Mayor Pugh Vetoes $15 Minimum Wage Bill, Workers, Business Owners React

BALTIMORE (WJZ) --  The push to raise Baltimore city's minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour by 2022 hits a major roadblock. On Friday, Mayor Catherine Pugh announced she would not sign off on the measure.

The mayor says it was a decision she did not make lightly, but after consulting with a number of stakeholders and small businesses she's deciding to follow the state's lead when it comes to min wage.

"The economic impact that I think this has on the city making us the 'hole in the donut.' It is not appropriate at this time that I will sign this bill," says Mayor Pugh.

The mayor saying she believes the best course of action is to follow the state's lead, which calls for a minimum wage increase of $10.10 by 2018.

One business owner tells WJZ while it may not be a popular decision, it's the right one.

"We would have been forced to let go of a lot of our employees and people don't understand the demands that it is to the business owner," says Gail Furman with Max Taphouse in Fells Point.

This woman says she's seen first-hand the pros and cons of $15 dollars and hour.

"It's affecting my family and my brother. He's a barista and he said minimum wage the increase is really positive for him."

Those fighting for the increase tell WJZ it's a major blow to families who were counting on this to help make ends meet.

"We have high rates of poverty we have high rates of vacant homes and this is just one way we could have started to improve the lives of some of our city residents," says Ricarra Jones, 1199 SEIU Organizer.

The decision also coming as a surprise to some city council members to approved the raise by a vote of 11 to 3 earlier this week.

"We object that this bill which gave us such an opportunity to make a real difference has been put on the shelf through a veto," says Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke.

The question now becomes whether council members who initially supported the measure will vote to override the veto. The mayor says at this point it's a was a decision made with the interest of the people of the city in mind

"I'm just concerned that I must do what it right by the citizens of Baltimore as its Chief Executive Officer," says Mayor Pugh.

The mayor also noted some of the factors that went into the decision includes the school budget shortfall and unknown cost the of the DOJ consent decree. An override vote could come as early as mid-May.

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