Maryland lawmakers and labor advocates launched the Maryland Living Wage for All campaign Jan. 21, 2026, at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis, calling for a gradual increase in the state’s minimum wage to $25 per hour and the elimination of all sub-minimum wages, including those for tipped workers.
Delegate Adrian Boafo led at least six lawmakers at the rally, joined by workers, organizers and representatives from One Fair Wage. Supporters cited escalating costs of housing, food, healthcare and childcare across Maryland as the primary driver for the proposal. Saru Jayaraman, president and co-founder of One Fair Wage, told 7News, “We are experiencing the greatest increase in the cost of living over the shortest period of time in United States history.”
The campaign relies in part on new statewide polling by Gonzalez Research & Media Services, which found roughly two-thirds of Maryland voters support a significant minimum wage increase. The firm also gathered contact information from respondents to enable direct follow-up by lawmakers and advocates.
Organizers described the proposed $25 hourly wage as a phased-in adjustment over multiple years. The structure aims to allow employers adjustment time while tying worker pay, including for tipped employees, to the cost of living. The effort seeks to remove tiered wage structures that permit lower base pay for tipped positions.
Business owners expressed concerns about the scale of the increase. Chris Beck, owner of Twin Arch Tavern in Carroll County, said, “It’s such a huge increase that I’m concerned as to what it’s going to cause us to have to do with our prices whether we can continue to employ as many people as we do today, given the pressure that it’s going to put on us.”
Republican lawmakers and business groups argued the timing is premature, coming only two years after the most recent statewide minimum wage adjustment. Supporters, including Boafo, stated intent to advance the legislation during the current General Assembly session. Committee hearings in Annapolis are anticipated in the coming weeks.
In neighboring Washington, D.C., minimum wage policy has followed a different trajectory. The city’s minimum wage rose to $17.95 per hour in July 2025. The base wage for tipped workers remained lower, typically around $10 per hour, under a framework intended to phase out the tipped minimum by 2027 via Initiative 82. Earlier in 2025, the D.C. Council modified that schedule, freezing a planned increase and extending the tipped wage adjustment over a decade, resulting in a slower rise than initially set.
Labor advocates in D.C. are pursuing a separate ballot initiative to raise the city’s minimum wage to $25 per hour and fully eliminate the tipped wage by 2031. That effort requires signature collection to qualify for the ballot.
The Maryland proposal arrives amid ongoing debates over wage policy in the Mid-Atlantic region. Southern Maryland counties, including Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s, feature many small businesses in food service and retail that rely on tipped and entry-level workers. Any statewide change would directly affect employers and employees in these areas, where housing costs have risen sharply in recent years.
The campaign’s launch reflects broader national discussions on living wages, tipped wage structures and inflation’s impact on low- and moderate-income households. Maryland’s current minimum wage, established through prior legislation, serves as the baseline for the proposed multi-year escalation to $25.
No final legislative text has been introduced as of Jan. 21, 2026. The General Assembly session continues through early April, providing time for bill drafting, amendments and committee action.