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V O L . X X I I I N O. X M AY 1 , 2 0 1 7 10 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E Do your employees take pride in what you do? Find out. F O R I N F O R M AT I O N A N D TO A P P LY G O TO B E S T P L AC E S TO W O R K M E. C O M 2017 Premier Sponsor A N E M P LO Y E E E N G A G E M E N T P R O G R A M Call us today! 207-854-2422 directpersonnel.net 1-800-639-8802 mainestaff.com A corporate division of Maine Staffing Group Diverse hiring solutions for Maine's competitive economy Filling entry-level roles to specialized technical positions. Providing skilled candidates for any industry! • Healthcare • Administrative • Accounting/Financial And much more! Universal sick leave bill moves forward, but businesses balk B y J a m e s M c C a r t h y A bill that would create universal sick leave in Maine, including paid sick leave for 230,000 Mainers who work for companies with 50 or more employees, won an initial endorsement from the Legislature's Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee. In a 5-4 party line vote, Democratic members of the committee recommended that the full Legislature pass LD 1159, "An Act To Support Healthy Workplaces and Healthy Families by Providing Paid Sick Leave to Certain Employees," which is sponsored by state Sen. Rebecca Millett, D-Cape Elizabeth. Millett's bill would require employers to allow their employees to accrue sick leave at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked. Employees would be able to use sick leave to care for themselves or immediate family members, or to take time off if they or members of their family were victims of domestic or sexual abuse. Companies with 50 or more employees would be required to offer paid sick leave; those with fewer than 50 employees would be required to offer it without pay. "Everyone gets sick, but without sick leave, workers are forced to choose between their health and their incomes," Millett said during the committee's April 10 public hearing. The Maine Women's Lobby, Maine Center for Economic Policy, Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Education Association, Maine People's Alliance, the Maine chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Partnership for Women and Families all testifi ed in favor of the bill. Peter Gore, vice president for advocacy and government relations at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, urged the committee to reject the bill. "This bill will add signifi cant and immediate cost to an employer's bottom line and create a new and burdensome tracking and reporting requirement for every affected Maine business," Gore stated in written testimony. "The Maine chamber believes this proposal moves our state and our economy in the wrong direction, driving up the overall cost of doing business here, and creating yet another deter- rent for employers who are trying to locate or expand their businesses in Maine." Opposition to the bill also was voiced by Greg Dugal, testifying on behalf of the Maine Restaurant Association and Maine Innkeepers Association. He told the committee that "any additional cost that will need to be incurred, through programs like paid sick leave or parental leave, just causes that day of reckoning to be that much closer" for two labor-intensive industries that he said are already reeling from higher costs resulting from the state's new minimum wage law. "Maine already has a 'family sick leave' statute," said Curtis Picard, execu- tive director of the Retail Association of Maine, whose 350 members statewide collectively employ more than 85,000 Mainers. "It allows employers of 25 or more employees to allow an employee to use paid leave — whether that time is vacation time, sick time or comp time — to care for a child, spouse or parent." B R I E F F I L E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Greg Dugal, testifying on behalf of the Maine Restau- rant Association and Maine Innkeepers Association, said universal sick leave would be another burden on businesses reeling from minimum wage increase. N O T E W O R T H Y N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N The Fort Fairfi eld Fire Department received a $25,000 grant from the Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation in Bangor. The will be used to pur- chase fi refi ghting devices including a portable ground monitor, an exten- sion ladder and a host of various nozzles, adaptors and other fi re equipment. In addition, funds will be used to enhance the safety of fi refi ghters through improved safety signage and emergency lighting. Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville announced the comple- tion of the expanded Northwoods Clinic in Sangerville. The expansion brings critical services including radiology, phlebotomy and behavioral health to the region, helping to keep care close to home.

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