Labor
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7,400 Mainers fail to provide proof of employment to continue receiving unemployment
On August 6, the Maine Department of Labor (DOL) announced that approximately 7,400...
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Gov. Mills’ ‘Back to Work’ program comes to a close
The Maine Department of Labor’s (DOL) Back-to-Work grant program will close applications on...
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Unions hid millions in 2020 political spending
Unions dropped a whopping $67 million in hidden political spending between 2019 and...
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Mills’ ‘Back to Work’ program not helping Maine’s stagnant unemployment rate
The unemployment rate in Maine remained stuck at 4.8% for the fifth straight...
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Mills vetoes another bill sponsored by Senate President Jackson
On July 12, Gov. Janet Mills vetoed LD 1711, which would have allowed...
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Paid to stay home: study finds lucrative unemployment helps fuel labor shortage
This study on the nationwide impacts of the historically high UI has simply...
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Maine launches ‘Back to Work’ program while leaving federal pandemic unemployment benefits in place
On June 14, Gov. Mills announced a program to incentivize unemployed Mainers to...
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Some states are ending enhanced unemployment benefits to get residents back to work
Maine’s Department of Labor currently has no plans to end enhanced employment benefits....
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When Joe Biden talks about worker choice, he means only one choice
President Joe Biden believes joining a union isn’t merely a right that workers...
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Maine’s congressional delegation should listen to independent workers and reject the PRO Act
With Maine’s economy still recovering from the pandemic, it’s important that our lawmakers...
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The high cost of trying to use the minimum wage as welfare
In recent years, a number of economic studies have concluded that small to...
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Which New England state will be first to enact Right to Work?
New Hampshire has a lot going for it compared to the rest of...
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After a tough year for restaurants, Biden wants to eliminate the tip credit
It’s no secret that restaurants have been particularly impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns and...
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Remote work is here to stay and that’s a good thing
Since the beginning of the pandemic, businesses able to shift their employees to...
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Portland businesses worried about city’s new minimum wage ordinance
Portland voters approved Question A on their local ballots last week, an initiative...
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Unions lost a major battle in their war on the gig economy
Should Americans be allowed to freelance? Progressive Democrats have been pushing legislation at...
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Pro-union state senator opposed her brewery employees’ unionization efforts
Rising Tide Brewing, a popular brewery located in Portland, faces a national labor...
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How will Maine’s struggling small businesses survive the next unfunded mandate?
The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) issued a press release Monday raising...
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A misguided strike at Bath Iron Works
I have been deeply disappointed to see the strike going on at Bath...
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Bath Iron Works files NLRA complaint over striking union’s threatening message
Bath Iron Works (BIW) filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board...
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BIW’s largest union rejects contract, goes on strike
On Sunday evening, members of Local S6 voted to reject Bath Iron Works’...
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Proposed bill would fleece taxpayers to please public unions
Lawmakers on Maine’s Labor and Housing Committee will hold work a work session...
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Maine unions want to set education policy at your school
Who should be in charge of local education policy? Should it be parents...
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Briefs filed in Maine workplace freedom case
Twenty-two public policy organizations filed amicus briefs last week urging the U.S. Supreme...
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Maine professor suing faculty union appeals his case to the Supreme Court
Jonathan Reisman, an associate professor of economics and public policy at the University...
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Minimum wage and overtime changes come with unintended consequences
On January 1, the state’s minimum wage and overtime exemption thresholds increased by...
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Public unions want more special favors from Maine lawmakers
On October 23, Maine’s Legislative Council voted to advance LR 3100, a legislative...
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Public workers are working hard to protect their rights after the Janus decision
In 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that requiring public-sector workers to...
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Alaska state employees union wants the courts to suppress its members’ First Amendment rights
This summer, Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson released a formal opinion that said...
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Alaska AG moves to protect public employees’ First Amendment rights
Last month, Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson released a formal opinion that said...
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MECEP praise for labor unions misses the mark
This week, in honor of Labor Day, the Maine Center for Economic Policy’s...
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The minimum wage myth that persists
Advocates of a higher minimum wage rarely appeal to scholarly research to bolster...
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Allowing public employees to strike would disrupt our schools and communities
The state of Maine currently prevents employees who work in the public-sector from...
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Right-to-Work would bolster Maine’s manufacturing sector
The decline of Maine’s manufacturing sector, whose workforce has shrunk by nearly half...
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Proposed overtime rules will result in lost wages and benefits
The Maine Legislature next session will consider another bill that would be harmful...
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Maine’s prevailing wage law is expensive and outdated
When Mainers pay their taxes, they fully expect their hard-earned dollars will be...
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Maine should follow Kentucky’s lead on right to work, labor reforms
Last week, Governor Matt Bevin gave the keynote address at The Maine Heritage...
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Last-minute licensing reform bill will expand opportunity in Maine
Just before the conclusion of Maine’s most recent legislative session, lawmakers passed an...
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Private sector workers need Right-to-Work
For decades, the liberty of Maine’s workers has been continually limited by onerous...
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Government workers remain in the dark one year after Janus decision
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Janus...
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Speaker Gideon’s paid leave plan illustrates lawmakers’ propensity to tax and spend
The First Session of the 129th Maine Legislature has been filled with proposals...
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CMS finalizes rule to end dues skimming of in-home caregivers
Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule...
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What’s next for workplace freedom?
Three employees of Kent State University on Monday, April 29 filed suit against...
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LD 1451: Mandatory disclosures of private information as a condition of employment
Are you a public employee? Public sector labor unions in Maine want access...
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Lawmakers decline eliminating a licensing board that did not meet for four consecutive years
Occupational licensing exists to protect public health and safety in professions that pose...
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Fair Workweek bill fails miserably in committee
This morning, lawmakers on the Labor and Housing Committee held a public hearing...
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‘Fair Workweek’ bill is anything but fair to workers who will suffer from its enactment
Lawmakers on Maine’s Labor and Housing Committee today will hold a public hearing...
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Numerous bills put in jeopardy the health of our small business economy
As a small business owner, I know firsthand that what is good for...
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Maine law forces me to accept union misrepresentation
This piece was first published in the Portland Press Herald. I am an...
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Forget the minimum wage – licensing reform will help lift Mainers out of poverty
Despite its relatively minimal impact on Maine workers, the labor issue presently garnering...
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MECEP’s shoddy defense of the minimum wage ignores basic research methods
Earlier this year, the Maine Center for Economic Policy, a left-wing think tank,...
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The LePage Administration has prioritized treating our state employees fairly
When I came into office in 2011, the state workforce had been subject...
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Boxers, dietitians and interior designers; Maine’s licensing regimes go too far
Occupational licensing is intended to safeguard the public from unqualified, incompetent charlatans whose...
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Maine is in desperate need of occupational licensing reform
Every American citizen should have the right to earn a living and the...
