When we invest public money in training programs, we should ensure they lead to careers with good wages and benefits and deliberately open opportunities to historically underrepresented populations. LD 1539 improves standards for publicly funded apprenticeship programs to ensure that Registered Apprentices are diverse and are fairly compensated upon graduation. This bill incentivizes registered apprenticeships to demonstrate a commitment to traditionally underrepresented populations including women, people of color and justice involved Mainers by meeting benchmarks for graduating and supporting these populations. It also requires Registered Apprenticeship programs to report their “total package value” which includes not only end wages, but the value of benefits like health and retirement.

Prevailing wage laws require a basic wage standard on publicly funded construction projects. These laws ensure that state, municipal and federal governments, as major purchasers of construction services, do not depress wages. LD 1419 will strengthen prevailing wages on state-funded construction projects by ensuring that Maine’s prevailing wage rates accurately reflect the wages in an increasingly competitive labor market for construction.

So called “right-to-work” laws are designed to weaken unions, drive down wages and allow workers to get the benefits of unions without paying dues. Currently in Maine in the private sector, unions and employers can negotiate contracts where all workers who benefit from a collective bargaining agreement share in the costs of bargaining and representation. LD 1636 would have made it illegal for employers and employees to agree that all workers who benefit from a collective bargaining agreement share in the costs. Under LD 1636, negotiating a contract with a union security clause would be a Class D crime, subject to civil damages and up to a year in jail. The bill was defeated on largely party line votes.

It is essential that working people can access paid leave to be with their family during life’s most important moments. Whether it is caring for a newborn child, dealing with a serious health condition, military caregiving needs or other family demands, working people deserve time away from their job in order to care for themselves or a loved one. It is not possible to expect people to be able to do this without being paid. Under this new law, workers will receive up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. Paid family and medical leave reduces economic inequality, promotes gender equity in the workplace and makes it easier to return to work after childbirth. The new law ensures workers who earn good wages have sufficient wage replacement when taking leave, splits the cost of the program between employees and employers and protects workers who work under collective bargaining agreements that offer better plans than the state law.

Climate change poses serious threats like warming oceans, rising sea levels, extreme weather and more. Unions in Maine have been developing a vision to address accelerating climate change and deepening inequality by passing legislation to support thousands of new union jobs in the clean energy sector. This historic offshore wind jobs legislation protects critical fishing grounds and puts Maine on a path to clean energy independence. LD 1895 requires that any offshore wind project and port must be built under strong, industry- leading labor standards, including Project Labor Agreements and other benchmarks that prohibit temporary workers and independent contractors. It mandates that workers are paid unions’ collectively bargained total package rate with comparable health and retirement benefits, safety training, and participation in registered apprenticeship programs.

Too many Maine workers either cannot afford the rising costs of childcare or cannot find childcare slots for their kids. This contributes to short staffing at workplaces and adds stress to working families. LD 1726 will make childcare more affordable, increase the number of childcare options for working parents and raise wages for childcare workers. This will help working parents provide for their family, build a better life and contribute to growing Maine’s economy.

Farmworkers do difficult work that keeps food on our tables. In Maine these workers are currently excluded from critical labor laws like Maine’s minimum wage and overtime. This bill would have extended minimum wage protections to farmworkers, required a limit of 80 hours of forced overtime in a two-week period and allowed farmworkers the right to a 30-minute unpaid rest break every six hours. These are rights that other workers have had for over eighty years. Establishing worker protections for farmworkers would improve working conditions for some of the state’s most exploited workers who are disproportionately workers of color. This bill was passed by the Legislature but vetoed by Gov. Mills.

Maine has a nearly two hundred year history of child labor laws that prioritize young people’s education while also encouraging work. Current Maine law allows teenagers aged 16 to 18 to work up to 24 hours a week when school is in session, including until 10:15 pm on school nights. LD 559 tried to weaken Maine’s child labor laws by allowing students to work 32 hours a week when school is in session. Young people are injured on the job more often than others due to inexperience, improper training and using equipment designed for adults. Longer hours in the workplace for young people leads to more injuries and makes it more difficult for them to succeed in school.

This supplemental budget provides funding to make child care more affordable and accessible, doubles salary stipends for childcare workers and creates a statewide paid family and medical leave program. It includes a one-time three percent COLA for retired state workers and provides funding to complete a compensation and classification study and close the state employee pay gap. Teachers and state workers who retired early when 2011 pension cuts were made to give tax cuts to the rich will also see decreased pension penalties and nearly 5,000 retired state workers will receive new assistance for their Medicare Part B premiums.

For too long, employers have exploited weak labor laws by forcing employees to attend captive audience meetings during union organizing drives. These mandatory meetings are held by the employer during work hours to pressure employees against forming a union, interrogate workers, sow division and disseminate anti-union materials designed to mislead and intimidate workers. Workers take jobs because we want to earn a living and because we believe in taking care of our patients, serving customers and making products that help people. We do not take jobs to have employers impose their views on us. LD 1756 prevents employers from using their economic authority over employees to violate our First Amendment freedom of speech and assembly. The bill allows workers to refuse to attend an employer meeting focused on union busting, politics or religion without fear of being disciplined or fired.