Economic Justice

Maryland Wage and Hour Law – Prohibited Acts of Employers – Adverse Action (HB 1130):

In our difficult economy, many companies are refusing to pay their low-wage hourly workers, especially food service workers, landscapers, construction workers, and house cleaners. And too often when an employee asks for their unpaid wages, the employer retaliates by threatening the worker, cutting their hours or giving them the midnight shift to intimidate them and send a message to other workers. Public interest law clinics have seen a huge uptick in such cases. So I introduced and passed HB 1130, which provides workers protection from being fired or punished simply for making a complaint to their employer or the Department of Labor. The Republican leader of the House tried to gut the bill with floor amendments, but they were voted down after our floor debate. This bill is another long-overdue step towards providing working families the legal protections they deserve.

Labor and Employment – “Right to Work” (SB 660):

Collective bargaining rights are under attack across the nation, and Maryland is no exception. SB 660 proposed to make Maryland a ‘right-to-work’ state, which would have driven down wages and threatened our economy, which is stronger than in most states. Thankfully, we were able to kill this bill in my committee, the House Economic Matters Committee, but we must do our best to ensure that legislation like this is never passed. If you’re interested in this issue, watch me debate former Republican leader Senator Alan Kittleman, the bill’s sponsor, on State Circle TV below.

Watch the full episode. See more State Circle.