A Prince George’s County committee discussed a bill Monday that would align minimum wage with the cost of living.
The county’s minimum wage currently stands at $15 an hour after the most recent Maryland legislation took effect in January. If the bill is implemented, the county could see a $15.45 to $15.60 minimum wage next year, according to District 1 council member Thomas Dernoga.
The bill — discussed by the government operations and fiscal policy committee — would take into account the estimated three to four percent consumer price index increase in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area next year.
“We’ve got tens of thousands of people in the county making substandard wages who are falling further and further behind,” Dernoga, the bill’s sponsor, said.
Ana Fajardo, a housekeeper from Langley Park, said she is only paid $13 an hour and often has nothing left in her wallet to support her four children. Fajardo pushed council members to support the legislation and hold those who are not properly paying employees accountable.
“I am here representing workers like myself, essential workers, asking for a dignified and livable wage,” Fajardo said in Spanish through a translator. “Sometimes we have to decide on what food we’re gonna put on a table, just basic needs. So I’m here uplifting their voice today as well.”
District 7 council member Krystal Oriadha, who supports the bill, explained that it could help the county save money on social services as residents become self-sufficient with higher wages.
“Just imagine if they didn’t need additional money for rent, they didn’t need additional money for food, they didn’t need additional money for healthcare,” Oriadha said.
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Council vice-chair Sydney Harrison expressed that while he believes workers deserve the increased compensation, the committee needs to consider the high cost of the bill. The bill would cost the county approximately $1.3 million dollars by fiscal year 2027, policy analyst David Noto said.
“From my heart, the [bill’s] intentionality I want to support, but at the same token, I think we need some more time to dot some Is and cross some Ts,” Harrison said.
Harrison took note of the county’s high number of small businesses and how they may not be able to afford the minimum wage increase.
Research from the University of California Berkeley reported these concerns may be overblown, Noto cited. The 2023 study claimed increased wages could help small businesses retain new employees, leading to less job vacancies.
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District 5 council member Jolene Ivey voiced concerns with the county’s upcoming budget and lack of flexibility this fiscal year. She noted that a statewide increase may be a better fiscal option for the county.
The bill passed unanimously in committee and will be heard by the county council at a later date.
If passed, the bill would follow Montgomery County’s minimum wage increase, which rose to $17.15 in July under a similar 2017 bill that aligned the minimum wage with the CPI.
“The impetus behind this bill is to tell the state, ‘Montgomery County is doing it, Prince George’s County is doing it, you need to get on board,’” Dernoga said.
