Sec. 4. 26 MRSA §623, as amended by PL 1999, c. 790, Pt. P, §2 and affected by §3, is further amended to read:

§623. Exemptions

This section and sections 621-A 621-B and 622 do not apply to family members and salaried employees as defined in section 663, subsection 3, paragraphs J and K. Sections 621-A and 622 do not apply to an employee of a cooperative corporation or an association if the employee is a stockholder of the corporation or association, unless the employee requests the association or corporation to pay that employee in accordance with section 621-A weekly. Except as provided in section 621- A, subsections 3 and 4, a A corporation, contractor, person or partnership may not by a special contract with an employee or by any other means exempt itself from this section and sections 621-A 621-B and 622. When the terms of employment include provisions for paid vacations, vacation pay on cessation of employment has the same status as wages earned.

Sec. 5. 26 MRSA §626-A, first ¶, as amended by PL 1999, c. 465, §5, is further amended to read:

Whoever violates any of the provisions of sections 621-A 621-B to 623 or section 626, 628, 629 or 629-B is subject to a forfeiture of not less than $100 nor more than $500 for each violation.

Sec. 6. 26 MRSA §626-A, 3rd ¶, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 465, §5, is repealed.

Sec. 7. 26 MRSA §626-C is enacted to read:

§626-C.__Collective bargaining exceptions

An employer is not considered to have violated section 626 when, pursuant to a written and signed agreement made as a result of collective bargaining by representatives of employees, unpaid wages are paid within a different time period or a setoff or counterclaim is set up and when the contract or agreement specifies the length of the time period or the precise nature of the setoff or counterclaim, respectively.