Proposed city sick-day ordinance will protect Portland’s unique workforce

Finally, we strongly disagree that Portland should wait for the state to pass L.D. 369, which would provide paid time off to some workers. Portland needs a paid-sick-days ordinance that is geared toward the needs of our low-wage workers: people who are employed in seasonal restaurants, who work per diem in Portland’s social services and who piece together multiple part-time jobs in the tourism industry. These workers are our members, and many of them will be left out of the proposed state law. The Maine Center for Economic Policy estimates that of the 19,000 workerswho the Portland ordinance would cover, 9,000 will be left behind by the state bill.

Click here to read the full story, first published April 20, 2019, in the Portland Press Herald.