It is demoralizing to do a job where you must work overtime for no compensation. Please support L.D. 402, which addresses overtime pay for salaried employees.

I had a position at (an unnamed agency) that often required overtime, and there was an unwritten policy that did not pay overtime. Often employees worked for free several hours a week, as they were fearful of losing their jobs. I am please to say that this situation was corrected, but if employers cannot afford to pay overtime, then they need to have realistic expectations for their employees and a system that accurately defines salaried management positions.

Previously, I worked as a case manager for Sweetser, a large nonprofit, where I was paid overtime and was not only able to serve more clients, but I was able to supplement my income and create a win-win situation. Clients received services more quickly, as case managers were motivated and able to take on higher caseloads. Sweetser benefited through a more efficient system of non-duplication of benefits and employment costs.

The system, as it is, encourages abuse by employers. Raising the minimum compensation requirement would end corporations gaming the system. The Maine Center for Economic Policy states that half of Maine’s salaried workers, who work unpaid overtime, don’t have supervisory or managerial roles. L.D. 402 would guarantee that Maine workers would be protected from the Trump administration’s proposal, which would prevent 28,000 more Maine workers from being compensated for their overtime work.

Pamela Kaufman

Portland

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