Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Maine Will Increase Minimum Wage To $7.25 On October 1, 2008

Maine State Governor John E. Baldacci signed LD 1697 on April 17 that will increase the minimum wage from the current $7 per hour to $7.25 per hour, effective October 1, 2008, and increase to $7.50 per hour on October 1, 2009.

The Governor said this legislation makes sure that wages in Maine keep pace with the rest of New England.

“We need to make sure we do everything we can to reward work,” said Governor Baldacci. “Maine men and women should be able to earn a living wage so they can support their families. There is no safety net better than a job with benefits.”

The Governor also said, “this is an important step, and it’s another in a series of efforts that they have joined together on to ensure all Maine people have access to good paying jobs and a brighter future.”

1 comment:

kired said...

All this will really achieve is a bump in tax revenue and an erosion of the purchasing power of fixed income individuals (i.e. retirees on Social Security). Minimum wage is the greatest political dodge ever devised. If they really wanted to help the people on that pay tier, they would stop taxing them altogether.