PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - A judge has ruled that an $18-per-hour emergency minimum wage increase in Maine’s largest city does not go into effect until next year, but supporters of the wage increase say they’ll appeal to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
A Superior Court judge on Monday validated the time-and-a-half hazard pay provision that’s part of a minimum wage referendum approved by Portland voters in November. But the judge ruled that the change does not take effect until Jan. 1, 2022.
The Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce contended lifting the minimum wage from $12 to $18 during the pandemic would hurt businesses that are already struggling. If forced to comply, many businesses would close, lay off workers, slash workers’ hours or reduce other benefits provided to employees, the chamber contended.
The provision for extra wages during a declared emergency like the pandemic was included in a minimum wage proposal that will increase that rate from $12 to $15 an hour by 2025. It was approved by more than 60% of voters in a local referendum in November.
A Whole Foods worker who intervened in the lawsuit said in a statement that he hopes the supreme court will make the supermarket “pay us the compensation we deserve.”
“Nearly every week, I learn that one of my co-workers has tested positive for COVID-19,” said Mario Roberge-Reyes, who makes $16 an hour. “But Whole Foods – part of one of the richest companies in the world – does not think that risk to its workers’ health is worth an extra few dollars an hour.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.