Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy Employment trends threaten the economic security of working families As if employment opportunities for low-income workers weren’t bleak enough―low-wages, no retirement savings, no health insurance―now these workers face a complete breakdown of the traditional employer-employee relationship […] Jody Harris Posted December 30, 2015 Tags Economic Security, Economy, Job Quality, Jobs
Maine’s Economy Governor LePage ignores the value of land conservation to Maine’s economy Gov. LePage recently announced that he will belatedly sign off on multiple voter approved bond issues for the Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program, but he remains […] James Myall Posted December 21, 2015 Tags Property Tax
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy Maine’s Lower Unemployment Rate Not Necessarily Good News State Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette today released the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) statewide workforce estimates for November. The headline touts a drop in unemployment […] James Myall Posted December 18, 2015 Tags Economy, Jobs, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Maine’s working families set to score an important win in the tax package scheduled for vote in the House and Senate More than 37,000 hardworking Maine families will keep a key income boost that helps them go to work and pay for basic necessities under a new bipartisan […] Mark Sullivan Posted December 16, 2015 Tags EITC, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Maine’s Economy Is DHHS SNAP mismanagement putting Maine families at risk of hunger? In a blistering editorial published in today’s Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal, and Central Maine Morning Sentinel, MaineToday Media condemned the Maine Department of Health and Human […] Mark Sullivan Posted December 15, 2015 Tags Food Insecurity, SNAP
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy Shop ‘til you drop ― It’s no holiday for retail workers Too many Mainers today work too few hours for too low pay. The data show over and over and over how part-time, low-wage, and benefit-less jobs trap […] Jody Harris Posted December 2, 2015 Tags Incomes, Job Quality, Wages
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Transportation bonds: A public safety must, an economic development essential Question 3 on the November 3rd Maine ballot asks the following: “Do you favor an $85,000,000 bond issue for construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of highways and bridges […] Mark Sullivan Posted November 2, 2015 Tags Bonds, Economy, Infrastructure
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy USDA reports progress on child hunger, but still a long way to go to eradicate food insecurity for all Mainers and all Americans Congress is currently deliberating over reauthorization of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which is crucial to protect school kids in Maine where the child food insecurity rate […] Mark Sullivan Posted October 28, 2015 Tags Children, Food Insecurity, Poverty
Taxes and Budget Allowing working family tax credits to expire will make it more difficult for these families to make ends meet Congress has the opportunity this fall to prevent key federal working family tax credits from expiring, resulting in cuts for 50 million working Americans, 16 million of […] Mark Sullivan Posted October 22, 2015 Tags EITC, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Education, Health Care, Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget An agenda to give American families a much-needed raise Our colleagues at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) note that “wages for the vast majority of American workers have stagnated or declined since 1979—and wage stagnation’s reach has broadened […] Mark Sullivan Posted October 15, 2015 Tags Economy, Immigration, Inequality, Infrastructure, Jobs, Tax Fairness, Taxes, Wages