Gov. Paul LePage has weighed in on the battle over putting a competing measure before the voters on raising the state’s minimum wage.
He supports the effort, saying a minimum wage increase such as that initiated by thousands of petition signers would hurt the state’s economy.
“The Maine people deserve a more thoughtful alternative,” LePage says. “I urge you to call your legislators and tell them to support a common-sense competing measure.”
LePage, in his weekly radio address, went on to say the restaurant industry and its workers would be hit particularly hard by the proposed $12 an hour measure advocated by the Maine People’s Alliance. He says all Mainers would end up paying more to go out to eat under that plan and urged support of the $10 an hour alternative proposal.
“Wait staffs would be paid the minimum wage, which means they would get much smaller tips, if any,” LePage says. “Restaurants would have to pay tens of thousands of dollars more in wages — some may have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars.”