Latest news with #LaborCommittee
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Farmworker minimum wage bill headed to Gov. Mills
Farmworkers, many of them immigrants, harvest strawberries in Oregon. (Photo by Oregon Department of Agriculture) Once again, the Maine Legislature is sending a bill to the governor's desk that would give farmworkers the right to state minimum wage. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives narrowly passed and then enacted — by a one-vote margin — LD 589, which mirrors a proposal Gov. Janet Mills put forward last session. The Senate enacted the measure later that day, sending it to the governor for her approval. 'By supporting this legislation, we affirm our commitment to fairness and consistency in our labor standards while continuing to honor the invaluable contributions of our agricultural community,' said Rep. Amy Roeder (D-Bangor) during the House debate Tuesday. Mills has vetoed multiple similar proposals in the past, including her own last session after the Labor Committee changed it. However, Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said during a committee meeting last month that Mills seems to be on board with the amended version of LD 589. Similar to the discussion on the Senate floor Monday, some House Republicans raised concerns that this bill would prohibit piecework, which is often used by sectors such as the blueberry industry to pay people based on how much they pick. Roeder, who co-chairs the Labor Committee, clarified that piecework is not outlawed by the bill. Most agricultural employers who spoke to the committee said they already pay more than the state's minimum wage of $14.65 an hour, but proponents have said the bill is important because it addresses the historic exclusion of agricultural workers from labor rights. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Maine Senate approves farmworker minimum wage bill
A farmworker in Maine harvests zucchini. (Courtesy of John Williams/MOFGA) The Maine Senate supported a measure to guarantee agricultural workers state minimum wage. On Monday, the upper chamber voted 22-12 with a couple Republicans joining the majority party in the initial passage of LD 589. The legislation will next go to the House of Representatives for an initial vote and will need enactment votes from both chambers before it could be sent to Gov. Janet Mills for approval. Granting minimum wage to farmworkers has been a years-long effort in Maine. Last year, Mills put forward a proposal that she ended up vetoing after the Labor Committee made changes to the bill. The bill this year mirrors the proposal Mills proposed last session. 'With this legislation, we send a clear message, Madam President, to those who harvest our food, nourish our families and sustain our communities,' said Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland). 'We say today: 'Your work matters, your dignity is recognized, your contributions are invaluable and the state of Maine will no longer tolerate a system built on exclusion and inequity.'' Talbot Ross, who sponsored the bill, also described the legislation as a way to 'turn the page on a painful history,' referring to the historic exclusion of agricultural workers from labor rights. Later in the discussion, Talbot Ross clarified that she was not calling any individuals 'racist' or 'second-class,' but referring to a pattern of discrimination throughout history that excluded Black and brown workers from certain labor protections. The version of the bill supported by the Senate is pared back from the original proposal that also included overtime protections and a phased in overtime wage. Those were removed during the committee process. Multiple Republicans who spoke in opposition to the bill emphasized the importance of piecework for some farms in the state, such as the blueberry industry, which pay people based on how much they pick. Sen. Scott Cyrway (R-Kennebec) said that system encourages people to take pride in their work, while Sen. Joseph Martin (R-Oxford) said, 'piecework is not evil.' Both voted against the legislation. However, Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot), who co-chairs the Labor Committee, clarified that the bill does not prohibit piecework. The other issue raised on the floor stems from broader concerns about automatically updating the state's minimum wage with inflation, as is already the case in state law. Though he said he was 'reluctantly' voting in favor of the bill, Sen. Dick Bradstreet (R-Kennebec) reminded his colleagues that he believes automatic increases to the state minimum wage are hurting the economy. However, he noted that LD 589 doesn't pertain to such cost-of-living increases. Bradstreet said there were components in the original draft of the bill that he did not support, but he backed the amended version because members of the agriculture industry expressed their approval to the committee. Tipping also noted during floor discussion that many agricultural employers in the state told the committee they already pay more than the state's minimum wage of $14.65 an hour. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Russia Today
29-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Major Russian сity to ban migrants from driving cabs
St Petersburg plans to ban foreign workers from driving taxis as well as from courier jobs through the end of 2025, according to a proposal that was published on the city administration's website on Wednesday. The measure would specifically target foreign nationals working under 'labor patents', a type of work authorization required for citizens of countries outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), such as Uzbekistan or Tajikistan. Citizens of EAEU members Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan would be exempt. The proposed ban would apply to taxi and rental car drivers, as well as couriers and food deliverers. The decree is slated to take effect in July, and businesses will have three months to comply. The move follows several measures taken by the Russian Interior Ministry in April, including raids in which 2,400 electric bicycles were seized and over 1,200 foreign citizens were detained for working illegally. The city's Labor and Employment Committee is also expected to recommend extending the restrictions into 2026. If adopted, the new rules would require delivery firms to keep a register of deliveries and equip all couriers with geolocation devices. Those using vehicles would be limited to a maximum speed of 15 km/h, and 'movement zones' would be established. The deliverers and their equipment would be required to carry a single identification number, with appearance standards set by the city's transport committee. In February, State Duma Deputy Mikhail Romanov raised concerns about couriers, citing repeated traffic violations on narrow sidewalks. However, the policy's rollout came as a surprise to many among the city's lawmakers and industry. According to Legislative Assembly deputy Alexey Tsivilev, quoted by Fontanka, a working group of lawmakers and delivery firms had been meeting regularly to draft rules on training, uniforms and traffic conduct, but the proposed ban had not been discussed. Tsivilev estimates that about 25,000 people are employed in the city's taxi sector, and that up to 70% are foreign-born. He believes as many as 15,000 people work as couriers, around half of whom are migrants. Other Russian regions have introduced similar restrictions. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, migrants with labor patents are barred from working in courier and food service roles as well as in medicine. The Yamal region prohibits migrant labor in the transport sector. From September 1, the Krasnoyarsk region will expand the ban to include timber processing, catering, education, and jobs in hairdressing and beauty salons. St Petersburg Vice Governor Igor Potapenko said in March that the number of registered migrants in the city had dropped by 60% in 2024 to about 210,000 people. He attributed the decline to increased oversight by law enforcement.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Committee backs ag worker minimum wage bill that mirrors Mills' proposal last year
