minimum wage

The proposal would phase in pay hikes from the current $15.50 an hour over the next three years.

The boost in hazard pay for Portland workers will only apply when city officials declare an emergency, not the governor, under a referendum approved by voters on Election Day.

The city council also rejected two other measures that would have increased the minimum wage and eliminated the tipped credit for certain workers.

The legislation cleared the House on a narrow, mostly party-line vote on Tuesday.

The bill, introduced by the Gov. Janet Mills, would require agricultural workers to be paid at least the state minimum wage.

The bills would have blocked foreign government-owned entities from spending money on Maine ballot campaigns, and ensured that farmworkers earn no less than Maine's hourly minimum wage of $13.80.

Both chambers of the Legislature have given initial approval to boosting Maine's minimum wage to $15 an hour. But the bill's prospects remain unclear.

Maine Democrats are trying again to ensure agricultural workers have access to the state's minimum wage and overtime protections, as well as the right to unionize.

The minimum wage increases annually in Maine based on federal cost-of-living data for northeastern states. And with inflation driving up the costs of goods, Maine's minimum wage will rise by $1.05 to a total of $13.80 a hour for the coming year.

Supporters of the referendum also criticized donations from out-of-state groups to committees opposing the ballot measure.