Jobs and Income Farmworker Rights — An Explainer Print Who are Maine’s farmworkers? The people who milk our cows, rake our blueberries, harvest our potatoes, and do the hard work to power Maine’s agricultural sector […] Arthur Phillips Posted August 29, 2024 Tags Explainer, Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs, Minimum Wage, Poverty, Racial Equity, Unions, Wages
Jobs and Income Portland City Council to consider $20 minimum wage ballot proposal Raising Portland’s minimum wage to $20 by 2028 would have the greatest benefit to workers ages 16 to 34 years old with a high school education or […] Portland Press Herald Posted August 17, 2024 Tags Minimum Wage, Wages
Jobs and Income Portland could vote on minimum wage increase Sykes cited the left-leaning nonprofit Maine Center for Economic Policy in stating that an increase would be especially beneficial for women and people of color. “Raising the […] Spectrum News Posted August 16, 2024 Tags Minimum Wage, Racial Equity, Wages
Jobs and Income Maine Can Now Order Employers to Pay Workers Damages for Missed Wages The proposal passed the Maine Legislature earlier this year. The law change had support from labor leaders in Maine who said it was especially important to protect […] US News and World Report Posted August 12, 2024 Tags Job Quality, Jobs, Wages
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy Eviction filings are down in Maine, but threat is still high James Myall, an economic policy analyst at the Maine Center for Economic Policy, had a similar guess. “One thing that could be playing a role is that […] Portland Press Herald Posted August 4, 2024 Tags Housing, Wages
Maine’s Economy 5 reasons to be optimistic about Maine’s economy At a glance: Despite consensus that the economy is in bad shape, Americans are broadly optimistic about their own financial circumstances Economic data mirrors this sentiment: unemployment […] James Myall Posted July 30, 2024 Tags Economic Security, Economy, Incomes, Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs, Wages
Jobs and Income New federal overtime rule will protect an extra 26,000 salaried Maine workers At a glance: The federal department of labor is raising the threshold for low-paid salaried workers to be eligible for overtime pay, nearly doubling the number of […] James Myall Posted July 3, 2024 Tags Incomes, Job Quality, Jobs, Overtime, Wages
Health Care, Jobs and Income Closing the Gap: Maine’s Direct Care Shortage and Solutions to Fix It Download the PDF version full report Summary Stories Today in Maine, thousands of older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals with behavioral health challenges do not receive […] Arthur Phillips Posted June 17, 2024 Tags Caregiving, Direct Care Work, Economic Security, Employment, Health Care, Job Quality, Jobs, Wages
Taxes and Budget Lawmakers can do better for Maine workers, families and communities Elected leaders in Maine strengthen our communities and address economic challenges through legislation. The major challenge facing Maine’s economy is the state’s plateauing workforce and to solve it we […] Bangor Daily News Posted May 22, 2024 Tags Budget, Direct Care Work, Economic Security, Incomes, Inequality, Job Quality, Jobs, K-12 Education, Minimum Wage, Racial Equity, Unemployment, Wages
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