The Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce released a statement on Friday slamming two minimum wage-related ballot question proposals sponsored by City Councilor Kate Sykes, former co-chair of the Maine Democratic Socialists of America (Maine DSA).
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Sykes was a key organizer in several previous Maine DSA-led ballot initiatives in Portland, including one that raised the city’s minimum wage to $15 per hour, “Green New Deal” building ordinances, and rent control.
Now, Sykes has sponsored two referendum questions that the City Council will consider putting before Portland voters on the ballot this November.
The first proposed ballot question would raise the city’s minimum wage from $15 to $20 per hour by 2028 — split between an increase to $16.50/hr in 2025, to $18/hr in 2026.
The second proposal would eliminate the subminimum — or tipped — wage in Portland, which is currently set at $7.50 per hour, and bring it in line with the city’s minimum wage of $15.
Under the city’s current subminimum wage ordinance, employers must pay tipped workers the difference if their direct wage and tips do not average to $15 per hour over the course of a week.
According to a memo on the proposal prepared by City Councilors Skyes, Anna Trevorrow, and Victoria Pelletier, the subminimum wage “has its roots in the slavery and the underpayment of Black workers in the Jim Crow era,” and its elimination will “advance the equity goals of the Council.”
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“Portland businesses continue to feel the pain and pressure of the policies of the DSA and their aligned City Councilors,” Portland Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Quincy Hentzel stated Friday regarding the two ballot questions.
“Inflation is costing residents and businesses, but choosing to have the highest minimum wage in the country is not the solution,” Hentzel said. “If this passes, not only would the city’s minimum wage jump to $20 an hour, but that would cause the emergency wage to accelerate to $30 per hour.”
“These unsustainable increases are not sustainable for Portland’s small businesses and this will put jobs at risk. This will impact not only Portland’s growth but the livelihoods of thousands of Portland workers who count on thriving local businesses,” she added.
The two proposed ballot questions are slated to have their first reading at the Portland City Council’s meeting on Monday.
City Councilors Regina Phillips, Trevorrow and Sykes are expected to present on the ballot questions.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="29278 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=29278">10 Comments
The question we need to ask Sykes, Treverrow, Pelletier (and other progressives in public office) on these issues is: Are you really that woefully IGNORANT about basic economics or are your actions DELIBERATE in order to destroy the economy? Pick one.
$15 hr for tipped employees will result in no one leaving tips.
Like ME Infidel said, these people are economically ignorant.
But then again so are the Democrats who are in the Blaine House and Legislature.
i wonder what the minimum wage is for an illegal alien working under the table in portland is?
If I owned a business in Portland I’d certainly be looking to relocate. Funny how these people seem to know a businesses income, operating expenses, employee requirements/performance etc. I always thought what I get payed is between me and the employer. If I didn’t like what was offered I could go somewhere else. Silly me. Such old fashioned thinking!
Minimum wage laws do nothing to improve people’s standard of living, they only serve to fuel inflation and increase consumer costs. The best way to improve your standard of living is to learn skills that actually make you worth a higher wage.
Higher wages means more money in taxes for the government. Of course businesses will need to raise prices to cover the increase in costs so the employees do not get ahead.
When all the small businesses close and move out of the Portland area, MAYBE the progressives will figure out economics…or maybe not!
will not affect me I do not go to Portland now
Minimum wages cause job loss and UBI will cause people to stop producing things.
Economics 101.
I can’t count the numbers of times I have urged the Chamber to stand up to the Council. The Chamber exists to represent the voices of businesses in greater Portland on legislative matters – especially those matters intended to put people out of business and workers out of jobs.
They have dodged that responsibility at every turn. And that is why Portland businesses are struggling to stay afloat. Finally they stood erect as any good homo sapiens would do when it came to this year’s proposed ballot questions.
But pay attention. I doubt the Chamber has the balls and intelligence to continue to keep up with the Socialists, no less stay ahead of them. I can’t wait for the referendum that puts a hot tub in every back yard and a BMW in every driveway.
What do you think? Is transportation a right that can be legislated to force everyone to buy an EV? Just watch as the Chamber caves on all the seemingly innocent attacks on our liberties and our pursuit of happenstance.
That’s why I refuse to pay the dues to the Chamber as long as it sits idly by and watchers its neighborhood businesses die.
Absolutely useless. Not your business friendly representation. As is often heard – what do they do? They collect money for monthly breakfasts and keep businesses in line for the crows to peck their eyes out. Cawwww.