7:30 pm and testimony goes on – opponents now. We like some of the questions they are getting from committee. “If the bill was amended in response to the concern you expressed in your testimony, would you support the bill?” Answer: “no”. So what is this really about? Answer: the idea that government should not [...]

About LD 1665 in relation to paid time off policies. Folks are testifying , even though they already provide a robust paid time off policy. If you are an employer providing paid time off policies that people can use for the purposes in this bill, you won’t need to change your employment policy at all. There’s an exclusion [...]

Rep. Ben Pratt ‘We’re trying to the best with what we can…but all i ask is that you ask yourself what position are you in?  I believe the vast majority of the employers in maine are good – but laws are for when there’s a problem.I ask you to…. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes.”

cites report on Walmart’s sick leave policy issuing occurences for using sick leave. Must stop the “race to the bottom”

Opponents are on again now, and there’s a long, long line  yet to go on both sides.

In a statement today to the US DOL: “Things like paid family leave and sick days and affordable childcare should be the norm, not the exception. That’s why we think it’s important to highlight companies that are embracing these policies, ones that are experimenting with things like flex time and telecommuting and focusing on performance [...]

to extend paid sick days to workers. Of course we heard that in 2004, 2005, and 2008 too…. David White now, a business owner, speaking on behalf of the “growing number of small employers whom have endorsed LD 1665.” “My employers are my greatest resource.” Support paid sick days for the good of Maine’s economy.

The VP of Public Affairs for the Family PLanning Association expresses strong support for LD 1665, notes the importance of annual exams and routine screening. Paid sick days enables routine and preventative care. A recent – 42% of employed women in an Guttmacher survey agreed with the statement that they “are reluctant to take time [...]

Dr. Lani Graham, family practice physician, public health expert, and former head of the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention speaks to the importance  of paid safe days for domestic violence circumstances, and sick days to prevent the spread of disease. “As a physician, I am used to give advice on how to stay healthy.”  Now, [...]

Kevin Miller, researcher from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) came to Maine to report that employers statewide will save $37 million annually as a result of the proposed law. Miller said, “This study represents one piece of a series of such analyses conducted by the IWPR that examine public policy development in relation [...]