MAINE'S WAGE MINIMUM

Maine’s minimum wage will rise to $14.15 an hour.

Maine’s minimum wage workers will see a pay increase starting in January.

The minimum wage will increase from $13.80 to $14.15 an hour as of Jan. 1, 2024, according to the Maine Department of Labor.

That increase comes at the latest Consumer Price Index for the Northeast shows the cost to live has risen 2.4 percent, the Department of Labor said.

The wage for tipped workers also will increase to $7.08 an hour. Employers must show that tipped workers earned at least the new minimum wage between their direct wage and tips at the end of the week.

As a result of the minimum wage hike, the minimum salary threshold for overtime-exempt workers has risen to $816.35 a week, or $42,450.20 a year, according to the department. The minimum wage is one of the factors that determines where that threshold is set under state and federal law. ready for what’s next? we are here to continue delivering on the legacy you built.

Maine voters approved hiking the state’s minimum wage in a 2016 referendum. That raised the minimum wage from $7.50 to $9 an hour in 2017 and by an additional dollar a year through 2020, after which it was indexed to inflation.

That referendum eliminated the “tipped wage” for servers and set their minimum wage at $12 an hour by 2020, but former Republican Gov. Paul LePage signed a bill into law in 2017 overturning that portion of the referendum and reimposing the lower minimum wage for tipped workers.

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Mema Welcomes David Cupka

In mid-September, MEMA welcomed new MTEC instructor David Cupka to the team

David has been in the HVAC industry for more than 40 years, first starting in the US Air Force as an air conditioning and refrigeration specialist Since then, he has held multiple positions for different HVAC companies across the US, including working as a service manager for Trane Heating and Air Conditioning for 11 years. In 2006, he started his own company, Aircon, Inc. He is experienced with service and sales engineering, has a vast knowledge of any HVAC system, and is certified in handling propane, natural gas, and EPA Refrigeration. Most recently, David taught HVAC/R courses at the Northeast Technical Institute.