New overtime rules will finally pay workers what they deserve

Every week, thousands of Mainers work overtime—more than 40 hours per week—to make ends meet. Many workers, even after working 50 to 60 hours per week, still […]

Distribution of adults by income tier (%) in Maine's major labor markets (table)

Income inequality and provision of public services a matter of life and death

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association offers further evidence of the effects of income inequality on health and well-being.  Using data […]

Economic Data Tell Consistent Story that Maine’s Recovery is Far From Complete

Despite the recent fanfare about Maine’s low headline employment rate, the state’s economy has still not fully recovered from the effects of the Great Recession, some eight […]

Testimony to the United States International Trade Commission opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

MECEP’s written testimony to the US International Trade Commission on how the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement detracts from the economic stability of Maine’s hard-working families. Specifically they exacerbate wage […]

Testimony in opposition to LD 1553, “An Act to Improve the Workers’ Compensation System”

“The bill under consideration would remove the voice of Mainers from any future changes to the determination of employee status for workers’ compensation purposes.  That determination, and […]

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 […]

Testimony in Support of LD 1318, An Act To Promote Individual Private Savings Accounts through a Public-private Partnership

Part-time workers are mostly ineligible for employer retirement plans. Just over 40,000 Mainers work in part-time jobs. Maine has the sixth highest rate of “involuntary part-time” employment […]

Testimony in Opposition to LD 489 and LD 1353

“Maine needs policies that increase the wages of workers, not reduce them. We can’t sustain our state’s economy with jobs that don’t compensate workers adequately.” Good Morning […]

Testimony in Support of LD 843, An Act to Raise the Minimum Wage and Index It to the National Average Wage

“An increase in Maine’s minimum wage is long overdue. Adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage in Maine is lower than it was forty years ago. Wages for […]