Jul. 19—Gov. Janet Mills vetoed legislation Wednesday that would have improved wages and working conditions of farmworkers in Maine, saying that she responded to concerns from the agricultural community about the unintended consequences and unforeseen costs of the heavily amended bill.
Mills and farm owners worry that the bill's language granting a state minimum wage to farmworkers might trigger other legal requirements and benefits provided to employees under state and federal labor laws, such as paid time off, unemployment benefits and piecework compensation.
Her decision to send it back to the Legislature for more study and clearer language drew praise from farmers and criticism from the bill's supporters, including its sponsor, House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland.
Passed by the Maine House and Senate on July 6, L.D. 398 would have legally defined farmworkers as "employees," making them eligible for the state minimum wage of $13.80 per hour. The bill also would have protected them from having to work more than 80 hours of mandatory overtime in any consecutive two-week period, and given them the right to a 30-minute unpaid rest break after six hours.
Under current Maine labor laws, farmworkers aren't considered employees, so they don't benefit from minimum wage and overtime protections afforded to most workers. With few exceptions, farmworkers in Maine are only legally entitled to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, though most generally make more than...
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