Maine Enacts Law Requiring Minimum Pay for Canceled or Shortened Shifts

What happened?

On May 19, 2025, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed Legislative Document 598 into law, requiring certain employers to provide minimum pay to employees who report to work but are sent home early.

Overview:

What the Law Requires: If an employee reports to work at the employer’s request and the shift is canceled or shortened, the employer must pay the employee the lesser of:

• Two hours of pay at their regular hourly rate, or
• The amount they would have earned for the scheduled shift.

Who Is Covered

• Employers with 10 or more employees
• Businesses operating in the usual and regular course for more than 120 days in a calendar year.

Who Is Not Covered

• Public employers
• Seasonal workers covered by collective bargaining agreements.

Exceptions: Employers are not required to pay if:

• They made a documented good faith effort to notify the employee not to report.
• The employee is unable to work due to:
  • Adverse weather
  • Natural disaster or civil emergency
  • Illness or medical condition
  • Workplace injury

Duties Upon Arrival After Failed Notification

• If the employee still reports to work despite a failed notification attempt, they must be assigned any available duties they can perform. If no duties are available, the employer must still pay the reporting time wages.

Source References

• Maine SP 282 – An Act to Require Minimum Pay for Reporting to Work

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