On April 12, 2019, Maine’s first female Governor Janet Mills signed Senate Bill 90, or “An Act Regarding Pay Equality,” into law. The new law, which goes into effect 90 days after the current legislative session ends, seeks to end wage inequality in the state by prohibiting employers from taking salary history into account when Read more
On January 1, 2019, 20 states, including the state of Maine, are set to increase the minimum wage. Employers are required to pay employees at least the new minimum wage rate and post a notice in the workplace to inform employees of their right to receive the minimum wage. The Maine Department of Labor has released Read more
Update to Maine Minimum Wage Notice Effective January 1, 2019! 2019 Maine Minimum Wage Peel ‘N Post™ Maine All-On-One Labor Law Poster™ What’s changed? The Maine Minimum Wage notice provides information on the state minimum wage law, including wage laws for service employees and overtime requirements. The notice has been updated with the new minimum wage Read more
In the midst of low unemployment and an ongoing labor shortage, Maine employers have been granted some partial relief in the form of revised rules governing teen workers. The new rules, which are already in effect, will allow employers to place more responsibility – including driving, cooking, and welding – in the hands of employees Read more
During the 2018 legislative session, Maine lawmakers overrode Governor LePage’s veto to ensure passage of a new law intended to protect some of the state’s most vulnerable workers: victims of human trafficking who are forced into providing labor with threats, abuse, and manipulation. Although most of the the new law focuses on the ability to Read more
On January 1, 2018, the minimum wage increased in 18 states, an even greater number of municipalities, and on the federal level for employees of federal contractors. Employers were required to pay employees at the updated hourly wage rate and, in many cases, update their outdated workplace posters with a 2018 minimum wage poster. While Read more
Reminder to Maine employers! Starting February 1, 2018, employees and applicants aged 21 and over are protected from discrimination on the basis of their marijuana usage outside of the workplace. Under state law, employers cannot refuse to employ a person “solely” on the basis of their “consuming marijuana outside of the… employer’s… property.” Schools and Read more
Maine employers, are your labor law posters up to date? You might want to double-check! While many were surely prepared to update their minimum wage posters for 2018, it may come as a surprise that the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) also made an important revision to the Maine Employment Security Poster – especially since Read more
The Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) has updated the mandatory notice which details the Maine Video Display Terminal (VDT) law. This law, which was enacted in 1989, requires employers with employees who regularly operate a “video display terminal” (i.e., a computer) to implement a training and education program to protect workers from adverse effects that Read more
The Maine Supreme Court began hearings last week to determine whether medical marijuana treatment should be considered reimbursable under a workers’ compensation claim. Although Maine instituted its medical marijuana program in 1999, this is the first time the superior court has addressed how the law interacts with the state‘s workers’ compensation law. Medical marijuana is Read more
