Stories about Maine Department of Labor
Washington County sheriff appeals unemployment benefits awarded to former jail employees
MACHIAS, Maine — Washington County Sheriff Donnie Smith on Friday appealed unemployment benefits awarded to two former jail employees who were subject to an investigation about the misappropriation of jail funds earlier this year. But there are questions about whether Smith, acting on behalf of the county, has standing to ...
Fired Washington County jail clerk awarded unemployment benefits because purchases followed ‘prevailing practice’
MACHIAS, Maine — The former clerk of the Washington County jail who was fired for misuse of jail inmate funds was merely following “prevailing practice,” according to a Maine Department of Labor hearing officer. The officer also ruled last week, after an all-day unemployment compensation hearing, that Karina Richardson, 50, ...
Maine jobless rate reaches four-year low
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s unemployment rate was 6.9 percent in April, falling below 7 percent for the first time since December 2008, according to preliminary estimates released Friday by the Maine Department of Labor. April’s unemployment rate represents a decrease from 7.1 percent in March and 7.3 percent in April ...
Maine State Employees Association uses finance chief’s statements to push for raises
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s largest public employee union Tuesday called on the state’s finance commissioner to follow his own advice and negotiate higher pay for state workers. Maine State Employees Association has started a lobbying campaign highlighting comments made last week by Sawin Millett, the state’s finance chief, to make ...
Labor mural LePage had removed to get new home at Maine State Museum
BDN staff reports on Jan. 13, 2013, at 7:13 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — The labor mural that Gov. Paul LePage had removed in 2011 from the lobby of the Department of Labor in Augusta has a new home, Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette and Maine State Museum Director Bernard Fishman announced Sunday. The 11-panel Maine Labor History Mural, which depicts scenes ...
Portland area now accounts for most of state’s economy. What happens to the rest of Maine?
The economic shift to Maine’s south has become so pronounced during the last decade that Greater Portland now generates more than half the state’s economic output and one-third of its jobs, as the economies of other Maine cities have been relatively flat and rural regions decline. While conceding Portland’s geographic ...
POLL QUESTION
LePage declares five towns business-friendly; experts question economic strategy
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage declared five Maine towns business-friendly on Monday, though some experts said the program isn’t enough to counteract years of harmful policies and some of LePage’s other jobs initiatives, which they say are working against the governor’s own goals. One economic development expert questioned whether ...
Labor mural case continues with court appeal of decision in LePage’s favor
Lawyers for the plaintiffs who challenged Gov. Paul LePage’s removal of a labor history mural from the lobby of the Maine Department of Labor have filed their promised appeal of a judge’s March decision in favor of LePage in the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. The appeal, ...
Out-of-work Mainers hit by federal training cuts
AUGUSTA, Maine — Tens of thousands of Mainers are out of work. Federal cuts to job training programs have resulted in fewer people getting training for new jobs, and it could get worse as Congress considers deeper cuts. “We have seen significant cuts in all of these training programs,” said ...
Maine Department of Labor says it overbilled feds by $1.3M
The Associated Press on May 11, 2012, at 6:37 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Department of Labor says it took $1.3 million that it wasn’t entitled to from the U.S. Department of Labor over a period of nearly 12 years. Labor Commissioner Robert Winglass said he updated the governor Friday and sent a letter to federal officials to acknowledge ...
Maine labor comissioner pledges fast implementation of new unemployment fraud law
AUGUSTA, Maine — Labor Commissioner Robert Winglass says his agency is gearing up to implement the new law on unemployment fraud, expressing his belief that fraud is worse than many believe. “I think there are more than perhaps are being credited, more people who are abusing the system,” he said ...
Labor pool, skilled work force more important than energy prices for job creation, report says
The Associated Press on March 25, 2012, at 10:03 a.m.
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine Gov. Paul LePage has said repeatedly that businesses need cheaper energy in order to create jobs. But a report Sunday by Maine Today Media says that while no business wants high energy bills, a deep labor pool and skilled work force are more important than energy ...
ANALYSIS
Fact-checking LePage’s State of the State
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage delivered a straight-forward State of the State address on Tuesday that hit on many of his priorities — lowering energy costs, reducing welfare benefits and improving education. Republicans in the Legislature praised the governor for his focus on improving Maine’s economic picture. Even Democrats ...
POLL QUESTION
LePage says youths should be able to work during school vacation
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage says the state should leave work decisions up to children and their parents when they are not in school and limit state laws restricting child labor to safety issues, but some argue that is already state policy. “I don’t see why kids can’t go ...
Educated workers needed for health care jobs, LePage says
As Maine’s economy continues to struggle, state leaders say the health care sector remains strong and is expected to grow. At a conference on Tuesday, officials said training a qualified work force is the key to both meeting the growing demand for health care services in Maine and taking advantage ...
LePage’s crackdown on unemployment claims goes beyond fraud
By Steve Mistler, Sun Journal on Oct. 15, 2011, at 5:04 a.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Earlier this month, Gov. Paul LePage announced that his administration was undertaking a new effort to tackle improper unemployment payments and fraud, a problem that cost state employers about $6.5 million last year. The governor’s initiative came on the heels of President Barack Obama’s mandate that all ...
Glitch delays unemployment claim filings in Maine
The Associated Press on Oct. 11, 2011, at 3:31 p.m.
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Department of Labor says a software glitch prevented thousands of people from filing unemployment claims on Sunday and Monday. Laura Boyett, director of the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation, said the computer problem affected claims made both online and by automated telephone system. The problem was ...
LePage says domestic violence efforts don’t conflict with gun law
FAIRFIELD, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage asked employers on Wednesday to stand with him as he reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to fighting domestic violence at home and in the workplace. At an event at Hammond Tractor in Fairfield, the governor signed an executive order that directs state agencies to make ...
Fight over labor mural removal by LePage not over yet
AUGUSTA, Maine — The drawn-out battle over public access to a mural removed this spring from the Department of Labor at the request of Gov. Paul LePage — a decision that drew national attention — is entering a new chapter. Last month, Maine’s attorney general submitted a request for summary ...
$338,000 grant approved for 60 Maine grocers who lost jobs
The Associated Press on June 28, 2011, at 5:21 a.m.
GARDINER, Maine — U.S Labor officials say a $338,000 grant has been approved to help 60 workers who have lost their jobs due to the closure of Associated Grocers of Maine. The Gardiner grocery distributor announced in April that it would be shutting down its operations and laying off all of ...
Riders finish trek marred by tragic crash
Drug use continues to drive Portland, Bangor rates of violent and property crimes
University of Maine at Presque Isle grad overcomes obstacles, heads to medical school
Conservatives likely to write most remaining decisions in Supreme Court’s term
25 things to do this summer — boats, barbecue, the Bard and everything else
UMPI solar system model expanding into Canada