The Bangor City Council voted 6-1 on Monday in favor of a resolution supporting a citizen’s petition drive to increase the state’s minimum wage.
The Bangor Daily News reported that the resolution supports a signature-gathering effort by the Maine People’s Alliance for a proposed referendum on November 2016’s ballot. MPA’s effort calls for raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.50 an hour to $9 in January 2017, with annual increases of $1 an hour until it reaches $12 in 2020. The minimum wage would then move in tandem with cost-of-living adjustments.
The newspaper said the city council is still expected to discuss a possible increase of the city’s minimum wage, including one proposal that would mirror MPA’s.