The time for action is now! As early as tomorrow (Thursday, April 5, 2018), legislative leaders will vote on LD 1757, An Act to Protect Maine's Economy by Slowing the Rate at Which the State's Minimum Wage Will Increase as Amended by the Senate.
LD 1757
is currently tabled in the House of Representatives. It is imperative that you
contact to your legislators
and urge them to support the RECEDE and CONCUR MOTION on LD 1757.
With your help, we will stabilize the rate of minimum wage increase to a more manageable pace and provide much needed cost stability for our small businesses.
It's easy and fast ~ and could make the difference
when it comes time for legislators to vote!
What the AMENDED BILL does NOT do:
- It does not rollback the minimum wage increases approved at the ballot box in 2016.
- It does not take away anything from workers that was not approved by the voters.
- It does not establish a youth training wage.
What the AMENDED BILL does do:
- The minimum wage will still increase to $12 per hour.
- The minimum wage will continue to increase each year thereafter with automatic indexing.
- It keeps faith with the "will of the voters" by maintaining minimum wage increases over time.
- It does give our small businesses - particularly our rural small businesses - more time to implement the increases to $12 per hour.
- The minimum wage will still increase on January 1, 2019.
- LD 1757 as amended does slow down - but NOT rollback nor stop - the rate of minimum increases in our state.
- Instead of a $1 increase in 2019 and another $1 in 2020, the minimum wage would increase by 50 cents in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 when Maine's minimum wage would reach the voter approved $12 an hour rate.
- The indexing of the minimum wage is untouched by the amended bill. Indexing would begin in Maine after the last statutorily approved increase in 2022.
Why are these changes needed?
- In the past 13 months, wage and hour costs for our rural small businesses have gone up $2.50 an hour - a 33% increase.
- In total, the minimum wage in our state will increase nearly 60% over the previous $7.50 an hour when it reaches $12 per hour.
- This is a substantial amount for a small employer to absorb and work into their business model effectively.
- The committee took more than 7 hours of testimony from small businesses across Maine, all of whom asked for some relief.
- Failing to give them this relief will result - in their own words - to fewer hours available for employees to work, fewer workers in their businesses due to either not hiring or layoffs, and business closures.
- LD 1757 will help employers catch their breath, adjust their business models, and give them time to be innovative in order to meet a certain increase in the cost of doing business.
Points to Remember:
Under 1757 as amended, Maine's minimum wage will still be $12 an hour.
The minimum wage will still be indexed.
The legislature will still be following the "will of the voters."
