Progressive Maryland's living wage bill. This law requires big, for-profit contractors with the county to pay workers on those contracts $10.50 per hour - i.e., enough to raise a family above the federal poverty line. It is estimated that the law will lift 3,000 residents of Montgomery County out of poverty. Councilmember Phil Andrews sponsored the legislation which passed with a bipartisan 8-1 margin. County Executive Doug Duncan immediately signed it into law, marking the culmination of a three-year lobbying effort led by Progressive Maryland, during which our organizers knocked on 70,000 doors countywide and staged numerous forums and demonstrations to build public support for this commonsense legislation.
