The Maryland legislature overrode Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto Thursday to pass a $15 minimum wage law. The state is, the Washington Post reports, the first state below the Mason-Dixon line to pass such a law, and the sixth overall. It’s also the third state this year, which looks a little something like momentum—or the aftereffects of a blue wave.
Hogan’s veto was easily overridden, despite his attempt at a compromise of an ultimate minimum wage of $12.10 by 2022. The new law isn’t without its compromises, though: Tipped workers will still get a drastically lower minimum wage, and businesses with fewer than 15 employees will have until July 2026 to reach $15.
Around 573,000 Maryland workers will get a raise, according to the National Employment Law Project. Maryland follows California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. And none of those states would have taken this step if fast-food workers hadn’t gotten out in front and organized and demanded something more than was considered politically realistic.