Wage Theft » Maine

Unpaid Wage Cases in Maine

Since 2005 the U.S. Department of Labor has found $9.3M in back wages owed to 14,233 Maine workers, in 884 cases, and assessed $2.2M in penalties. 150 cases involved child labor violations covering 424 minors.

$9.3MBack wages employers agreed to pay
14,233Workers owed back wages
884Cases with back wages

What workers weren't paid

Overtime not paid$5.6M (61%)
Other laws (farmworker, visa, leave and more)$2.1M (22%)
Prevailing wage on government contracts$1.2M (13%)
Below minimum wage$331K (4%)

Industries with the most back wages

Full-Service Restaurants$1.7M (18%)
Plumbing and Heating Equipment and Supplies (Hydronics) Merchant Wholesalers$870K (9%)
Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels$546K (6%)
Limited-Service Restaurants$390K (4%)
Home Health Care Services$320K (3%)
Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover$245K (3%)
Nursing Care Facilities$231K (2%)
All Other Specialty Trade Contractors$210K (2%)
Residential Mental Retardation Facilities$207K (2%)
Landscaping Services$203K (2%)

Cases with back wages by year

02040608068200550200651200742200839200930201049201150201277201345201431201533201640201737201827201920202034202131202234202318202429202592026

By city

CityBack wagesWorkersCases
Portland$1.1M 1,31793
South Portland$723K 52238
Bangor$484K 82073
Augusta$445K 39621
Westbrook$362K 46022
Ogunquit$311K 41123
Brewer$290K 60317
Lewiston$287K 24817
Brunswick$248K 1,08714
Waterville$211K 39919
Freeport$179K 32716
Bar Harbor$159K 51316
Kennebunkport$159K 16913
Kennebunk$155K 33411
Saco$151K 7610
Scarborough$135K 16518
Biddeford$98,235 13416
York$93,483 23311
Kittery$90,127 14519
Ellsworth$81,296 8713
Wells$36,206 11911
Falmouth$30,612 11011
Auburn$29,415 9016
Belfast$26,044 8910

Cities with at least 10 cases with back wages.

Labor lawyers in Maine

Lawbamba lists 62 labor lawyers with an office in Maine, the practice area that deals with the wage theft cases on this page. These 4 come first in that listing (how the order is set).

Brian Champion
Libby O'Brien Kingsley & Champion, Llc
Labor, Civil, Employment & Labor
Kennebunk · 4.5★ from 17 reviews
Eric R. Herlan
Labor, Education, Education
Portland · 5.0★ from 1 review
Geoffrey K. Cummings
Labor, Construction
Portland · 5.0★ from 1 review
Patrick N. McTeague
McTeague, Higbee, Case, Cohen, Whitney & Toker, P.A.
Labor, Civil Rights, Employment & Labor
Topsham · 4.2★ from 14 reviews

Matched by practice area and office location only. These lawyers are not connected to the records on this page and have not reviewed or endorsed it.

Owed wages by a Maine employer?

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Source: the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division enforcement data (every concluded compliance action since fiscal year 2005), from the DOL Open Data Portal, loaded November 9, 2026. “Back wages” is the amount employers agreed to pay workers after an investigation found they were underpaid; dates are the end of the period the investigation covered. Employer names and addresses are as DOL publishes them. Federal cases only: state labor departments and private lawsuits recover more that isn't counted here.

Lawbamba is not affiliated with the Department of Labor, and this page is general information, not legal advice.