paid leave

Health

Maine finalizes rules for paid family and medical leave program

Nicole Ogrysko

Starting Jan. 1, Maine will implement a 1% payroll tax, split in half between employers and workers. Those contributions will build up a reserve fund where benefits will eventually be paid out starting in May 2026.

Cathy Rasco, owner of Arabica Coffee in Portland, said she’s willing to pay into a statewide paid family and medical leave program. Rasco was part of a group that delivered petitions to the governor and legislative leaders on Wednesday, which call on the state to invest funds from the budget surplus in a paid leave program.

Business and Economy

Paid leave advocates call on state leaders to use budget surplus for new benefits program

Nicole Ogrysko

Paid family leave advocates delivered a petition with 1,200 signatures to the governor and legislative leaders on Wednesday.

In this Thursday, June 1, 2017 photo Elena Tenenbaum kisses her eight-week-old baby Zoe while standing for a photograph at their home in Providence, R.I. Tenenbaum, a clinical psychology researcher, had her second daughter in April of 2017, and has been able to use Rhode Island's paid family leave program, which started in 2014 and covers four weeks of partial pay.

Business and Economy

Paid leave advocates see Massachusetts program as a potential model for Maine

Nicole Ogrysko

The Maine Commission to Establish a Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Program is currently exploring a potential policy for the state.

Maine

Commissioner Laura Fortman: The Head of Maine's Department of Labor Addresses Top Job Issues

Maine Public staff

Maine Department of Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman joins us to discuss pressing topics ranging from paid time off, minimum wage, workforce shortage,…

Maine

Month in Review: The Top Maine Headline News for the Month of May

Our panel of editorial page editors joins us to discuss the news that made headlines in May, as well as the other stories that grabbed their attention.…

Politics

Paid Time-Off Bill Awaits Action From Governor

Associated Press

AUGUSTA, Maine - A bill to provide paid time off to 139,000 newly eligible workers in Maine is awaiting a decision from the Democratic governor. The…

Politics

Portland City Council Decides To Let Legislature Handle Paid Leave

Fred Bever

Portland's City Council Monday night narrowly defeated a requirement for city employers to provide workers paid leave. Today, the Maine Senate gave a…

Maine

Legislative Update: The Latest Bills Before Maine's Legislators and What Issues Are Being Debated

We’ll discuss some of the significant legislation making its way through the legislative process, including paid leave, sports betting, budget…