Paul LePage on Jobs

Employers can pay tipped workers half minimum wage

Legislative outcome:Passed Senate 23-12-0; Roll Call #246; Jun/7/17; Passed House 110-37-4; Roll Call #302; Jun/13/17; Signed by Governor Paul LePage, Jun/23/17

Allow employer's access to employee social media accounts

Summary by Littler-Mendelson P.C.: Maine has now enacted legislation that restricts an employer's ability to demand information regarding an employee's or job applicant's social media account. The Act expressly prohibits employers from requiring or requesting an employee or job applicant provide the employer with the password or other means of accessing his or her social media accounts. Governor LePage attempted to veto 65 bills including the Act. Maine lawmakers argued that the Governor missed the veto deadline; the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that all 65 bills had become law.

Legislative outcome:Passed House 83-60-8, Roll Call #136 on Jun/2/15; Passed Senate 35-0-0, Roll Call #127 on Jun/3/15; Vetoed by Governor Paul LePage Jul/16/15

Are low-wage call-center jobs the kind we want?

The starting wage at NexxLinx is between $8.50 and $9 per hour, plus incentives. That amounts to about $19,000 per year for employees who work 40 hours per week.

"People can cry and holler all they want, but if we don't reduce energy costs, we're going to have two Maines," LePage said. The other Maine, he said, is in the south, where there are higher-wage jobs. [A Nexxlink spokesman said the issue was finding good workers, not energy costs.]

Vetoed incrementally raising the state's minimum wage

All of those governors won a first term in the national Republican sweep of 2010, and most have had strong Republican representation in their legislatures to support them. But LePage was tasked with facing a Democrat-controlled legislature, and in July he vetoed a bill to incrementally raise the state's minimum wage.

For his likely Democratic challenger, Rep. Mike Michaud, increasing the minimum wage is an issue the onetime paper mill worker from northern Maine discusses often, said a campaign adviser. "He is closely aligned with working- and middle-class families," Farmer said. "He's not a millionaire.

Reduce red tape for permitting for principled job creators

However, let me be clear, I am not interested in helping those who increase the cost of living on Maine people for personal financial gain. Unemployment is down in Maine, lower than the national average. We are focusing our efforts on branding the State of Maine, recognizing that Maine made products embody quality and value. Government is becoming more transparent. We exposed the wasteful use of Mainers tax dollars at agencies such as the Maine Turnpike Authority and Maine State Housing Authority. We not only exposed it--we cleaned it up. We have more to do!