(The Center Square) — One of Maine’s top Democrats is pushing a proposal to raise wages for direct health care workers as part of a broader effort to fill job openings and ease the state’s labor crunch.
The proposal by House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, calls for paying direct care workers at least 140% of Maine’s minimum wage to compete in the current labor market. That would add up to more than $20 an hour, based on the state’s current wage floor.
“Maine’s direct care workers deserve a livable wage that reflects their experience, time and energy devoted to serving others,” Fecteau said in a statement. “Caring for those with behavioral health challenges and allowing our neighbors to age with dignity is important work that helps our communities. My bill will help Maine grow the direct care workforce to expand access for those who need this support.”
The push for higher pay among direct care workers who work in rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and behavioral health facilities is backed by the Maine Center for Economic Policy, which has highlighted how low pay and poor benefits lead to high poverty, turnover and burnout among direct care workers in the state.
A 2024 report by the group estimated that the care gap — about 2,300 full-time workers — is costing Maine’s economy $1 billion a year. Amid the worker shortages, Maine has lost 50 nursing homes in the last 10 years, according to the center. Of the 82 remaining long-term care facilities, two are in the process of closing.
The group also wants Maine to raise the MaineCare reimbursement rate for the labor portion of direct care support and services to at least 140% of the state minimum wage.
However, the proposal comes as Maine budget writers are grappling with projected revenue shortfalls, including a $118 million gap in funding for MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program.
Earlier this month, Gov. Janet Mills filed a $11.6 billion two-year preliminary budget plan that calls for hiking taxes on cigarettes and retail cannabis while scaling back public health programs to help whittle down a projected $450 million shortfall. Mills, a Democrat, has stressed the need to show fiscal restraint in the spending plan with pandemic-era federal funding drying up.
Meanwhile, the Legislature’s Republican minority has said it opposes the Mills administration’s proposal to increase taxes and plans to push for cuts in state spending as part of the budget.