Maine
Report: Hundreds of Maine workers were owed unpaid wages last year
PORTLAND (WGME) — Hundreds of Maine workers didn’t get paid the money they were owed last year.
The state released a new annual report which documents how many people filed complaints with the Department of Labor, saying some wages never made it to their pockets.
If a worker believes they’ve been underpaid, they can file a complaint with the Maine Department of Labor, under state law. The Department of Labor determined that more than 1,400 workers were owed more than $420,000 in unpaid wages last year.
Hundreds of Maine workers didn’t get paid the money they were owed last year. (WGME)
Kate Burkhart, who oversees the Bureau of Labor Standards in Maine, says most violators didn’t know they were breaking the law.
“It’s not deliberate or bad faith action, it’s just a lack of awareness,” Burkhart said. “When we go in and an employer is not in bad faith, it’s a mom and pop, they just missed a couple rules.”
Last year, the I-Team reported a gap in the state’s current enforcement system. Maine could confirm a business was breaking the law but couldn’t confirm whether workers ever got their money.
Burkhart says the department has taken steps to fill in the gap.
Hundreds of Maine workers didn’t get paid the money they were owed last year. (WGME)
“We are better at it. We are not perfect,” Burkhart said. “Our goal is workers are made whole as quickly as possible.”
The department launched a new initiative called strategic enforcement, which identifies workers most vulnerable to not getting paid. There’s also a new requirement that companies which enter settlement agreements are required to issue notices of payment to the state. The department has also partnered with the Maine Attorney General’s Office to enforce compliance in extreme situations.
“I want to know when our workers are made whole. That’s our job, right? It’s to ensure that workers receive the legal protections they’re entitled to,” Burkhart said.
As part of the strategic enforcement, Burkhart says they identified the three most common industries where violations were occurring include hospitality, construction and health care.
Hundreds of Maine workers didn’t get paid the money they were owed last year. (WGME)
Another possible change out of Augusta is a bill being considered. If passed, it would give the department the authority to levy a business’s assets, if they choose not to comply with solving wage violations.