PORTLAND (WGME) — Portland voters will reevaluate the city’s risk pay regulations at the ballot box on Election Day. Voters could decide to change the terms under which Portland workers receive a pay raise during the state of emergency.

Question A asks Portland residents to consider amending the city’s emergency wage ordinance, originally passed in 2020. Currently, when the state or region declares a state of emergency, the city’s minimum wage is increased by 50 percent. Right now, that’s up from $15 to $22.50.

If Question A passes, that increase would only take effect if the city itself declares a state of emergency.

Supporters of the change, including Portland Mayor Mark Dion, say the decision should be made at the local level, allowing the city to maintain control over the minimum wage. Some residents, like Joseph Chavez, support that view, saying wage increases should be based on actual local needs.

“It makes more sense to be regional, to apply to whoever needs it,” Chavez said.

However, many workers’ rights advocates, including the Maine Democratic Socialists of America, oppose the amendment. They argue that cutting workers’ pay could have serious repercussions for families.

Former Mayor Ethan Strimling spoke out against Question A, calling it an attempt to undermine risk pay.

“At the end of the day, Portland workers deserve to make more money every day of the week, and they certainly don’t deserve to have their pay cut in the middle of a public health crisis or during a weather event,” Strimling said .

On the business side, major companies like MaineHealth have donated thousands of dollars in support of the law change. We reached out to a dozen small businesses in Portland for their views, but none offered a comment.