BALTIMORE — Wednesday night, some security guards working in Baltimore City buildings testified in front of the Labor and Workforce Committee in support of a bill for better wages and benefits.
WATCH: Baltimore security officers advocate for wage bill
It's something Tisha Burell said is not a want but a need.
"As security guards, we put our lives on the line every day just to ensure that residents and businesses stay safe, so I feel like we should be paid what we deserve to be paid," Burell said.
The bill would increase pay to match either the average wage earned in large commercial buildings or the federal standard.
Right now, federally contracted security officers in Baltimore make $18.29 an hour with a $5.55 per hour health and welfare supplement.
Workers are also entitled to two to four weeks of vacation and eleven paid holidays per year.
Security officers in Baltimore earn around $15.80 an hour.
Tisha said that the wage is even harder to stretch as a single mom.
"We gotta choose, can we pay this bill, do we have to pay that bill? Then, when you have children, it's how do we celebrate holidays, how do we keep flow going in our households for our children?"
Security guard Laura Dixon told WMAR 2 News that she can't afford healthcare on her low wages.
"My knees are aching, so I really need this healthcare so I can get this surgery. I'll be 60 Monday, and I'm trying to live 60 more years," Dixon said.
But not everyone supports the bill as written.
A representative from the city's finance department says the bills' implementation would result in high recurring costs for the city that are currently un-budgeted.
A representative for the Maryland Hotel and Lodging Association told the committee the bill would hurt small hotels.
"We had concerns that the bill was far-reaching and broad. The bill will especially impact smaller hotels that will be forced to absorb additional costs," he said.
There was no vote on the bill on Wednesday.
If passed, the minimum wage standard would take effect on January 1st, 2027.
