New Minimum Wage—August 25, 2021

To the Bowdoin community,

I am very pleased to announce that the College will increase our minimum wage rate for benefits-eligible hourly workers from $15.50 to $17.00 an hour, effective this coming Monday, August 30, 2021, ten months ahead of schedule. The increase will be accompanied by related compensation adjustments for virtually all of the more than 330 support staff currently working at the College who will also see their paychecks increase.

As many of you know, we announced in the fall of 2019 that we would be gradually raising the minimum wage to $17 by July 1, 2022, and we have been doing so. The latest move was to $15.50 an hour this past July 1. We are accelerating the increase to $17.00 ten months ahead of schedule to respond to rapidly changing labor conditions in Maine—where the state minimum wage is currently $12.15 an hour—and to maintain our ongoing commitment to remaining a leader in wages and benefits in the state.

Many workers across Maine have chosen to exit the workforce since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The worker shortage is affecting businesses and organizations across the state, including at Bowdoin, where vacancies for hourly positions are running well above normal levels. When combined with a benefits package that is among the very best in Maine, our higher hourly rates are expected to draw more interest from job seekers in the region. The higher rates and related compression adjustments also recognize the essential work performed by our support staff today. This is an investment in our colleagues and the skills and experience each of them brings to campus every day.

For more information about Bowdoin wages and benefits, please visit the FAQ on the Bowdoin website.

Best regards,

Matt

Matthew Orlando, CFA|Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration & Treasurer
Bowdoin College|5600 College Station|Brunswick, ME 04011
Telephone 207.725.3242|FAX 207.721.5161