SENATOR JACKSON ISSUES STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S CALL TO INCREASE THE MINIMUM WAGE

AUGUSTA– Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson of Allagash issued the following statement in support of President Obama’s call to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour for federal contracts in last night’s State of the Union address:

“I applaud President Obama’s call to ‘give America a raise’ by increasing the minimum wage. This is a necessity for working people across the United States including 96,000 workers in Maine. If the price of bread and milk increases, so should your paycheck, yet the minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation. It’s time to fix that. Maine people want jobs with dignity that pay a decent wage. “

Despite claims that the minimum wage would negatively affect employment and hurt businesses, the Center for Economic and Policy Research found that raising the minimum wage has little to no effect on job growth.

Last year, the Maine Legislature passed a bill that would have increased the minimum wage in fifty cent increments until 2017 and then tied the minimum wage to inflation, but Governor Paul LePage vetoed the measure.

The minimum wage has not been raised in Maine for five years.

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