Maine Senate gives initial approval to Sen. Carney bill to protect Maine workers from retaliation

AUGUSTA — On Tuesday, June 6, the Maine Senate gave initial approval to a bill from Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth. LD 767, “An Act to Provide Uniform Protections from Retaliation for Maine Workers in Connection with the Exercise of Rights Protected Under the Laws Governing Employment Practices,” would give the Maine Department of Labor and the Maine Attorney General the ability to protect an employee when an employer retaliates against the worker for asserting their rights under Maine’s labor laws.

“Protections against retaliation serve an important role in our legal system,” said Sen. Carney. “While the Department of Labor and the Attorney General can already enforce workers’ rights, they don’t have a way to protect workers from retaliation when they assert their rights. This bill would empower the Department and the Attorney General to bring a claim against an employer that retaliates against a worker for asserting their rights. I want to thank my Senate colleagues for supporting this important bill.”

The proposed retaliation provision would extend to any right listed in Title 26, Chapter 7, Employment Practices. These rights include earned paid leave, limits on mandatory overtime, protections for nursing mothers, equal pay, family sick leave and veterans’ leave. If an employer is proven to have retaliated against a worker, the Department of Labor and the Attorney General could fine the employer $500 to $1,000 for each violation.

“Retaliation and the fear of being retaliated against happens to working people in a range of industries. We cannot expect workers to demand these basic rights at work if that means getting stuck with a bad shift or losing hours, leading to lost pay and all of the stress associated with missed payments, lower credit scores, eviction or loss of transportation,” said Adam Goode with the Maine AFL-CIO while providing testimony in support of the bill during the public hearing. “This legislation prohibits an employer from discriminating or retaliating against a worker who exercises their workplace rights.”

The bill faces additional votes in the House and Senate.

###