Workers pick tomatoes at a farm owned and operated by Pacific Tomato Growers on February 19, 2021 in Immokalee, Florida. (Photo by) Lawmakers have endorsed a bill this session that would grant farmworkers in Maine the right to minimum wage and has the potential to finally make it off the governor's desk. The Legislature's Labor Committee voted 6-1 with multiple members absent to endorse LD 589, which would give agricultural workers the right to state minimum wage and mirrors the proposal Gov. Janet Mills put forward last session. Before committee members broke to caucus ahead of the vote, Senate co-chair Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot) said, 'This is the closest we have come and I hope we're in a good place here to finally pass a basic minimum wage for agricultural workers.' There were two bills before the committee this session seeking to guarantee farmworkers the right to state minimum wage, since they are currently excluded from the section of law that provides a wage floor and overtime protections. Legally, they are only entitled to the $7.25 federal minimum wage; however, many farm owners say they pay workers even more than Maine's minimum wage of $14.65 an hour. Earlier this session, the Labor Committee also supported a bill that would allow agricultural employees to talk about wages, working conditions and other employment matters with other employees or the employer. That bill has received initial approval from the Senate, but was tabled in the House of Representatives Tuesday, pending a vote. Farmworker rights have been an ongoing discussion in the state as Mills has vetoed multiple pieces of legislation over her tenure seeking to secure labor protections, including her own bill last session. She said she could no longer support that proposal after the committee reworked the bill to allow farmworkers to bring their own private action against employers for violations. House co-chair Rep. Amy Roeder (D-Bangor) said Tuesday that as a self-described 'idealist,' the legislation doesn't go as far as she would have liked, though ultimately supported the bill. 'I realize in legislation that we have to crawl before we can walk sometimes, but we've been crawling for an awful long time,' Roeder said. When introducing LD 357 this session, Sen. Rick Bennett (R-Oxford) said he was appalled by the governor's actions last year. His bill was identical to the one the Labor Committee supported last year, but this time bolstered with a Republican as the lead sponsor. Though the committee voted unanimously not to support Bennett's bill, Tipping thanked him for following the committee's work last session by introducing this measure. Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland) originally took a different approach from Bennett with LD 589, which initially removed language that exempted farmworkers from current statute, rather than create a new section of law. However, this was a sticking point for the agricultural industry who worried that any future changes to that section of law could overlook the unique qualities of farming. After amending LD 589 to address those concerns, the proposals had just two key differences. The legislation from Talbot Ross does not include a private right of action, leaving it up to the Department of Labor and the Office of the Maine Attorney General to handle any wage violations. Additionally, the amended version of LD 589 includes language clarifying that the changes that would result from this legislation could not be construed to mean that agricultural workers were losing any existing rights. Tipping highlighted this language before casting his vote in support of the bill, saying that he interprets it to mean that farmworkers won't lose their right to bring private action against an employer for other violations, such as not being paid any wages. Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said that based on conversations she has had with the governor, Mills seems to be on board with the amended version of LD 589. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawson, Ciccone tapped to lead RI Senate after death of Ruggerio
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Senate Democrats on Tuesday backed Val Lawson to succeed the late Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, entrusting the job to an East Providence lawmaker who is also president of the state's biggest teachers' union. Lawson received 24 votes in the final vote on the Senate floor. Her chief Democratic rival, state Sen. Ryan Pearson of Cumberland, received eight votes. The four Republican senators backed their leader, state Sen. Jessica de la Cruz of North Smithfield. State Sen. Leo Raptakis of Coventry abstained. 'I understand that leading this chamber is an awesome responsibility,' Lawson told senators after her election. 'I pledge to everyone in this chamber and all of Rhode Island, to all of you, that I will work tirelessly and give you my all to uphold that responsibility.' During a caucus meeting, Democrats also tapped Labor Committee Chairman Frank Ciccone as their new majority leader, selecting a longtime Providence senator who had faced strong opposition from progressive groups. The caucus vote for Ciccone was 22-10. He defeated Narragansett state Sen. Alana DiMario. One of the Democrats, Cranston sen. Lammis Vargas, abstained from the vote. The installation of Lawson, 58, and Ciccone, 77, comes just over a week after Ruggerio died of cancer at age 76. It follows days of intense behind-the-scenes politicking among senators, union leaders, lobbyists and others over who would lead the chamber going forward. Lawson was first elected in 2008. She became Senate majority leader last fall after Ruggerio sacked Pearson, 36, because he had taken offense over a private conversation the pair had regarding the Senate president's ill health. Pearson made an unsuccessful effort to unseat Ruggerio in November. Both Lawson and Ciccone have deep ties to organized labor. Lawson, a former East Providence teacher, is the current president of the National Education Association Rhode Island teachers' union. Ciccone was a longtime official with the powerful Laborers' International Union. Lawson is one of the chamber's more liberal senators, while Ciccone is one of its more socially conservative members. In the days leading up to the vote, outside groups questioned Ciccone's positions on issues such as guns and abortion rights. Ciccone was first elected in 2002. Ted Nesi (tnesi@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi's Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
