Increases in the county’s minimum wages, which will vary by type of employer, will go into effect on July 1.
The number of workers employed by each business determines the new wage level.
The county’s minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour for employers with 51 or more employees, $14 per hour for employers with 50 or fewer employees.
There is an exemption for small businesses, with 10 of fewer employees; that wage will rise to $13.50 per hour.
“I was proud to champion the increase in minimum wage when I was a County council member and pleased to see that it is finally reached $15 per hour for large employers,” Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, who as a councilmember sponsored the 2017 legislation, said in a press release. “People who work deserve to earn a decent wage. This will help them earn enough to put a roof over their heads, feed their families and not have to choose between putting food on the table and medical visits. A decent wage is the path to more opportunity and improved equity.”
Businesses with employees who are age 18 and under, and work less than 20 hours per week, are exempt from the new rate. However, those workers must be paid at least 85 percent of the state minimum wage rate, currently $11.75 an hour, with some exceptions.
The county’s minimum wage will go up again on July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023.
More information about the minimum wage increase is available online.
Photo: “Syracuse Rally to RaiseUpNY” by citizenactionny is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Rallies in recent years have been effective in influencing jurisdictions to raise minimum wages.
The #minimumwage will again increase in Montgomery County on Thursday, July 1. The number of workers employed by a business will determine the amount of the increase each year until it reaches $15 per hour in 2022. Details: https://t.co/mX66jCmawR pic.twitter.com/MDI3UDcN5m
— Montgomery County MD (@MontgomeryCoMD) June 28, 2021