Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke said yesterday that he supported a plan to boost the minimum wage for janitors, groundskeepers and other service workers employed by private contractors at Baltimore facilities.
But he cautioned that a financial crisis could prevent the raise, which would take effect in mid-1995.
"The understanding is that there has to be sufficient money for the raise to occur. No one wants us to take from other needed programs," Mr. Schmoke said after reaching a compromise over the measure.
On Oct. 31, the City Council passed legislation setting a minimum hourly wage of $6.10 for such service workers. Most of those employees now are paid the federally set minimum wage of $4.25 an hour.
Mr. Schmoke long ago said he supported the concept, but he threatened to veto the council measure because it specified the raise. Setting wages, he said, was the responsibility of the city Board of Estimates, which must consider city finances.
The compromise reached yesterday will send the measure back to the council. Amendments will remove the specific wage amount, while preserving the goal of incrementally improving the service workers' minimum wage to $7.70 within four years.
If the amended measure is approved by the council tomorrow night, the Board of Estimates will pass a resolution committing it to a requirement that companies winning service contracts after July 1, 1995 pay employees on city jobs at least $6.10 an hour.
Mr. Schmoke said it is understood that setting the higher minimum wage will depend on the city having enough money to pay the added cost of contracting with companies required to pay higher wages.
The mayor's earlier opposition to council's legislation had put him at odds with one of his usual supporters, Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD). The group has been campaigning for better wages for service workers, both in the public and private sectors.
"We are fairly confident that this agreement will work," BUILD spokeswoman Kathleen O'Toole said yesterday.
Mr. Schmoke said, "I agree with BUILD that if you work for a living you shouldn't be poor. Any minimum wage should always raise people above poverty."