News about current legislation affecting workplace rights before the U.S. Congress and the legislatures of all 50 states.
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Bill spells out hiring, firing role
Source: Jennifer Skalka, Baltimore Sun
Date: March 2, 2007
After a yearlong legislative inquiry, the Senate approved two watered-down bills that clarify
the hiring and firing authority of state agencies but do not reduce the number of at-will positions in Maryland
government. The Senate bills, which go next to the House Appropriations Committee, do not reduce the state's
approximately 6,000 at-will employees--one of the primary initial goals of many lawmakers.
Minimum wage raised in Maryland over veto
Source: John Wagner, Matthew Mosk, Washington Post
Date: January 18, 2006
Maryland lawmakers voted yesterday to raise the state's minimum wage by $1 an hour,
delivering a pay increase to more than 50,000 workers who toil on the bottom rung of the employment ladder. The
Senate voted 30 to 17 to override Gov. Ehrlich's veto of the legislation, which will in 30 days officially
increase the minimum wage in Maryland to $6.15 an hour. The House voted to override Ehrlich last week.
Democrats billed the passage of the wage bill, coupled with legislation approved last week requiring Wal-Mart
to spend more on employee health benefits, as a way to plant their party firmly on the side of working-class
voters. The governor, by contrast, wants to show his party's unyielding commitment to the business
community.
Unions hope Wal-Mart bill has momentum
Source: Amy Joyce, Matthew Mosk, Washington Post
Date: January 14, 2006
Labor will take its major victory from Maryland's health care vote this week to 31
other states, hoping to capitalize on anti-Wal-Mart sentiment and to build momentum in state legislatures
considering similar measures. Organized labor has a lot riding on this campaign. Companies that provide higher
pay and benefits under union contracts are battling lower-cost competitors here and abroad. The companies are
attempting to level the playing field by cutting back on pay and benefits, sometimes by filing for bankruptcy.
Labor is trying the opposite tack: making others pay more. That is why as various labor organizations are
splintered on many issues, they are united in their efforts to improve wages and benefits at Wal-Mart.
Md. legislature overrides veto on Wal-Mart bill
Source: John Wagner, Washington Post
Date: January 13, 2006
Maryland lawmakers bucked the will of the state's Republican governor yesterday, voting to
become the first state to effectively require that Wal-Mart spend more on employee health care. In a veto
reversal that was closely watched nationally, lawmakers voted largely along party lines for a measure that
legislatures in more than 30 states are considering replicating. The bill will require private companies with
more than 10,000 employees in Maryland to spend at least 8% of their payroll on employee health benefits or
make a contribution to the state's insurance program for the poor. Wal-Mart, which employs about 17,000
Marylanders, is the only known company of such size that does not meet that spending requirement.
Domestic workers rally for 'bill of rights'
Source: Steven Ginsberg, Washington Post
Date: October 31, 2005
More than 100 women and their supporters held what they called the "largest gathering in
the history of the United States" for domestic workers to gain backing for a measure that would require
employers to pay higher wages and provide other benefits. The event called on Montgomery County [Maryland]
Council members to pass a "bill of rights" for household workers that would require employers to pay a minimum
wage of $10.50 an hour and provide two days off a week if requested, health insurance, paid sick days and paid
holidays. The legislation also would forbid discrimination and retaliation against workers who complain that
[their] rights have been violated.
Ehrlich vetoes health care bill aimed at Wal-Mart
Source: John Wagner, Michael Barbaro, Washington Post
Date: May 20, 2005
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich vetoed legislation Thursday that would have effectively
forced Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to spend more on employee health benefits in Maryland, a measure that has unnerved
the retailing giant and prompted other states to consider similar approaches. The bill would have required
for-profit companies with more than 10,000 employees to spend 8 percent of their payroll on health care
benefits or to the state's health program for the poor. As written, Wal-Mart is the only known company
operating in Maryland that would be affected. Officially called the Fair Share Health Care Bill, the
legislation was commonly referred to as the "Wal-Mart bill" and drew national attention.
Minimum wage rise is OK'd by Md. Senate
Source: David Nitkin. Jamie Smith Hopkins, Baltimore Sun
Date: April 7, 2005
For the second straight day, the Maryland Senate approved legislation to help
low-income workers while dealing a blow to business interests, sending Gov. Robert Ehrlich a measure yesterday
that would raise the minimum wage by about 15 percent to $6.15 an hour. The bill--opposed by the governor--was
approved on a veto-proof 30-16 vote a day after the Senate adopted a plan to tax large companies that fail to
spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on health care for workers. Together, the measures either reinforce
Maryland's reputation as a progressive state where working-class values rule, or as a business purgatory where
liberal lawmakers run amok, depending on one's political bent.
Health care tax to target big employers
Source: David Nitkin, Baltimore Sun
Date: April 6, 2005
Maryland would become the first state to tax large companies that failed to meet a mandatory level of
employee health-care benefits under a bill approved yesterday by the state Senate. Under the Fair Share Health
Care Fund Act, for-profit companies with 10,000 or more workers would pay a levy to the state if they failed to
spend 8 percent of their payroll costs on health care. Gov. Robert Ehrlich has indicated that he would veto the
measure, and proponents are pledging a veto override attempt next year if necessary. The legislation was
adopted after three days of intense Senate debate during which lawmakers explored whether the responsibility
for health care for lower-income hourly wage earners is best borne by government or by the private sector.
Governor Urged to Sign Pay Bill
Source: David Nitkin, Chicago Tribune
Date: May 4, 2004
Small businesses would gain if Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. allows Maryland to become the first state in the
nation with a "living wage" requirement, minority business leaders said yesterday in urging the governor to
reconsider a pledge to veto the initiative. A minimum $10.50 wage for employees participating in state
contracts would provide more money for lower-class workers to spend, boosting the economy and offsetting costs
associated with the proposal, said business group leaders who gathered in Annapolis to support the legislation.
"When these workers take their paychecks home, they will spend money in the local community," said Arnold
Jolivet, president of the American Minority Contractors and Business Association. "There is no downside to the
living-wage bill."
Md. Senate Approves Living Wage
Source: Tim Craig, Washington Post
Date: April 8, 2004
The
Maryland Senate voted yesterday to make the state the first in the nation to require its large contractors to
pay employees more than double the federal minimum wage, delivering a veto-proof majority on the so-called
living-wage bill. The 30 to 15 vote came after several days of debate over whether Maryland can afford the
measure and warnings from Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s administration that it would cripple the state's
finances. At times, the debate grew personal as Republicans and Democrats argued whether the policy would help
or harm the working poor, including some of the contract employees that they see every day in the State House.
Workplace Smoking Ban Bill To Resurface in '04
Source: Associated Press, ABC News
Date: December 16, 2003
The new year is expected
to bring another push to ban smoking at indoor workplaces in Maryland. It's being billed as the Clean Indoor
Air Act. Supporters say it will protect the health of Maryland workers and save money that would have to be
spent to care for smokers covered by Medicaid.
