By Doug Cunningham

Maryland’s governor is about to sign the nation’s first state law requiring contractors to pay workers a living wage. After an energetic campaign by labor, civil rights activists and religious leaders the state legislature passed the law requiring service contractors doing business with the state of Maryland $11.30 an hour in urban areas and $8.50 an hour in rural areas. The legislature passed a living wage law in 2004 but it was vetoed by the then-Republican governor. A Democrat replaced him so the living wage law will not be blocked.

By Doug Cunningham

The future of state fair share health care laws has been dealt a serious blow by a Maryland court ruling this week against the landmark Maryland law. The law targeted Wal-Mart by forcing it to pay 8 percent of payroll into a health insurance fund unless it provided better health insurance for its workers. But the U.S. Court of Appeals in Baltimore ruled that that law violates the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act by forcing companies to abide by different state regulations on health plans rather than the single federal standard. So it’s back to the drawing board for states that want to force Wal-Mart to provide health insurance for its workers instead of forcing them onto state Medicaid rolls.

By Doug Cunningham

Workers at the Catholic News Service says they don't want to give up defined benefit pensions or the right to bargain over them. The news service is owned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Paul Reilly is with the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild representing the workers. He says there's often a gulf between Catholic social doctrine supporting workers and the real life behavior toward labor at Catholic institutions.

[Paul Reilly]: "Well, unfortunately the U.S. Catholic Church - the various dioceses - sometimes talk better than they actually act."

Workers at the Catholic News Service haven't had a contract since January. New talks are supposed to happen this week. The union says management at the Catholic News Service insists on having language in the contract giving them the right to terminate or reduce pensions.

By Jesse Russell

The Maryland legislature voted to override Governor Robert Erhlich's veto of a bill intended to require large employers to pay a minimum amount of employee health care. Under the Fair Share Health Care Act corporations with more than 10,000 employees in the state will need to spend at least 8 percent of payroll on employee health benefits. The other option is paying the difference to the Maryland Medicaid fund to offset the burden on taxpayers. Similar legislation is currently winding its way through the legislatures of at least 30 other states.

By Doug Cunningham

In a win for workers Maryland's legislature has overridden the governor's veto of a bill requiring Wal-Mart to either pay more for its employees health care or pay into a state fund providing insurance to low income families. Similar efforts are underway in 30 states.

Maryland will soon be the first state in the nation to tax Walmart for failing to provide adequate health insurance coverage for its workers.

Versions of The Fair Share Health Care Act have passed both the Maryland House and Senate but the bill has not yet made it through both houses. Since Walmart employees often qualify for state health care programs for low income uninsured workers, the state wants Walmart to stop shifting the cost of its workers health care to taxpayers. Anne Healey, a Democrat in Maryland's House of Delegates, is chief sponsor of the bill.

[Anne Healey 1]: "Maryland has always been a progressive state. I think this is cutting edge. And it's very important. And if we can succeed with this in Maryland it can be a model for the whole country."