Minimum wage hike spiked

The House killed a measure Thursday that would have increased Maine’s minimum wage by 25 cents to account for inflation.
The House vote followed the Senate’s rejection of the bill this year, according to news radio WGAN in Portland. If passed, the bill would have adjusted Maine’s minimum wage based on changes in the federal Consumer Price Index for the Northeast. Maine would have joined 10 other states that also index their minimums.
Maine’s $7.50 per hour minimum wage is now 25 cents higher than the federal standard. Restaurant workers, low-income advocates and religious organizations supported the indexing bill, but business groups said it would discourage job growth and objected to automatic wage increases, the radio station reported.