It’s been a long journey since the coronavirus pandemic reached our shores back in early 2020. Over the course of those first few months, governments ordered non-essential businesses shut, indoor dining was banned and people who left their homes were told to wear masks (even for a solitary jog). Houses of worship were ordered…
Read More »While many of today’s younger workers – and voters – may not have experienced the bite of inflation eating more of their compensation, those of us who more clearly understand the meaning and impact of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) are already seeing some effect from inflation. Among the many states, counties and cities that…
Read More »New York City and the state of Maine aren’t usually packaged together relating political issues, but they are both tightening up employer options regarding criminal background checks. New York City of course, already restricted an employer’s ability to inquire into an applicant’s criminal history, but back in January, passed additional amendments that just took effect…
Read More »Efforts continue in the Maine legislature to eliminate the notion of at-will employment. Although it may be considered a long-shot, work sessions have continued around advancing L.D. 553, An Act to End At-will Employment. The proposal, which has been favorably voted on by the Committee on Labor and Housing (7-3 vote), would require the employer…
Read More »As we anticipate another run by progressives in Congress at a federal $15 minimum wage, it’s reported that a group of moderate Senators – led by Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Mitt Romney (R-UT) are working on bipartisan legislation that would increase the federal minimum over the next four years from the current $7.25 to $10…
Read More »The state of Maine on January 1 becomes the first state in the nation to mandate that employees be provided with general purpose paid time off – available for the employee to use for any reason whatsoever. The law provides that employers with more than 10 employees must provide their workers with 40 hours of…
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Presidents and presidential candidates come and go, with this year’s election no different than many others in our country’s history in that regard. But many of the issues Dunkin’ franchise owners care about are not solely or even principally determined in Washington, D.C. Rather, state lawmakers and their counterparts on the local level – city…
Read More »Maine lawmakers held a work session yesterday on a bill that would dramatically increase the overtime threshold in the state. LD 402 would guarantee overtime pay for all Maine workers earning less than $55,000 per year, a significant increase over the current threshold of $36,000 per year. The bill, currently pending in the Committee on…
Read More »Our friends at the Bennett Law Firm in Portland Maine reminded us that a new law banning employers from inquiring about a prospective employee’s salary history took effect this week. The prohibition, which formally took effect on September 18, exists until such time as the employer extends a job offer to the applicant that includes…
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Ready for a $20 an hour minimum wage? That’s just one of the burdensome new regulations recently proposed in cities and states that threaten to change the rules and raise costs for franchise owners across Dunkin’ and other systems. Democratic lightning rod and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib is leading the charge for what would amount…
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