“[The homeless] are not all hard-luck people. They are just a lot of hardened criminals.” So says Falmouth Republican Ryan Raber from the deck of the “Providian,” his 100-foot boat from which he operates his million-dollar commercial fishing operation out of Deakes’ Wharf in Portland. “When you look in their eyes, you realize they have…
One hundred small business owners have signed onto a letter calling for the Maine State Legislature to pass a paid family and medical leave policy that they say would help them retain workers and compete with larger companies. “As a small business owner, I value my employees and I try to support them when they…
A state lawmaker wants to repeal the LePage-era tax cuts on Maine’s wealthiest estates to help fund the state’s urgent need for housing. It is not the first time Rep. Ben Collings, a Democrat representing Portland in his fourth term, has introduced legislation to amend Maine’s estate tax. “I’ve submitted this bill, I think it’s…
Legislation was introduced in the Maine State Legislature last week to give hourly workers mainly in the service industry predictable schedules and some degree of control over their lives outside of work. In a public hearing before the legislature’s Labor and Housing Committee on Thursday, Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Orono), the committee’s Senate chair, introduced a…
Advocates at the forefront of the fight against toxic substances in Maine are pushing back against a recent letter from over 50 industry groups, including the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, requesting that the Mills administration delay implementation of a law requiring companies to provide information on products that contain PFAS beginning in 2023. The…
When Maine passed its first-in-the-nation paid time off law in 2019, explicit protections for workers taking leave from retaliation from their employers were cut out during backroom negotiations on the bill. Now, Rep. Rebecca Millett (D-Cape Elizabeth), who sponsored the 2019 bill that as of 2021 allows employees of businesses with more than 10 workers…
Last month, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor raised its minimum wage to $17 an hour and I want to be the first to congratulate them. In fact, let me be the first to congratulate both of our largest healthcare companies for pushing the envelope on entry level wages. Preceding Northern Light, Maine…
A Bull Moose store in Salem, New Hampshire fired all its workers this past week, offering no justification. “We are not able to share the reasons behind our decisions regarding the Salem store as it is important to us to protect the confidentiality of our former employees,” read a post from the record store chain’s…
An official from the administration of Democratic Gov. Janet Mills joined Maine’s largest business lobby to testify against a proposal that would close loopholes allowing corporations to stash profits in offshore tax havens. “An Act To Prevent Tax Haven Abuse,” introduced on Thursday by state Rep. Denise Tepler (D-Topsham) to the legislature’s Taxation Committee, would…
Eighty-two million dollars is a lot of money. For a state in the grip of a deadly pandemic, it could be a lifeline. Mainers who have lost their jobs or homes could desperately use that kind of support right now. So could small businesses that are barely keeping their doors open. So could Maine schools…