Democratic lawmakers reject business-backed minimum wage raise

AUGUSTA — Democrats in the Maine House of Representatives on Thursday dealt a crucial blow to business groups looking to undercut a ballot initiative from progressive groups to raise the state’s hourly minimum wage to $12.

The House voted 78-69 — with only one Republican, Rep. Kevin Battle of South Portland, joining majority Democrats except for one, Rep. Martin Grohman of Biddeford — against a motion that would postpone sending the citizens’ initiative, backed by the Maine People’s Alliance and labor unions, to Maine voters in November.

It’s not final because the bill faces action in the Republican-controlled Senate, but if the House stays consistent in a future vote, the question will go to voters without the competing measure that groups including the Maine State Chamber of Commerce have lobbied for.

“This is the right thing to do,” said Matt Schlobohm, executive director of the Maine AFL-CIO, which supports the citizens’ initiative. “Maine voters have spoken, and the Legislature did the right thing by respecting the will of the voters.”

The progressive groups’ initiative would raise Maine’s hourly minimum wage from $7.50 to $9 in 2017, then by $1 annually until it reaches $12 in 2020, thereafter indexing it to inflation. It also would raise Maine’s tipped hourly minimum wage from $3.75 to $5 in 2017. Then, it will rise each year until it reaches the non-tipped minimum.

The initiative qualified for the ballot in February. The Legislature can only send it to voters, pass the bill itself or put a competing measure on the ballot alongside it. The latter is what many Maine business groups want, rolling out a proposal in February to raise the minimum wage to $10 by 2020.

House Republicans tried to assign the citizens’ initiative to committee on Thursday, with Rep. Stacey Guerin, R-Glenburn, who co-owns R.M. Flagg Co., a Veazie food service company, calling the $12 proposal “too extreme” and saying her customers are “wondering what they can do to save their business and to save their employees’ jobs” if it passes.

But Democrats’ opposition held, with some noting that legislators and groups backing the competing measure have stood against minimum wage increases in the past.

“We failed, so the people have acted,” said Rep. Erin Herbig, D-Belfast, who co-chairs the Legislature’s labor committee. “Some in this room think they are smarter than the people of Maine. I do not.”

After the vote, Curtis Picard, executive director of the Retail Association of Maine, said “it’s clear” that legislators have heard from businesses that would be hurt by the increase and “I still don’t know why” Democrats don’t want to have a debate before a committee.

He hinted at political consequences for legislators who opposed the competing measure.

“Now we have a roll call, and so now we know who’s with us and who’s not with us,” Picard said. “And we know who restaurant owners and other business owners across the state need to contact.”