This July, Maryland’s minimum wage increased from $9.25 to $10.10 and will gradually increase every July until 2022. The bill was put into place by delegate Jeffery Waldstreicher, a Montgomery County Democrat who outlined the bill before a House committee back in 2017. The raise of minimum wage will eventually reach a historic high of $15.00 an hour. In Montgomery County, wages were increased to $12.25 for employers that had 51 or more employees and $12.00 for employers with 50 or less employees.

    The same goes for employees that are tipped. If an employee is earning more than $30 in tips a month, they must earn the minimum wage per hour. This means that employers must pay employees $3.65 per hour and plus tips and must equal the states minimum wage requirement.

    As for amusement and recreational establishments, employers must pay at least 85% of the minimum wage rate or $7.25 per hour. Whichever is higher, employers must pay that wage to employees.

    Overtime for employees, which is 40 hours per week, must be paid through time and a half of their usual rate. Where it gets interesting is overtime for certain establishments such as bowling ally’s, institutions that provide on-site health care to the sick, the aged or individuals with disabilities can only receive overtime pay after 48 hours of work per week. For agricultural work it is even more where employers must pay overtime after 60 hours of work per week.

    If you want to learn about the different minimum wage laws that are affecting Maryland employees, visit https://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/wages/wagehrfacts.shtml for more information.