Johns Hopkins commits to $15 minimum wage for all employees

Johns Hopkins University and Health System, collectively the largest private employer in Maryland, announced today that it will accelerate adoption of a $15 minimum wage across the enterprise.

The change would take effect beginning July 1 for employees of the university and Jan. 1, 2022, for employees of the health system, with the timing for some health system employees dependent on the schedule of collective bargaining agreements. The changes come well ahead of the phased timeline established by the Maryland General Assembly in 2019 as part of a statewide $15 minimum wage bill.

"Johns Hopkins' success is tied to the success of our people," Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels, Johns Hopkins Medicine CEO Paul B. Rothman, and Johns Hopkins Health System President Kevin Sowers wrote in a message to the Hopkins community today. "Adopting the $15 minimum wage this year recognizes the hard work and commitment that each and every employee makes to our mission, and the importance of ensuring that our valued employees have opportunities to improve their well-being and that of their families."

The university and health system employ more than 60,000 people in Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; and Florida. Hopkins has already taken steps to bring many workers' hourly pay up to the $15 level, including contract food service workers at the Homewood campus and security personnel enterprisewide. The change announced today would apply to the rest of the Hopkins workforce, including casual and temporary workers, student workers in hourly positions, and all other full-time, on-campus contract workers.

The increase, which is expected to directly benefit more than 6,000 workers in Maryland, comes in advance of the 2025 target date for statewide adoption of a $15 minimum wage in Maryland for businesses with at least 15 employees. Employees at All Children's Hospital in Florida will move to a $15 minimum wage on Jan. 1, five years ahead of Florida's schedule. Washington, D.C., is already at a $15 minimum wage.

This change exemplifies Johns Hopkins' broader, ongoing commitment to increasing opportunities in the communities of which it is a part through the local hiring, purchasing, and contracting goals set through HopkinsLocal. Over the past five years, the university and health system have hired more than 1,900 people from Baltimore neighborhoods with limited economic opportunities, far in excess of the institution's stated goals.

"Raising our minimum wage will allow us to further deepen the impact of our HopkinsLocal efforts, with benefits for families and neighborhoods across our local economies," Daniels, Rothman, and Sowers wrote. "We hope that this investment helps our city and state take a tangible step toward healthier and more equitable communities."