Organizers seeking to preserve collective bargaining rights for Salisbury city employees say they have submitted thousands of petition signatures to the city, marking the next step in an effort that could eventually put the issue before voters.

Maryland’s minimum wage is $15 an hour, but business owners on the Lower Shore are already watching a new round of proposals in Annapolis that could raise the statewide pay floor again, including a plan that would eventually push it to $25 an hour.

Rehoboth Beach commissioners and the city's police union have struck a three-year collective bargaining agreement.