MECEP Statement in Support of Question 4

“The most accurate and up to date economic research available shows that gradual minimum wage increases have little to no effect on jobs, according to Maine Center […]

Increasing the minimum wage to $12 will raise the annual pay of 93,000 Maine women by an average of $3,200

This November, Mainers will vote on an initiative that would gradually raise Maine’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $12 an hour by 2020. The effects of the […]

Workers in low income families are most likely to get a raise (bar chart)

Mainers’ personal income growth third slowest in the nation; are big businesses to blame?

Since the Great Recession, Mainers’ personal incomes have grown at a slower rate than residents of nearly every other state, according to a new Pew Research Center […]

New overtime rules will finally pay workers what they deserve

Every week, thousands of Mainers work overtime—more than 40 hours per week—to make ends meet. Many workers, even after working 50 to 60 hours per week, still […]

Trade agreement threatens Maine jobs and wages

As early as this month, Congress will vote up or down whether or not to enter into the Transatlantic Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, a treaty that […]

Shop ‘til you drop ― It’s no holiday for retail workers

Too many Mainers today work too few hours for too low pay. The data show over and over and over how part-time, low-wage, and benefit-less jobs trap […]

An agenda to give American families a much-needed raise

Our colleagues at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) note that “wages for the vast majority of American workers have stagnated or declined since 1979—and wage stagnation’s reach has broadened […]

Debt buyers drain over $7 million out of Maine consumers

The Center for Responsible Lending reports that, because of weak protections in Maine law, Maine consumers will pay $7.3 million to just one out-of-state company, Encore Capital, […]