Nearly two years ago I decided to run for office with a goal of advancing policies that will help boost Maine’s rural economy, specifically in our corner of western Maine. Coincidentally, the same election that brought me to the state Senate also saw the narrow passage of a three-prong minimum wage referendum that we are […]
minimum wage
Posted inBusiness
Does the minimum wage really cost jobs?
Last summer, a paper on the effects of Seattle’s minimum-wage increase made national headlines with its conclusion: The change actually made low-income workers worse off, not better, because it forced employers to cut back on hiring and hours to afford paying higher wages. Although the finding contradicted years of research showing that the minimum wage […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine lawmakers to consider lowering minimum wage
AUGUSTA (AP) — A legislative panel will start considering a bill to soften the minimum wage hike approved by voters in 2016. Republicans and some business groups have pushed to reverse a law they argue will harm Maine’s economy in the long-term. Lawmakers last year agreed to remove the voter-approved minimum wage hike for tipped […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
GOP lawmakers trying to slow minimum-wage hikes
Maine’s minimum wage is set to go up to $10 an hour Jan. 1, even as Republican lawmakers push a proposal to slow future pay increases and allow young workers to be paid less. Supporters of minimum wage boosts say the measures have helped thousands of low-wage earners and predict any proposal to roll back wage […]
Posted inPerspective, sj-web
A sensible middle ground on pay
There’s bad news from Seattle for advocates of a $15-an-hour minimum wage law. Turns out the measure’s costs to the city’s low-wage workers have outweighed benefits by 3 to 1, according to a new city-commissioned study by University of Washington researchers. The average low-wage worker has lost $125 a month because of the higher-wage decree, […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Study of Seattle's $15 minimum wage says costs outweigh benefits
When Seattle officials voted three years ago to incrementally boost the city’s minimum wage up to $15 an hour, they’d hoped to improve the lives of low-income workers. Yet according to a major new study that could force economists to reassess past research on the issue, the hike has had the opposite effect. The city […]
Posted inLocal & State
Maine governor, many lawmakers at odds with 4 referendums
PORTLAND — Maine voters thought they approved sweeping changes to the state’s rules on marijuana, taxes, voting and the minimum wage when they went to the polls last year. But think again. The four referendums have hit roadblocks as Republican Gov. Paul LePage, the state Legislature and the courts have weighed in. The final rule […]
Posted inLocal & State
Maine Dems, GOP compromise on minimum wage for tipped workers
AUGUSTA — Maine Democrats have lined up to support a Republican’s bill to tweak the voter-approved minimum wage increase, while the parties are at odds over a measure to eliminate a new tax on the state’s highest earners. Supporters are cheering a legislative committee’s 11-2 vote Wednesday to recommend the minimum wage bill, which would […]
Posted inLocal & State
10 ways legislators want to change minimum wage law
A long day of testimony is in store for the Legislature’s Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee with 10 bills aimed at chipping away at or preserving the minimum wage law up for debate. Wrangling over the minimum wage is perennial at the State House, but this year brings a tricky balancing act for legislators, […]
Posted inLocal & State
Legislators schedule bills to limit minimum wage increase
AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers are starting to consider bills that would roll back the minimum wage law approved by voters. Last November, 55.5 percent of residents voted to increase Maine’s minimum wage from $7.50 per hour to $12 an hour by 2020. Then, the wage would increase according to inflation. Tipped employees’ wages would reach […]