Maine Regulation of Employment Poster Required

Time of PaymentEmployees must be paid in full at least every 16 days.  Employees must 
be notified of any decrease in wages or salary at least one day prior to 
the change.
Payment of Wages Employees who leave a job must be paid in full on the next payday or 
within two weeks, whichever is earlier. Any vacation pay earned is due 
at the same time.
Severance Pay Businesses that have 100 or more employees at a single location may 
have to provide severance pay to employees if that business location 
closes or has a mass layoff.
Unfair Agreement Employers cannot require that an employee pay for losses such as 
broken merchandise, bad checks, or bills not paid by customers, nor for 
special uniforms and certain tools of the trade. 
Rest Breaks Most employees must be offered a 30-minute paid or unpaid rest break 
after 6 hours of work.
Nursing mothers must be provided with unpaid break time or be  
permitted to use their paid break or meal time to express milk.  
The employer must make reasonable efforts to provide a clean room or 
location, other than a bathroom, where the milk can be expressed.
Family Medical Leave An employee who has worked for the last 12 months at a workplace 
with 15 or more employees can have leave for up to 10 paid or unpaid 
weeks in 2 years for: 
	◆  Birth or adoption of a child or domestic partner’s child;
	◆  Serious illness of the employee or immediate family member, 
including domestic partner;
  ◆	 Organ donation;
  ◆	 Death or serious health condition of the employee’s spouse, 
domestic partner, parent or child if it occurs while the spouse, 
domestic partner, parent or child is on active duty;
  ◆	 Serious illness or death of a sibling who shares joint living and 
financial arrangements with the worker.
(Federal family medical leave is different, call 603-666-7716 for more information.)	
Leave for Victims of Violence, Assault, Sexual Assault or Stalking Must be allowed upon request if an employee (or a child, parent or 
spouse of an employee) is a victim of violence, assault, sexual assault 
or stalking or any act that would support an order for protection under 
Title 19-A M.R.S.A., c. 101 and the employee needs the time to:
  ◆	 Prepare for and attend court proceedings; or
  ◆  Receive medical treatment; or
  ◆  Obtain necessary services to remedy crisis.
Leave to Care for Family
If the employer’s policy provides for paid time off, the employee must 
be allowed to use up to 40 hours in a 12-month period to care for an 
immediate family member who is ill.
Mandatory Overtime Most employers may not require employees to work more than 80 
hours of overtime in any consecutive 2-week period. A nurse who has 
worked 12 consecutive hours may not be disciplined for refusing to 
work additional hours and must be allowed at least 10 hours off after 
working 12 hours. ( There are exceptions to this law.)
Earned Income Tax Credit 
Employees may be eligible for federal and state earned income tax  
credits. Employees may apply for the tax credits on the employee’s 
income tax return.
Note:  Maine employers may also be covered under the Federal Fair Labor 
Standards Act. For more information, contact the U.S. Department of Labor 
Wage and Hour Office at 603-666-7716. 	
At-Will Employment - Under Maine law, an at-will employee may be 
terminated for any reason not specifically prohibited by law. In most 
instances, you are an at-will employee unless you are covered by a 
collective bargaining agreement or other contract that limits  
termination. If you have questions about at-will employment, contact  
your human resources department or the Bureau of Labor Standards.	
For more information, contact:	
Maine Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Standards  45 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333-0045 
located at: 45 Commerce Drive 
Telephone:  207-623-7900 
TTY users call Maine Relay 711.  
Web site: www.maine.gov/labor/bls	
 	
Email: [email protected]	
Regulation of Employment	
Maine Law (Title 26 
M.R.S.A. § 42-B) requires 
every employer to 
place this poster in 
the workplace where 
workers can easily see it.	Labor Laws of the State of Maine provide protection for people who 
work in Maine.  The Maine Department of Labor administers the laws, 
which all employers must follow. Department representatives inspect 
workplaces to ensure compliance. Citations and penalties may be  
issued to employers who do not comply.
This poster describes some important parts of the laws.  A copy of 
the actual laws or formal interpretations may be obtained from the 
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards, by calling  
207-623-7900.  ( The laws are also on the Bureau’s web site.)	
Bureau  of La bor St andards
 	
   rev. 03/20	
The Maine Department of Labor provides equal opportunity in employment and programs. Auxiliary aids and services are available to people with disabilities upon request.	
This poster is available online at no charge and may be copied:  https://www.maine.gov/labor/posters/