December 6th, 2019 by WCBC Radio

Although the battle was ultimately lost- Allegany County Chamber of Commerce executive director Stu Czapski said that the coordinated effort on the part of businesses in Western Maryland and the chamber opposing the proposed increase in the minimum wage was among the highlights of the past year. In April, Maryland became just  sixth state to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Speaking during the Chamber’s Annual Business Meeting Thursday afternoon at the Cumberland Country Club, Czapski said the minimum wage issue was vitally important to the region given the proximity to neighboring state’s that do not mandate such a high level of compensation for workers. That puts many local businesses at a competitive disadvantage. Czapski said the fact that many business owners and chamber representatives actually took the time to testify and lobby against the legislation in Annapolis was unprecedented…