Maine's overtime exemption law undervalues Maine workers.
Currently, salaried workers in Maine who make more than $36,000 per year are exempt from overtime protections. Legislators in Augusta are considering a new bill, LD 402, that would raise that income threshold to $57,375 by 2023.
Fast facts:
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The threshold for exclusion from overtime protections hasn't been adjusted for inflation since 1975, when, according to U.S. Department of Labor calculations, it was equivalent to more than $50,000 today
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The Fair Labor Standards Act states that the "white-collar exemption" provision is designed to allow employers to deny overtime pay to workers who have high enough salaries, important enough responsibilities, and enough bargaining power to make legal protections unnecessary.
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Low-wage salary workers do not have the bargaining power necessary to eliminate legal protections.
Mainers are overworked and underpaid. Tell Maine's legislature to pass LD 402 to guarantee overtime pay for all of Maine's workers.
