Mike Donohue Senior Media Manager – Northeast | Official Website
Mike Donohue Senior Media Manager – Northeast | Official Website
Maine's minimum wage is projected to rise to $14.65 in 2025, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This increase follows a rise in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Clerical Workers in the Northeast Region by 3.6% from August 2023 to August 2024.
The state's minimum wage is linked to annual increases in this index. The overtime payment salary threshold for 2025 will be $58,656 per year or $1,128 per week, as set by federal labor rules issued in April. However, NFIB has filed a lawsuit challenging these rules.
In Portland and Rockland, where the municipal minimum wage is currently $15, it is expected to increase to $15.50 in 2025 due to a 3.4% rise in the general CPI-U for the Northeast.
Revised draft rules for implementing Maine's Paid Family & Medical Leave law are under scrutiny for needing further refinement. Although improvements have been made since May, some provisions remain problematic and potentially contradict the PFML law.
NFIB is advocating for changes in several key areas of these rules:
- "Undue Hardship (Section V; Section VI): Make this more workable for small business by removing limitation on its use and vastly simplifying the process demonstrating 'reasonable' use by the employer."
- "Premiums (Section X): Simplify and improve the counting of employees."
- "Job Protection (Section XIV): Make this more realistic for small employers that have workers doing multiple jobs."
- "Intermittent Leave (Section III): Establish predictability on the use of this leave by requiring that approval be for a certain calendar period, with ability to renew, and for specific days and time periods."
The PFML law impacts all employers with at least one employee, allowing up to 12 weeks of paid leave annually for qualifying situations. A tax of 1% on wages will be implemented starting January 1, 2025, shared equally between employees and employers. Employers with fewer than 15 workers are exempt from their share of this tax.
Public comments on these revised rules are being accepted until September 30th.
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