Maine Announces Minimum Wage Increase and Revised Regulation of Employment Poster for 2024; Updated EEOC and FLSA Workplace Posters

State Update Overview

In December 2023, the Maine Department of Labor set forth increased minimum wage rates effective January 1, 2024.

Maine Minimum Wage Law Update

• Minimum wage increases to $14.15 per hour
• Direct wage to service employees increases to $7.08 per hour
• Service employees regularly receive more than $179 a month in tips
• New minimum salary requirement for exempt status will be $816.35
• New wage rates effective January 1, 2024

 Wage and Hour Exemptions

Employees may be exempt from wage and hour laws based on criteria associated with their salary, actual duties, and skills. Exempt employees neither receive overtime pay nor qualify for minimum wage. Maine labor law defines these exemptions based on Executive, Administrative, or Professional status. Learn more here.

Also in December 2023, the Maine Department of Labor set forth published a revised Regulation of Employment poster effective January 1, 2024.

Maine Regulation of Employment Law Update

• Payment of Wages section has been reworded and no longer includes the date effective for unused paid vacation

Effective June 27, 2023, the new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an undue hardship. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has updated its “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” Poster to summarize the new law. 

EEOC “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” Poster Updates

• Illegal employment discrimination on the bases of sex includes childbirth.
• Illegal employment discrimination includes interference, coercion, or threats related to exercising rights regarding disability discrimination or pregnancy accommodation.
• Failure to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition can be considered discriminatory.
• Discriminatory employment practice can include conduct that coerces, intimidates, threatens, or interferes with someone exercising their rights, or someone assisting or encouraging someone else to exercise rights, regarding disability discrimination (including accommodation) or pregnancy accommodation.

Effective April 28, 2023, the Provide Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (PUMP) extends the right to receive break time to pump and a private place to pump at work to more nursing employees.  The federal Department of Labor (DOL) revised its “Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act” poster to include changes from the new law.

DOL “Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act” Poster Updates

• The section titled Nursing Mothers has been changed to Pump at Work.
• The right to break time to express breast milk previously only applied to employees subject to the overtime requirement under the FLSA (non-exempt employees). This reference has been removed.
• The revised poster clearly notes that narrow exemptions may apply to the pump at work requirements. 

Maine Labor Law Poster Updates

All businesses within the State of Maine must display the new Maine “Minimum Wage”, “Regulation of Employment”, “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal”, and “Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act” posters along with other state-mandated posting requirements where they are sufficiently accessible and viewable to all employees. These changes have been reflected in our Maine & Federal Labor Law Poster and require an immediate mandatory update. Failure to meet compliance requirements and display the updated posters could result in fines.

Order the Maine & Federal Labor Law Poster to immediately include these required updates.