ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today proclaimed September 4, 2023, as Labor Day in Maryland. The governor’s proclamation reinforces the Moore-Miller administration’s commitment to connecting all Marylanders with more opportunities to create work, wages, and wealth; promote support for unions and workers; and uplift Maryland’s working families.
“For Maryland to be strong, our middle class needs to be strong. And for our middle class to be strong, our unions need to be strong,” said Gov. Moore. “The reason I’m able to reach so high and see so far is because I stand on union shoulders. Our unions are the lynchpin of our economy and our communities and I want to make sure that our state lifts our unions and our workers up on our shoulders.”
Governor Moore last Thursday attended the annual Labor Day mass at St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring with 150 union members representing the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 24, Steamfitters Local 602, and the Montgomery County Police Department. The governor expressed solidarity and support, honoring the vital role organized labor has played throughout our nation’s history and acknowledging the critical role that Maryland’s workers play in making the state thrive.
The Moore-Miller administration is making this Maryland's decade by strengthening and supporting the state’s working families. During this past legislative session, Governor Moore signed the Fair Wage Act of 2023 into law, which raises the minimum wage in Maryland effective January 1, 2024. The acceleration brings the minimum wage up to $15 an hour two years ahead of schedule and will increase wages for approximately 163,000 workers, benefitting 120,000 children in Maryland.
The governor delivered on a major campaign promise by establishing a first-in-the-nation service year program through the SERVE Act, which will help promote service, job training and mentorship programs. Governor Moore also signed the Maryland Educator Shortage Reduction Act of 2023, which helps train, recruit, and retain highly-trained educators for Maryland schools and child care facilities and recruiting and retaining mental health professionals in schools.
Beyond legislative action, the governor announced major funding to support workforce development, including a $15 million commitment to minority-led small business lender Lendistry to provide relief to Maryland small businesses; $3.7 million to expand the Maryland Department of Labor’s Employment Advancement Right Now program; $5.8 million for Maryland nursing programs; and $6.6 million to help expand apprenticeships through the through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.
Job creation in Maryland remains one of the highest priorities for the Moore-Miller administration. Governor Moore and Lieutenant Governor Miller joined President Joe Biden early this year to celebrate the kickoff of the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program, which will generate up to 30,000 jobs in the Baltimore region, including 20,000 construction jobs. This past spring the governor also announced major offshore wind energy initiatives, including the construction of an offshore wind manufacturing yard at Sparrows Point in Baltimore at the location of the former Bethlehem Steel plant. The partnership between U.S Wind and Tradepoint Atlantic will create nearly 15,000 jobs and position Maryland to be the country’s leader in offshore wind production.
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