Legislators sustain Mills’ vetoes of progressive labor and criminal justice reform bills

“Frankly, it’s an indefensible decision,” James Myall of the Maine Center for Economic Policy wrote on Twitter. “Fear of retaliation by employers is real, and by blocking this effort to protect workers, the governor severely undermines her own [paid time off] bill.”

Myall cited the governor’s argument in her veto letter that the MDOL hasn’t received any complaints from workers about retaliation for using their time off, which Mills pointed to as evidence that LD 1338 isn’t needed. However, Myall argued that since the paid time off law doesn’t expressly make it illegal to retaliate against workers for using their time off, it’s not surprising that no one has complained to the MDOL. He added that the Maine Center for Economic Policy found in 2019 that one-third of workers with paid leave were afraid of being retaliated against by their employer for taking that leave.

Click here to read the full story, first published May 9, 2022 in Beacon.