For Immediate Release:
January 22, 2015

Contacts: 
Brian Bittner, Chair, 443-449-4159

The Maryland Green Party supports House Bill 4 - to immediately raise the state's minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.

The state's minimum wage would otherwise increase in phases, not reaching $10.10 until July 1, 2018.

The Green Party supports a $10.10 minimum wage as a necessary but insufficient starting point for fair pay of all Maryland workers. The party supports an immediate additional minimum wage increase to $15 per hour and an ultimate establishment of a state-wide living wage, which may be higher than $15 per hour in some areas.

The Green Party's platform calls for "Social Security for All" (a universal basic income or basic income guarantee) granted to all citizens regardless of health or employment. Such a program would allow all individuals to afford basic food and shelter.

The Green Party's key value of economic justice states that it is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. The party believes that a successful economic system will offer meaningful work with dignity, while paying a "living wage" which reflects the real value of a person's work.

More Information:

Maryland Green Party
http://www.mdgreens.org
410-691-3204