Business leaders, Bangor Chamber support alternative wage hike
A recent proposition to increase the minimum wage of workers across the state by The Maine People’s Alliance is being presented with an alternative program that’s gained support from The Bangor Chamber of Commerce.
Although the ins and outs of the alternative aren’t expected to be officially revealed until Tuesday, a statement issued by The Bangor Chamber of Commerce states that the proposal would increase Maine’s minimum wage by $1 in 2017, to $8.50. In the years following the initial increase, the minimum wage would rise by 50 cents until reaching $10 in 2020, according to the Bangor Daily News.
The alternative proposal, which has gained traction with many business leaders across the state, would additionally preserve a “tip credit” that allows restaurant employers within the state to pay half of the minimum wage to tipped workers and then count any tips towards an employee’s total pay. If both of these income sources don’t combine to the minimum hourly rate, the employer has to then make up the difference.
The original citizen’s initiative submitted by The Maine People’s Alliance is currently on its way to the Maine Legislature where it will meet one of three fates — it can be enacted by state lawmakers, sent to the ballot for a vote in November or a competing measure such as the above can square-off at Election Day.
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