The big business carve-out exempts many workers in Maine who work for large retail chains. Among those workers who did not have leave protections, 31,000 are ineligible because they work for large employers, according to an analysis by the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP).
The Act also created a loophole for businesses with 50 or fewer employees, allowing them to seek exemptions from the U.S. Department of Labor if they think their business will be adversely affected. MECEP estimates that if all Maine’s small businesses took advantage of that sizable loophole, an additional 53,000 workers currently without paid leave would be excluded from the temporary coverage.
