Stand up for $15 an hour

When it comes to improving pay and benefits for low-wage workers, The Sun puts its faith in the magic of the free market (“No to $15 an hour in Baltimore,” Feb. 7). The editorial against a $15 minimum wage calls for the city to do exactly nothing for underpaid residents of the city. We are too poor to raise the minimum wage, the argument goes, but let’s not do anything to help those who are struggling.

Well, we’ve been waiting too long for someone to help our workers. Almost half of all households in the city make less than what is required for a basic “survival” budget, according to a recent study by the United Way, and 22 percent of households live in poverty with another 23 percent in precarious financial conditions. These are security guards, teachers’ aides, cooks and health care workers — the people who make our city go.

Legislation pending in the Baltimore City Council would establish a minimum wage of $15 by the year 2022, and it has support from 11 of 15 members. The bill would mean that nearly 100,000 workers in Baltimore would benefit from higher wages, lifting families out of poverty and reducing reliance on public assistance programs.

The bill makes major compromises to business concerns. Under this bill, small businesses would have nearly 10 years to increase wages from the current $8.75 to $15 — a decade! The bill also does not provide a raise for tipped workers, which will increase economic inequality that falls heaviest on women and people of color. And young adults under the age of 21 would also not be covered, an unfair penalty for many Baltimoreans trying to support themselves and build good lives.

Many low-wage workers are not happy with these exemptions, but we consider the bill a step in the right direction.

Let’s face facts: there is a war on working people. Union protections are being eroded while corporate profits have soared. Our new president has said wages are “too high,” and his Republican colleagues have no interest in hiking the minimum wage. And even the Affordable Care Act, a godsend to many low-wage workers, is under assault.

If you’re a working person in Baltimore making minimum wage, it’s fair to ask: Does anyone care about my future?

We are thankful that a strong majority of the City Council does indeed care and is standing up for working people with a fair, reasonable and livable minimum wage.