Living Wage Howard County

12/19/2024

Our schools need our support. Join our movement to fund the schools that our children deserve.

Teachers are tired. I came across these words this morning in a social media discussion about a school lockdown. (Not local) I knew immediat...

05/04/2023

Sign this petition and urge the Howard County Council to increase funding initiatives for housing-related initiatives in 2024.

Tens of thousands of Howard County families are struggling. Punitively high rents, caused by a scarcity of affordable rental housing, are crushing the ability of many families to thrive. Homeownership opportunities have largely disappeared for families earning moderate or low incomes -- including ma...

04/18/2023

12/15/2021

Thank you Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and everyone who supported this bill. 🎉

On Monday Howard County Executive Calvin Ball signed council bill 82-2021, legislation that will raise the minimum wage in the county to $16 per hour by 2026.

12/08/2021

"Kelly Klinefelter Lee, chairperson of Living Wage Howard County, said the bill’s passage was a 'significant first step toward economic justice for Howard County’s low-wage frontline workers.' She is pleased that the bill included the requirement that the council review and discuss the minimum wage and cost of living every four years."

The Living Wage Howard County coalition is so excited about the passage of CB82-2021 and is appreciative of the hard work of all coalition members in advocating for this historic legislation. 👏

The county’s minimum wage is set to rise to $16 per hour by 2026 after the Howard County Council voted 4-1 on Tuesday in support of legislation introduced by members Opel Jones and Christiana Rigby.County Executive Calvin Ball will decide whether to sign the bill into law, making Howard the county...

12/07/2021

Living Wage Howard County celebrates the passage of CB82-2021 as a significant first step toward economic justice for Howard County’s low-wage frontline workers. The bill raises the minimum wage for most employees to $15/hr in 2023 and $16/hr in 2025, putting $161 million in the pockets of 40,000 workers over the next five years, and this will help folks feed their families, care for their kids, and save for a rainy day. Additionally, the bill guarantees an annual adjustment of the minimum wage to the local Consumer Price Index beginning on January 1, 2027, allowing our lowest-paid frontline workers paychecks to keep up with inflation. CB82 will benefit 25% of all Howard County’s workers, including 30% of all working women, 33% of the county’s Black workers, 51% of all Latinx workers, 25% of the county’s Asian and Pacific Islander workers, and 75% or all workers in low-income families. Additionally, CB82 will help our local businesses by making it easier to hire and retain workers.

The Living Wage Howard County coalition is grateful to Council Chair Opel Jones and Council Vice Chair Christiana Rigby for their leadership in writing and sponsoring CB-82, and to Councilpersons Liz Walsh and Deb Jung for voting for the bill.

While this is a great step forward, it’s not enough. The Living Wage Howard County coalition continues to grow. Just today, we welcomed another major organizational partner. We will continue to seek new partners and educate our community about the benefits to our neighborhoods, schools, families, and businesses of providing a living wage to all workers. And we guarantee this – we will continue to advocate for further increases to the minimum wage in Howard County until every worker is paid a living wage.

12/06/2021

‼️ Nearly 40,000 Howard County workers are counting on a stronger minimum wage to help their families thrive rather than just survive. The County Council must vote YES on CB82-2021 tonight to ensure a better future for these workers! ‼️

11/17/2021

Way to go, Dan and Kelly! 👏

The Howard County Council decided Monday night to split the public hearing on a bill to gradually increase the county’s minimum wage to $16 by allowing those in person to speak and rescheduling the virtual speakers to present Wednesday evening.

11/16/2021

Yep.

11/15/2021

Support CB82-2021!

11/07/2021

Tell the County Council to pass CB82-2021! Visit livingwagehoco.org and smash that red button! 🛑