The Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) administers the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. The Act provides benefits to workers injured in maritime employment on the navigable waters of the United States or in an adjoining area customarily used by an employer in loading, unloading, repairing, or building a vessel. In addition, several acts […]

Many of us know by now that according to the US Census report, in 2012 a full-time female worker made about 77 cents on the dollar compared with her male counterpart. What you may not realize, though, is that by raising the standard of pay for these female workers to equal that of the male […]

As most people now know, Governor LePage spent a reported 16 hours meeting eight times with members of the Constitutional Coalition. This is the group of conspiracy theorists who apparently believe our State and national governments are the enemies of the people and are poised to declare martial law any day now. Remarkably, this handful […]

In the past five years the Social Security Administration has completed the largest field office reduction in its history by terminating 533 temporary mobile offices and closing 64 of its field offices.   In Maine, those actions resulted in the closure of the Rumford, Maine local office. In its place the SSA installed a two-way video […]

Hillary Clinton made some news recently with a major announcement. OK, not THAT announcement – but one that should be noted nonetheless. She stated that paid family leave should be implemented, eventually, in the United States. Some pundits immediately jumped on this statement as having the potential to be major, positive, campaign plank, should she […]

The Fourth of July is such a beloved holiday. In addition to being a great way to celebrate everything that makes our country so special, it also gives many of us the chance to take a day off of work and simply enjoy time with our family and friends. As you throw those burgers on […]

During one of his many interviews, Alice Cooper, a rock and roll legend, was once asked “What’s the greatest three minutes of your life?” He responded by saying, “There’s two times during the year. One is Christmas morning, when you’re just getting ready to open the presents. The greed factor is right there. The next […]

Earlier this week, as reported in the Portland Press Herald, Guillermo and Hector Fuentes pled guilty to federal charges revolving around their actions from 2006 to 2011 assisting undocumented workers in obtaining fraudulent green and social security cards, as well as hiring them to work at their restaurants in Westbrook, Waterville, and Biddeford. During the […]

In 1970 Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The law made employers legally responsible for providing a safe workplace for their employees. The Act also created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to oversee workplace health and safety standards and to make sure that employers abide by the law. It is unfortunate […]

  Last month the fair wage movement gained substantial momentum when fast food workers in 150 cities and 30 countries staged a walk-out strike on May 15th. This was not the workers’ first round in the fight – in November 2012, 200 workers from fast food chains in New York City walked out and created […]