Maine trade groups lash out against proposed increase in overtime pay eligibility

Supporters of increased overtime protections say arguments that the measure will sink Maine’s economy and force businesses out are reminiscent of the talking points issued by those who opposed increasing the state’s minimum wage four years ago.

“Those doomsday predictions didn’t come true with the minimum wage,” said James Mayall, a policy analyst at the progressive Maine Center for Economic Policy. An analysis by the center indicated the proposed change in the law would cover about 28,000 salaried workers in Maine, but only about 9,000 of them would likely be eligible to for overtime pay under its provisions, Mayall said. The minimum wage law, in comparison, covered more than 100,000 wage earners.

Click here to read the full story, first published March 11, 2020, in the Portland Press Herald.