Md. Gov. Wes Moore raises minimum wage to $18 for some BWI airport workers

The immediate $1-an-hour raise covers workers under direct state contracts, while hundreds of others remain outside current wage protections.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has ordered an immediate increase in the minimum wage for workers directly contracted by the Maryland Aviation Administration at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), setting the floor at $18 an hour.

Moore announced the change on Labor Day alongside Maryland Transportation Secretary Katie Thomson and leaders of 32BJ SEIU. The directive to the Maryland Department of Transportation covers workers employed through direct MAA contracts and is aimed at some of the airport’s lowest-paid employees.

The move represents a $1-an-hour increase for workers who had been earning $17 under the existing wage structure. WJLA reported that the affected workforce includes support staff whose jobs are essential to BWI’s daily operations, including employees involved in passenger assistance, cleaning and airport security.

But the announcement also exposed a larger gap in BWI’s wage protections.

Moore said he plans to introduce emergency legislation when the 2027 Maryland legislative session begins to extend the Secure Maryland Wage Act. The law, enacted in 2021, provided wage protections for certain MAA contract workers but did not cover an estimated 700 to 800 BWI employees whose employers contract indirectly with the state agency.

The proposed changes would seek to create a pathway for those workers to receive stronger wage protections, while also addressing benefits. Moore said the administration wants covered airport employers to provide annual wage increases, paid leave and a health and welfare supplement that could help workers obtain employer-paid health insurance.

The distinction matters: the $18 wage is an immediate policy change, while extending similar protections to the excluded workers still depends on action by the General Assembly.

Moore framed the broader effort as both a worker-support measure and an economic competitiveness issue for BWI. The airport is one of Maryland’s major transportation and employment hubs, making the availability and retention of its support workforce a significant concern for state officials.

32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich welcomed the wage increase but said the union would continue pressing for broader protections covering the workers who remain outside the current law.