Jobs and Income, Taxes and Budget Worker justice wins and losses in the 2024 legislative session The second session of Maine’s 131st legislature ended Friday, as resistance from Governor Mills and inaction in the House left many important bills to die. While lawmakers […] Arthur Phillips Posted May 15, 2024 Tags Budget, Incomes, Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs, Wages
Jobs and Income, Taxes and Budget From farmworker wage bill to raising taxes on wealthy, legislators sustain Gov. Mills’ vetoes The House vote on the farmworker minimum wage bill was 54 in favor of overriding the governor and 69 in favor of sustaining the veto. After the […] News From The States Posted May 10, 2024 Tags Budget, Job Quality, Jobs
Education, Jobs and Income Wednesday Sit-Down: Teacher pay in Maine In this week’s Wednesday Sit-Down, Grace Leavitt of the Maine Education Association sits down with CBS 13 to talk about teacher pay in Maine. Click here to […] WGME Posted May 8, 2024 Tags Education, Job Quality, Jobs, K-12 Education, Wednesday Sit Down
Jobs and Income Pushing back on veto, farmworker advocates say Mills’ proposal scaled back labor rights Arthur Phillips, a policy analyst with the Maine Center for Economic Policy who was part of the stakeholder commission that worked on recommendations for the bill, agreed […] Maine Morning Star Posted May 7, 2024 Tags Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs
Jobs and Income Advocates dismayed by Gov. Mills’ veto of her own bill to improve farmworker wages In a statement, the Maine Center for Economic Policy said Mills vetoed the bill “simply because it ensured farmworkers have the same access to the courts that […] Beacon Posted April 25, 2024 Tags Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs, Racial Equity
Taxes and Budget Unfunded bills are unfinished work The legislature has passed a supplemental budget, but its work for this year remains far from done. Both legislative chambers have approved dozens of bills and they […] James Myall Posted April 24, 2024 Tags Child Care, Direct Care Work, Education, Health Care, Higher Education, Job Quality, Minimum Wage, Overtime, Racial Equity, Wages
Jobs and Income Gov. Mills vetoes 3 bills, including measure to set minimum wage for farmworkers “After a year of deliberation, with all relevant stakeholders at the table agreeing farmworkers should be guaranteed at least the minimum wage, Gov. Mills still chose to […] Portland Press Herald Posted April 23, 2024 Tags Economic Security, Job Quality, Jobs, Wages
Jobs and Income Labor advocates call Gov. Mills’ veto of her own farmworker wage bill ‘an embarrassment’ Arthur Phillips, policy analyst at the Maine Center for Economic Policy who served on the minimum wage committee, said Mills “has reaffirmed farmworkers’ second-class status in Maine’s […] Maine Morning Star Posted April 23, 2024 Tags Economic Security, Job Quality, Jobs, Wages
Jobs and Income MECEP statement on LD 2273 and LD 525, the farmworker minimum wage and concerted activity bills AUGUSTA, Maine — Arthur Phillips, policy analyst at the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP), released the following statement in reaction to Governor Mills’s vetoes of LD […] Posted April 23, 2024 Tags Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs
Jobs and Income, Taxes and Budget Maine lawmakers have signed off on worker protections — now they must fund their implementation Through 2023 and 2024, the Maine legislature passed seven bills to improve Mainers’ rights at work — but these bills won’t become law unless the Appropriations and […] James Myall Posted April 12, 2024 Tags Budget, Job Quality, Jobs, Minimum Wage, Wages