Articles About Maine Labor and Employment Law.

The Maine Department of Labor (DOL) announced revised proposed rulemaking for the Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Program. This comes on the heels of the first draft of proposed rules issued on May 20, 2024.

Public comment is open through Sept. 30, 2024. Comments can be submitted here.

Maine DOL’s rulemaking

The start date for payroll withholdings and submissions of quarterly wage reports under the Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (MPFML) Program is January 1, 2025, leaving employers with a sense of urgency as the compliance date nears. Under the current rules, employers may not apply for private plan substitutions

The Maine Department of Labor announced proposed rulemaking on May 20, 2024, to implement the upcoming Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Program.

Maine DOL’s rulemaking has been expected following the Maine Legislature’s passage of the new law in 2023. Employees can begin receiving paid leave benefits effective on May

The Maine Department of Labor published proposed rules for Maine’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Program on May 20, 2024, providing initial clarification for employers regarding covered employees, contribution amounts, substitution of private plans, and other facets of the program established in July 2023. Public comment is available

Maine employers may be preparing to comply with Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program as required payroll contributions to the PFML Insurance Fund are set to begin on January 1, 2025, but questions remain as the state has yet to adopt final rules for implementing this new and

Maine Governor Janet Mills has vetoed legislation that would have severely restricted the contexts in which Maine employers could use and enforce non-compete agreements.

On February 1, 2024, the First Circuit Court of Appeals held that a plaintiff alleging a violation of the Maine Equal Pay Law (MEPL) does not need to show additional discriminatory intent beyond establishing that an employer paid male and female employees in comparable jobs differently.

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, including Cumberland County – Maine’s most populous county and the home to

On September 14, 2023, Maine Governor Janet Mills declared a state of emergency due to Hurricane Lee’s anticipated landfall on the Pine Tree state. Although this declaration is a seemingly routine measure to ramp up natural disaster response preparedness, it has triggered a costly hazard pay measure for nearly

Maine recently wrapped a busy 2023 legislative session that brought several significant legal changes relevant for employers. Those changes include increasing the cap on damages for violations of the Maine Human Rights Act (MHRA), expanding the protections of Maine Equal Pay Law to include race, amending the Workers’ Compensation Act

Beginning May 1, 2026, Maine’s new paid family leave law will allow Maine employees up to 12 weeks of family and medical leave benefits over a one-year period.

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. Below is a brief summary of important employment law changes enacted this session. 

An Act to Create the Maine Paid Family

Maine is expected to join 13 other states and Washington, D.C. in implementing a paid family and medical leave program. Maine’s program, which will provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave per year, covers all eligible employees of private and public employers, except employees of the federal

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 Act to Eliminate the Sub-Minimum Wage, Increase the Minimum Wage and Strengthen Protections

Maine recently joined the list of states—including California, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Washington, and others—with laws restricting employers’ use of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) and confidentiality terms in settlement, separation, and severance agreements.