ME AFL-CIO Opposes Bills to Weaken Minimum Wage & Child Labor Laws

The Maine AFL-CIO testified last week in opposition to bills that would weaken the child labor laws and the minimum wage. LD 841, sponsored by Rep. Mark Walker (R-Naples), would allow employers to pay less than minimum wage to people who are “chronically unemployed.” The measure is one more bill in a long business-led effort to undermine the 2016 minimum minimum wage law that Maine voters passed at the ballot box.

Maine AFL-CIO Legislative and Political Director Adam Goode noted that the state’s current minimum wage of $13.80 is the wage floor and the lawmakers should not lower wages for simply people based on their age, where they live, their level of job training or the nature of their work.

“This bill is particularly misaligned with the state of Maine’s economy and the current bargaining power of workers in our state,” said Goode. “There are currently 2.4 open jobs for every unemployed Mainer.”

The Maine AFL-CIO also testified against LD 559, sponsored by Danny Costain (R-Plymouth), which would weaken child labor laws by allowing children between 16 and 18 years old to work up to 32 hours per week. Under current law, those aged 16 to 18 can work up to 24 hours when school is in session, including until 10:15 pm on school nights. As Goode noted, Maine was motivated to establish child labor laws because it once had the highest school truancy and dropout rates in the nation.

“Attempts to weaken Maine’s child labor laws by allowing students to work more hours even when school is in session will take us backwards on workplace safety,” said Goode. “Young people are injured on the job more than others, partially due to inexperience, partially due to improper training and partially due to being expected to use equipment designed for adults. Longer hours in the workplace for children will lead to more injuries.”

Union Members to Lobby Legislators on Bills to Ban Captive Audience Meetings, Limit Forced Overtime & More Next Week

Next Thursday, March 30, as part of our Maine AFL-CIO Labor Lobby Day, union members from all over Maine will come to Augusta to lobby on several bills to strengthen workers rights, restore retirement security and more.

One of priority bills is a measure (LR 756), which would restrict employers from imposing mandated overtime on paper workers while preserving their right to voluntary overtime. We are also backing legislation to prohibit employers from forcing employees to attend anti-union captive audience meetings.

Other pro-labor bills we are supporting include measures to improve patient safety through nurse to patient staffing ratios, close the state pay gap and strengthen public sector pensions, and strengthen apprenticeship standards in construction.