Maryland Gov. Moore announces $18 minimum wage for some BWI workers
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced an executive action Monday that increases the minimum wage to $18 an hour for direct state contract employees at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).
Moore chose the Labor Day holiday to make the announcement, which came during an address at the State House in Annapolis. The governor was joined by union leaders representing the 32BJ SEIU organization, along with workers and Maryland's Secretary of Transportation Katie Thomson.
Moore said his address aimed to celebrate workers across the state on Labor Day. But he noted the event represented an ironic situation.
"The truth is that all across Maryland, there are countless union members that are currently on the job as we speak, on Labor Day," he said, especially pointing to nurses, firefighters, EMTs and first responders.
Moore explained that the new minimum wage requirement, which he said was to take effect immediately, will affect BWI workers who hold direct contracts with the Maryland Aviation Administration. This accounts for about 120 workers, including security guards, custodians, groundskeepers and wheelchair agents.
"I am directing the Maryland Department of Transportation to make sure that no airport worker under a direct contract with the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) is paid less than $18 an hour," said Moore.
Some workers struggle on current wages
Kiera Barnes is a wheelchair agent at BWI and said she has to stretch her money every day to take care of her four children.
"Our $17 per hour rate is barely above the state's minimum wage and is nowhere near what I need to properly take care of my four children as a single mother," Barnes said.
The state said BWI handles 69,000 passengers daily, with more than 650 flight operations, generating $11 billion in economic impact per year.
According to a recent SmartAsset study, a single Marylander needs nearly $108,000 to live comfortably. For a family of four, that number jumps to more than $257,000.
JP Krahel, an accounting professor at Loyola University Maryland, says increasing the minimum wage for groups of workers could offset inflation impacts.
"Increasing the wages for people may increase inflation a little bit, but it increases people's ability to deal with that inflation a lot," Krahel added. "There's a lot of jobs that society needs but we aren't willing to pay enough for. If prices are skyrocketing and wages are not, that increasing gap is going to cause increasing problems."
Additional action aims to cover indirect contract workers
Moore said the change would "raise the wage floor for roughly 120 contractor positions" at BWI. However, he added that "hundreds of other BWI workers" are employed through other contractors.
For those workers, Moore said when the Maryland General Assembly returns for its 2027 legislative session, his administration plans to introduce new emergency legislation to extend and reform the Secure Maryland Wage Act, which expires at the end of this year.
He said the emergency measure is designed "to create a pathway to raising the minimum wage for indirect contract workers at BWI Airport by reforming and extending the Secure Maryland Wage Act."
He also said he is commissioning a study from Salisbury University to learn more about what workers are earning and the challenges they are facing.
Moore: Wage increase to help keep BWI "competitive"
"To keep BWI competitive, we believe that employers that serve the airport must make a meaningful increase to its minimum wage with annual increases and paid leave for employees covered by the Secure Maryland Wage Act," Moore said. "Employers must also provide covered airport workers with a health and welfare supplement to ensure these workers have a path to receive quality, employer-paid health insurance."
Maryland Transportation Secretary Thomson called BWI "one of the backbones of Maryland's economy."
"Investing in valuable assets -- like our dedicated airport workers -- is a core focus for the department and will strengthen BWI Marshall's competitive edge as we continue to add new services and improve the existing experience for residents and visitors alike," she said.
