Governor Janet Mills today introduced legislation to establish a minimum hourly wage for Maine farm workers.
The Governor’s legislation would require that workers employed in agricultural jobs be paid a wage of at least $14.15 per hour – the same minimum hourly wage currently required for other workers under Maine law.
Beginning in 2025, the minimum wage for agricultural workers would be subject to the same annual cost-of-living increases provided to other hourly workers whose positions are subject to minimum wage requirements.
The bill is sponsored by Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross and the Chairs of the Committee on Labor and Housing, Senator Mike Tipping and Representative Amy Roeder.
The Governor’s legislation was informed by a formal stakeholder group – the Agricultural Worker Minimum Wage Committee – which Governor Mills established last year. The legislation, which considers the varying perspectives of farmworkers, farm employers, and advocates, would:
- Align minimum wage for agricultural workers with the minimum wage under current Maine law.
- Establish the minimum wage for agricultural workers in state law separately from other minimum wage provisions, ensuring that the Legislature considers the uniqueness of the farm sector when contemplating future statutory changes.
- Require employers to keep accurate record of hours worked by employees and wages paid, retain records for at least three years, and provide each employee with a statement of wages.
“Maine’s agricultural industry, along with the hardworking farmers and farm workers who sustain it, are a cornerstone of our economy – and we cannot achieve a healthy industry without supporting both in a balanced way,” said Governor Janet Mills. “While I recognize this legislation does not entirely achieve everyone’s aims, it takes into account a diverse set of perspectives and appropriately balances the need to establish a minimum wage for farm workers with the unique and diverse challenges of running a farm in Maine. I thank the Agricultural Worker Minimum Wage Committee for its work over the past several months and urge the Legislature to pass this bill.”
“Farming is one of the state’s proudest heritage industries and an integral part of our economy. Mainers recognize that farmers and farmworkers are hardworking people. And we also recognize there are serious and deeply entrenched structural and systemic problems in this sector. This legislation will allow Maine to take a significant step in working towards equitable conditions and finally guarantees a minimum wage for this essential work,” said House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross. “This bill is the result of an arduous and inclusive stakeholder process. I commend Governor Mills for her commitment to fostering this conversation and her work to ensure we have a thriving agricultural workforce for the years to come.”
“We want to thank the Committee for their time and dedication to this important issue,” said Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman and Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Commissioner Amanda Beal in a joint statement. “We know there were a wide range of strongly-held perspectives on both sides of this issue and that agreement was difficult to find, but we also believe it is important to recognize that the vast majority of folks agreed on three things during the Committee process: that agriculture is a unique industry in Maine; that the vital work performed by agricultural workers is essential to the success of the industry; and that that work should be fairly compensated in line with the state minimum wage. We believe this legislation achieves that goal.”
In July 2023, the Maine Legislature sent Governor Mills a bill that aimed to apply certain wage requirements to agricultural workers. The legislation was substantially amended during the final hours of the regular legislative session, raising serious concerns from the agricultural community about the scope of the legislation.
Because the Maine Legislature could not recall the bill to clarify concerns within the ten-day window required by the Maine Constitution, Governor Mills vetoed the legislation, writing to legislators (PDF) that she did so “reluctantly because I strongly support a minimum wage for farm workers.”
As part of her veto message, the Governor announced that she would establish a formal stakeholder group to “arrive at a shared understanding of how to implement a minimum wage bill for farmworkers.” The Governor signed an executive order the following week to move the process forward. Subsequently, the Agricultural Worker Minimum Wage Committee met multiple times over four months and the Co-Chairs issued a report in February.
If passed by the Legislature, the minimum wage for agricultural workers would take effect on September 1, 2024. Annual cost-of-living adjustments, based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, CPI-W for the Northeast Region, would begin on January 1, 2025.
The Governor’s legislation – LD 2273, An Act to Establish a State Minimum Hourly Wage for Agricultural Workers – is expected to be considered by the Joint Standing Committee on Labor and Housing. A copy of the bill can be found here.