Maine Voted To
Increase Minimum Wage |
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This November
Main also
placed an
initiative
on the
ballot
asking
voters
to decide
whether or
not they
want
to increase
the minimum
wage and
they
yes.
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Hence,
starting
1 January
2017 the
minimum
wage
in Maine
will increase
from
$7.50 to
$9.00 per
hour statewide.
It will
increase
by
$1.00 each
year
after
that until
it is
$12.00 in
2020 as
follows.
-$9.00
- 1
January
2017
-$10.00
- 1
January
2018
-$11.00
- 1
January
2019
-$12.00
- 1
January
2020
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After 1
January
2020 future
increases
will be
tied to
the
Consumer Price
Index
(CPI).
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An employer
may
consider
tips as
part
of the
wages of
a service
employee,
but such
a tip
credit
may
not
exceed 50%
of the
minimum
hourly
wage
established in
this section.
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Starting
January
1, 2017,
the minimum
cash wage
paid directly
to a
tipped service
employee
may
not be
less
than
$5.00 per
hour,
and the
tip credit
may
not exceed
the difference
between
the minimum
cash wage
paid
directly
to a
tipped service
employee
and the
minimum
hourly
wage
established under
subsection
1.
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Starting
January
1, 2018,
and on
each January
1st thereafter,
the minimum
cash wage
paid directly
to
a tipped
service
employee
must
be increased
by
an additional
$1.00 per
hour until
it
reaches
the
same amount
as the
annually
adjusted
minimum
hourly
wage
established under
subsection
1, except
that if
the minimum
cash wage
paid directly
to a
tipped
service
employee
is less
than $1.00
less than
the annually
adjusted
minimum
hourly
wage,
it
must
be increased
by
that
lesser amount.
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An employer
who elects
to use
the tip
credit,
until it
is
eliminated under
this
subsection,
must
inform
the
affected
employee
in advance
and
must
be able
to show
that
the employee
receives
at least
the minimum
hourly
wage when
direct
wages and
the tip
credit
are
combined.
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Upon a
satisfactory
showing
by
the employee
or
the employee's
representative
that the
actual
tips
received
were
less than
the tip
credit,
the employer
shall
increase
the direct
wages
by
the
difference.
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The tips
received
by
a service
employee
become
the property
of the
employee
and may
not be
shared
with
the employer.
.
.
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Tips that
are
automatically
included
in
the customer's
bill or
that are
charged to
a credit
card
must
be treated
like
tips given
to the
service
employee.
A
tip that
is charged
to a
credit
card
must
be paid
by
the employer
to the
employee
by
the next
regular
payday
and may
not be
held while
the employer
is
awaiting
reimbursement
from
a credit
card
company.
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See other States minimum wages. |
Sources:
Maine
Ballot
Initiative
[Question
4]
By Bill
Williams
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