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V O L . X X I I N O. X X I S E P T E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 6 6 N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King said that the state of Maine re- ceived $371,616 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and $233,614 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to strengthen drug abuse prevention efforts and better track fatal and nonfatal opioid-involved over- doses in Maine. The Offi ce of National Drug Control Policy awarded a total of $2.25 million in grant funding to several Maine health coalitions to prevent youth substance abuse and foster drug-free communi- ties in Maine. New $125,000 award recipients included SoPo Unite: All Ages, All In, South Portland; Choose To Be Healthy Coalition, southern York County; and Mid-Maine Substance Use Prevention Coalition, Greater Waterville and northern Kennebec County. Continuing $125,000 awards recipi- ents included Sanford Strong Coalition, Sanford; Casco Bay CAN (Create Awareness Now), Freeport, Falmouth, Yarmouth, Cumberland, North Yarmouth, Gray, New Gloucester and Pownal; Westbrook Communities that Care, city of Westbrook; Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition-Project Alliance, city of Biddeford; Be the Infl uence Coalition: A Windham-Raymond Collaborative, Windham and Raymond; ACCESS Health, towns of Brunswick and Harpswell as well as Sagadahoc County; Healthy Lincoln County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, Lincoln County; Southern Kennebec Substance Abuse Work Group, Gardiner, B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state 747-5650 www.parknjetportland.com No more rushing Valet parking at the airport open 4:30am to 1am or later. Drive 100 yards past baggage claim, look for our green sign. per day $10 hello@dirigodev.com | dirigodev.com | 207.358.2990 You almost clicked it, didn't you? Let's talk about bringing your company's story to the screen. We're Dirigo. We make bu-ons work for you. You almost clicked it, didn't you? CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ENGAGING YOUR CUSTOMERS ONLINE STARTS HERE. marketing | design | video | web development FairPoint strikers win victory in Maine's business court AUGUSTA — Maine's Business and Consumer Court handed a victory to workers at FairPoint Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: FRP) when it canceled a decision of the Unemployment Insurance Commission that denied unemployment benefi ts to the striking employees during the 2014-15 labor dispute and sent the case back to the commission for further review. In its Aug. 26 decision, the court rejected the commis- sion's mandate that in order to obtain benefi ts, the employ- ees had to prove that the Charlotte, N.C.-based FairPoint had maintained substantially normal operations during a four-month labor dispute. The court ruled that the commis- sion erred when it placed the burden of proof on employees, rather than FairPoint, to show that there had not been a stoppage of work. The business court's decision was the fi rst time that the Maine courts have addressed who has the burden of proof in labor disputes, according to a written statement from attorneys Jeffrey Neil Young and Roberta de Araujo of the Augusta law fi rm Johnson, Webbert & Young, who repre- sented the FairPoint employees. Young and de Araujo said the business court's decision means that the case will be returned to the Unemployment Insurance Commission for reconsideration of its decision. "FairPoint must now prove that there was a substantial curtailment of work for each and every week of the strike," Young said in a written statement. "Workers do not strike often, and usually only strike as a last resort in the face of extreme employer conduct. The FairPoint strikers will be able, at least for the near future, to keep the unemployment ben- efi ts they received pursuant to a decision of a Department of Labor hearing offi cer, who found (unlike the commission) that no substantial curtailment had occurred. And, it should be easier in the future for employees involved in a labor dis- pute to receive unemployment benefi ts, particularly where, as here, the employer chooses to hire strike replacements." FairPoint told Mainebiz in a written response to questions about the decision that it disagrees with the court's ruling and will reiterate in the next stage of the process its position that the strikers are not entitled to unemployment benefi ts. "We continue to fundamentally believe that employees who voluntarily leave their job should not be entitled to unem- ployment benefi ts," Angelynne Beaudry, FairPoint's director of corporate communications, wrote. "This decision not only potentially impacts FairPoint, but also any other business currently operating in or considering coming to Maine, and we intend to work with the commission to support our position." In February 2015, FairPoint ratifi ed the new contract with two unions that had been striking for months, a move that allowed 1,800 members across Maine and two other states to return to work. The contract with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Communications Workers of America included a cheaper, union-administered health plan and helped protect jobs from outsourcing, Peter McLaughlin, a spokesman for Maine's IBEW chapter, said at the time of the contract's ratifi cation. — J a m e s M c C a r t h y Out-of-state students lift UMaine System Orono and Fort Kent were the only schools in the University of Maine System to report enrollment increases over the past year. Offi cials say that any revenue losses stemming from the lower enrollment numbers will be off set by an increase in the number of out-of-state students. e Portland Press Herald reported that the latest overall enrollment data for the system shows that 28,187 students have enrolled in the system, a drop of 1.3% from the same time last year. Enrollment for out-of-state students, who pay signifi cantly more in tuition, increased by 7.8% to 5,202. "Out-of-state credit hour growth at several of our campuses has the potential to off set and in some cases even exceed revenue declines attrib- uted to lower in-state enrollments. Every dollar of additional out-of- state revenue strengthens our public education system," Ryan Low, the system's chief fi nancial offi cer, told the Press Herald. S T A T E W I D E

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