Jobs and Income

Maine could finally expand overtime pay for thousands of workers

James Myall, a policy analyst with the Maine Center for Economic Policy, told lawmakers that the group estimates that about 26,000 additional salaried workers in the for-profit […]

Beacon

Posted April 26, 2023

Tags Job Quality, Jobs, Overtime

Jobs and Income

‘We’re responsible for the history we make:’ Lawmakers push for migrant labor rights

Maine is not the only state where lawmakers are trying to expand rights for farmworkers. Currently, 12 states guarantee collective bargaining rights to such workers. And in […]

Beacon

Posted April 19, 2023

Tags Economic Security, Immigration, Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs, Wages

Taxes and Budget

On Tax Day, Mainers argue everyone ‘deserves a slice,’ call for wealthy to pay their fair share

The amount corporations currently pay in state taxes is opaque, although it is estimated that Maine gives away over a billion dollars in tax breaks to businesses […]

Beacon

Posted April 18, 2023

Tags Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes

Jobs and Income

Fight for fair work scheduling returns to Maine Legislature

“Say you work at a national retail chain,” Arthur Phillips, a MECEP policy analyst, posed a hypothetical to lawmakers. “Last week, you worked the closing shift on […]

Beacon

Posted April 10, 2023

Tags Job Quality, Jobs

Taxes and Budget

‘Wolf in sheep’s clothing:’ Dems hold the line against GOP budget demands

Republicans pointed to the projected budget surplus to argue for the tax cuts, which analysts said would primarily benefit wealthy Mainers. “We are over-collecting taxes from Maine […]

Beacon

Posted March 31, 2023

Tags Budget, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes

Taxes and Budget

How corporate consolidation is breaking Maine’s economy

Corporate consolidation is suppressing wages, breaking supply chains and driving inflation. The result of unchecked monopolies is a more fragile economy and a less democratic society. This […]

Beacon

Posted March 23, 2023

Tags Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes

Health Care

Will legislators undo LePage’s rollback and restore health coverage to low-income immigrants?

“New Mainers are particularly likely to work in grocery stores and care homes, restaurant kitchens and hotels — many of the industries which are currently struggling to […]

Beacon

Posted February 27, 2023

Tags Health Care, Racial Equity

Taxes and Budget

Mills outlines new climate goals, backs housing first, pledges access to Narcan in budget address

The Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) also praised the budget while calling for lawmakers to build on the plan by making additional investments in programs to […]

Beacon

Posted February 15, 2023

Tags Budget

Health Care

Advocates worry that ‘fentanyl hysteria’ will further criminalize people who use drugs

“By 2016, harm reduction activists noted the product on the street that was being sold as heroin had almost none,” reads A Better Path for Maine: The […]

Beacon

Posted February 13, 2023

Tags Health Care

Taxes and Budget

‘People are desperate:’ Budget committee encouraged to make bold investments in affordable housing

“While public investment is necessary to alleviate Maine’s affordable housing crisis, $30 million is insufficient to address the shortage of affordable housing,” said Josie Phillips, a budget […]

Beacon

Posted February 10, 2023

Tags Budget, Housing

Beacon

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Maine could finally expand overtime pay for thousands of workers

‘We’re responsible for the history we make:’ Lawmakers push for migrant labor rights

On Tax Day, Mainers argue everyone ‘deserves a slice,’ call for wealthy to pay their fair share

Fight for fair work scheduling returns to Maine Legislature

‘Wolf in sheep’s clothing:’ Dems hold the line against GOP budget demands

How corporate consolidation is breaking Maine’s economy

Will legislators undo LePage’s rollback and restore health coverage to low-income immigrants?

Mills outlines new climate goals, backs housing first, pledges access to Narcan in budget address

Advocates worry that ‘fentanyl hysteria’ will further criminalize people who use drugs

‘People are desperate:’ Budget committee encouraged to make bold investments in affordable housing