Disappointment for Low Wage Workers—
Legislature Fails to Pass Paid Sick Time and Minimum Wage Increase
The legislature considered two bills this past session that would have improved
the lives of low-wage workers in Maine. One would have provided all working
people in Maine with the right to earn paid sick time. The other would have
required annual increases in the minimum wage to keep up with inflation. Regrettably,
neither bill passed. This defeat is particularly disappointing as so many people
are currently struggling to make ends meet in this tough economy.
Paid Sick Time
LD 1665, “An Act to Prevent the Spread of H1N1,” would have required
employers to provide their employees with paid sick time. Passage of the bill
would have allowed employees to earn paid sick time so they could take time
off from work when they get sick or need to care for a sick child. Maine employees
would have been able to take time off due to illness without taking a cut in
their paycheck or, even worse, losing their job.
Over 200,000 Mainers don’t have access to paid sick days. A very high
percentage of workers without paid sick time are low-wage workers. Low-wage
workers can least afford to go without pay or lose a job, but they often have
jobs that don’t provide paid sick time.
To the disappointment of many, LD 1665 did not make it out of the Labor Committee
with majority support. At the public hearing, many people turned out to testify
on both sides of the issue. The majority of the Committee refused to pass the
bill as it was originally written. In an attempt to gain more support, an amendment
was proposed that would have, at the very least, ensured that people are not
fired because they stay home when they’re sick or to take care of a sick
child. While this amendment did not provide paid sick leave for workers, it
would have been a big step in the right direction.
Although the bill failed, supporters ran a truly amazing campaign that raised
public awareness and grassroots activity on this issue. We applaud the Maine
Women’s Lobby for their outstanding work leading this effort.
Thanks to everyone who wrote letters to the editor, testified at the public
hearing, or otherwise leant your support to this important effort to provide
basic workforce standards for all workers in Maine. While we were not successful
this year, the need for paid sick time will not go away and neither will our
effort to get it passed.
Minimum Wage
We are also disappointed because the legislature failed to pass any increase
in the State’s minimum wage. LD 192, An Act to Index the State Minimum
Wage to Inflation would have required an annual increase in Maine’s minimum
wage to keep up with inflation. Today’s minimum wage of $7.50 per hour
still leaves a family of four with full-time employment nearly 30% below the
poverty level. Each year that the minimum wage doesn’t go up, families
fall further behind. If these annual increases had been in place since 1969,
today’s minimum wage would be $9.45 instead of $7.50.
In the end, efforts to amend this bill to gain majority support also failed.
But, like the sick time legislation, supporters will continue to work to win
this basic protection for Maine workers. The simple justice of ensuring that
people who work hard should earn enough to support their families cannot be
ignored.
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