Abstract: The rotor of a shaded-pole motor carries a braking ring with a radially projecting stop lug adapted to coact with a pivoted pawl to brake the rotor to a stop when the motor is de-energized. The pawl carries a pole piece which, upon energization of the motor, is magnetically attracted toward the stator thereof to cause the pawl to pivot to a released position clear of the stop lug. The braking mechanism requires relatively few components, and those components may be used universally either with a motor with a clockwise rotatable rotor or a motor in which the rotor rotates in a counterclockwise direction.