Break out the Super Bowl squares.
Now that the February 11, 2024, Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers is set, many American workplaces will turn to the ubiquitous office pool to...more
On January 11, 2024, Maine Governor Janet Mills declared a state of civil emergency for coastal counties in Maine impacted by flooding caused by a storm earlier in the week. The state of emergency covers eight counties,...more
Updated September 17, 2023: At 10:56 a.m. on Sunday morning, Governor Janet Mills lifted the state of emergency she declared on September 14. As a result, the $21/hr emergency wage is no longer in effect in the City of...more
The First Special Session of the 131st Maine Legislature included debate about more than 2,000 bills. Many that were adopted will impact employers in the Pine Tree State. ...more
After clearing necessary procedural and financial hurdles this week, Maine is set to enact one of the broadest and most generous paid family and medical leave programs in the country....more
In a case of first impression for the court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit recently ruled that an insurer owes a fiduciary duty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to all...more
The Portland, Maine City Council voted unanimously on August 8, 2022, to send five citizen-initiated referendums to voters in the November election.
One of the referendums that will appear on the November 8 ballot – “An...more
8/11/2022
/ Ballot Measures ,
Employee Definition ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Wage ,
Ridesharing ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
Maine’s governor recently signed H.P. 160 - L.D. 225, amending the state’s final wages statute to require that “[a]ll unused paid vacation accrued pursuant to the employer's vacation policy on and after January 1, 2023 must...more
4/25/2022
/ Accrued Benefits ,
Amended Legislation ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Former Employee ,
Hiring & Firing ,
State Labor Laws ,
Termination ,
Vacation Pay ,
Wage and Hour
At their first meeting of the new year, city councilors in Portland, Maine repealed a COVID-19 emergency order that had been in place since March of 2020, thereby terminating a short-lived hazard pay provision. During the...more
At their final meeting of the year, on December 20, 2021, city councilors in Portland, Maine left the city’s existing COVID-19 emergency order in place, thereby triggering implementation of a significant hazard pay...more
The Maine Department of Labor announced on September 17, 2021 that the state’s public sector employees will be subject to President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate due to Maine’s state plan agreement with the federal...more
9/20/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Employees ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The First Special Session of the 130th Maine Legislature ended on July 19, 2021 with a flurry of votes on pending bills. Many of the newly-enacted laws, which were adopted with little debate, will significantly impact almost...more
7/22/2021
/ At-Will Employment ,
Ban the Box ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Direct Deposit ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Holidays ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Private Right of Action ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
Employers in Portland, Maine received long-awaited clarity Tuesday regarding a November 2020 voter referendum raising the city’s minimum wage and instituting hazard pay during states of emergency such as the COVID-19...more
Since the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released its updated COVID-19 guidance on May 28, 2021 greenlighting vaccine incentives, many employers seized the opportunity to offer incentives to employees to...more
6/15/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Incentive Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Gambling ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Risk Management ,
Vaccinations ,
Wire Act ,
Workplace Safety