Senate Democrats oppose latest effort to thwart citizens’ minimum wage initiative

Posted: April 14, 2016 | Senator Diamond, Senator Patrick

AUGUSTA — Senate Democrats on Thursday opposed the latest effort by special interests, Gov. LePage and legislative Republicans to thwart a citizens’ initiative to raise the minimum wage.

In a 22-12 vote, Democrats in the Senate opposed an amendment to LD 1695, a last-ditch effort to interrupt the citizens’ initiative process by proposing a competing ballot referendum. The bill ultimately requires two-thirds support to proceed as an emergency.

Republicans in the Legislature, supported by the Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Association, the Restaurant Owners and Innkeepers’ Associations, have opposed a half-dozen efforts to raise the minimum wage as recently as last year. During the 126th Legislature, the Gov. Paul LePage vetoed LD 611, which would have raised the minimum wage to $9 and Republicans upheld his veto. Now, they all claim to support an increase to $10 per hour.

Sen. John Patrick, D-Rumford.

Sen. John Patrick, D-Rumford.

The only thing that has changed is the successful placement on the ballot of a citizen initiative to incrementally raise the minimum wage to $12 per hour, index the minimum wage to the cost of living, and gradually provide a raise to tipped employees. The Republican proposal would compete with that initiative and could divide the vote, with a result of no minimum wage increase at all.

“The special interests and their cohorts in the State House who have fought every effort to give working people a raise are running scared,” said Sen. John Patrick, D-Rumford, the lead Senate Democrat on the Labor Committee. “They’re pulling out all the stops to do everything they can to throw a wrench in the gears of Maine voters. We’ve opposed every single competing measure they’ve proposed so far. This one was no different.”

In two subsequent votes, Republicans pushed Gov. LePage’s competing measure, which would be pitted directly against the successful citizen initiative scheduled to appear on the ballot in November. Gov. LePage’s proposal keeps workers further from a living wage, gives no raise at all to tipped workers, would not protect low-wage workers from future increases to the cost of living.

Senator Bill Diamond of Windham.

Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Winthrop.

As Secretary of State for eight years, Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, oversaw the citizen initiative process in Maine.

“Make no mistake: This bill is a competing measure,” said Diamond. “There is nothing more sacred to our state’s political process than the citizen initiative. It is our duty as lawmakers to respect their will, and not get in their way. It’s time to let the people speak without interference.”

The bill faces additional votes in the House and Senate.

 

Minimum Wage Background:

The following bills considered last year would have raised the current minimum wage of $7.50:

  • LD 92, which would have raised the minimum wage to $8 per hour in 2015.
  • LD 52, which would have raised the minimum wage to $9.50 per hour in 2015.
  • LD 77, which would have raised the minimum wage to $9.75 per hour in 2015.
  • LD 36, which would have raised the minimum wage to $10 by 2016.
  • LD 487, which would have raised the minimum wage to $10 by 2018.
  • LD 72, which would have raised the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour in 2015.
  • LD 843, which would have raised the minimum wage to $12 by 2019.

Each of those bills was opposed by the New England Convenience Store Association, the NFIB, the Maine Grocers and Food Producers Association, the Maine Restaurant Association and Maine Innkeeper’s Association, the Retail Association of Maine and Gov. Paul LePage’s departments of Labor and Economic and Community Development.

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