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Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 28 nov. 2007).Également disponible en format papier.Bibliogr

Update on Labor\u27s Demographics

As in years past, unionization levels have continued to vary widely according to demographic and occupational characteristics of the U.S. workforce, as well as geographic region. The unionization level of the total employed U.S. wage and salary workforce is one measure. However, in order to obtain a more balanced perspective, it is also important to consider the specific levels of union membership in both public and private sector areas of employment, which play a significant role in the U.S. economy. Using data compiled and supplied by the U.S. Department of Labor, this briefing paper provides a statistical summary of unionization levels for employee wage and salary workers in the U.S. and Maine

Oklahoma, Maine, Migration and the Right to Work: A Confused and Misleading Analysis

The recent article released by the Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC), “The Case for Right-to-Work in Maine: Examining the Evidence in Oklahoma” (1/23/2012), attempts to make a case for the supposed benefits of a right-to-work (RTW) law in Maine, by discussing the case of Oklahoma’s RTW law, and then presenting a number of statistics on migration to Oklahoma, and from Maine to RTW states. However, a closer examination of this report reveals that it is based on highly questionable and misleading assumptions, and its assertions are based on incomplete data

Responsible Contractors Help Build Thriving Communities

What is responsible contractor language, and why is it important? Public construction projects are often costly undertakings. In recent years, municipalities and schools are increasingly using responsible contractor policies to set certain minimum employment standards for bidding on construction work. In response to this trend, responsible contractor (RC) language is being developed and used to provide needed reform in the construction contract bidding process. According to a recent study of responsible contractor reforms, the public policy goal of these reforms is to ensure that all contracts for public works are awarded to reputable, responsible finns that have the qualifications, resources and personnel required to successfully perform contract work

Working Conditions and Patient Safety: Safe Staffing in Maine\u27s Hospitals

A growing body of research is now documenting how serious problems in the work environments of nursing care in American hospitals are posing a threat to patient safety, as well as contributing to shortages of nurses working in hospital settings and in greater job stress and burnout among nurses. A major factor in this picture, according to a major report by the National Institute of Medicine, is the issue of chronic understaffing among direct care nurses

Hot Jobs Update: 2008 Outlook for Maine\u27s Women Workers

This paper on the occupational outlook for Maine’s women workers is intended as an update to the Bureau of Labor Education’s previous briefing papers on this topic. These earlier papers showed that despite many upbeat analyses of the best “hot new jobs” that will be available to women workers in the next decade, the largest occupations available to women workers in Maine will continue to be primarily jobs with low wages and little economic security. What do more recent data suggest about these issues

Attaining Occupational Health and Safety Through Education, Engineering, and Enforcement

Every year, many workers in Maine and elsewhere in the United States are injured or killed on the job, or develop work-related illnesses. While most injured workers may have access to Workers’ Compensation benefits, such compensation does not make up for extended and sometimes permanent pain and disability. Clearly it is more sensible for employers and workers to focus on the prevention of occupational accidents, injuries and illnesses than to deal with the consequences after the fact

Hot Jobs or Not So Hot? Outlook for Maine\u27s Women Workers

There are currently many upbeat analyses of the best and highest paying “hot new jobs” available to women workers in the first decade of the 21st century. Presumably, these career choices will offer such desirable things as good wages, decent benefits, creative and interesting work, and opportunities for advancement. However, while many individual women may benefit from such career advice, the sad fact is that the largest occupations available to women workers in Maine will continue to be pathways primarily to low wages, disappearing benefits, and dismal economic security. This briefing paper focuses on four basic questions concerning Maine’s women workers: 1) Why are many women workers in Maine facing economic insecurity despite being employed? 2) Are the largest occupations for Maine women workers in the next decade likely to offer greater economic security, or will women workers continue to be at risk? 3) Is the apparent decrease in the male/female wage gap in 2001 a result of better conditions for women, or worse conditions for male workers? 4) What can be done in Maine to address the economic challenges faced by women workers

The Minimum Wage: Two Generations of Neglect Add Up

Although a three-step raise in the Federal minimum wage that ended in July, 2009 is projected to generate a total of $10.4 billion in increased consumer spending,2 a survey of the wage situation in the U.S. today suggests that recent raises to the minimum wage are inadequate. Both Maine and the nation have been plagued by serious wage stagnation for many years. The overextended credit that helped fuel the recent economic crisis was exacerbated by what has been called a “collapse of hourly wage growth” by the Economic Policy Institute. In the longer term, the inflation-adjusted value of the minimum wage has dropped by 17 percent from 1968 to 2009. This has contributed to a very weak economy, dragged down by depressed wages that will make recovery more difficult. This paper discusses problems caused by stalled wages, and highlights some emerging trends regarding the minimum wage

Thinking Outside the Box: The Challenge of Maine\u27s Regional Service Centers

The challenges facing regional service center communities in Maine need to be addressed by creative problem solving which goes beyond the simplistic and flawed assumptions of the Closed Loop model of service center revenue. Many existing strategies to increase municipal revenue through tax incentives and inappropriate economic development are often counterproductive to the long-term well-being of service center communities and their quality of life. The health of RSC\u27s is critically important for the well-being of the state as a whole, and the taxpayers in these communities should not be expected to assume the entire financial burden of providing needed services and infrastructure for surrounding areas. Policymakers, citizens, and workers should become informed about the need for comprehensive state and regional solutions that will be equitable and effective, in order to prevent a continuing downward spiral of economic and social decline in service center communities, and in the rest of the state