Publications
Recent Briefing Papers & Bulletins
New release! Maine Labor in the Age of Deindustrialization and Global Markets, 1955-2005, Dr. Charles Scontras. Detailed coverage of the issues and struggles of the Maine labor moment in the current era with citations and an index for further reading and research. $32.50 online at the University Bookstore.
Labor Day 2018 Celebrating & Remembering the Working Class
Labor Day Articles by Dr. Charles Scontras
Portland Press Herald Bangor Daily News Sun Journal
We should elevate the status of work in the modern economy, Portland Press Herald, July 1, 2017, Dr. Charles Scontras.
When jobs aren’t enough to overcome low wages, precarious conditions Bangor Daily News, Opinion Page, March 1, 2016
Crossing Picket Lines (PDF) Fall 2014
Right to Work Update: 2013 (PDF) Spring 2013
Working Conditions and Patient Safety: Safe Staffing in Maine’s Hospitals (PDF) 2012
Oklahoma, Maine, Migration and “Right to Work”: A Confused and Misleading Analysis (PDF) Spring 2012
The Truth about “Right to Work” Laws (PDF) Spring 2011
See below to download other briefing papers, and for Labor History titles, safety manuals, and other Bureau of Labor Education publications. For more information contact us at 207.581.4124 or emailing labored@maine.edu.
Now available for download:
The updated
A Maine Guide to Employment Law
2008 edition
PDF Download (133 pages, 1.9 MB)
The Guide is available in hardcopy format from our office, for $5/copy.
Contact the Bureau to order.
207.581.4124
labored@maine.edu
Maine Labor History
The University of Maine Bureau of Labor Education is the sole publisher of scholarly works by Dr. Charles Scontras on Maine’s rich labor heritage. Because labor history has been largely overlooked by historians of Maine, these books contain material that is not available elsewhere. They are essential reading for anyone looking for a well-rounded account of Maine’s history.
Labor History Titles
- Maine Labor in the Age of Deindustrialization and Global Markets, 1955-2005. Available for $32.50 online at the University Bookstore
- Time-Line of Selected Highlights of Maine Labor History: 1636-2015. Available for $18.95 online at the University Bookstore
- In the Name of Humanity: Maine’s Crusade Against Child Labor
- The Socialist Alternative: Utopian Experiments and the Socialist Party of Maine, 1895-1914
- Organized Labor in Maine: Twentieth Century Origins
- Collective Efforts Among Maine Workers: Beginnings and Foundations, 1820-1880
- Samual Gompers and the American Federation of Labor vs. Maine’s Congressman Charles E. Littlefield, 1900-1913
- Organized Labor in Maine: War, Reaction, Depression, and the Rise of the CIO, 1914-1943
- Labor in Maine: Building the Arsenal of Democracy and Resisting Reaction at Home, 1939-1952
Available from the University of Maine bookstore at at the Bureau of Labor Education:
All our books and materials are available through the University Bookstore and at the Bureau of Labor Education.
Bookstore e-mail: umbook@maine.edu
Call the Bureau for availability at 207.581.4124
Newspaper Articles
Labor, industry fighting over unemployment benefits – sounds at lot like the 1960s
Right-to-work The issue that won’t die A historical perspective
Maine lobster fishermen had early brush with organized labor
Let’s not forget Labor Day’s spirited beginnings as we face pressures from new economy
Initiative and referendum A Maine odyssey
Safety Manuals for Industry
The Bureau periodically delivers safety training through OSHA grants. The most recent grant was designed for construction workers.
The previous grant provided training for shipyards and boatyards. Over the course of the grant, over 500 Maine ship- and boat-yard employers and employees received on-site safety training and consultations.
Briefing Papers
on policy issues of current interest
Right to Work Update: 2013 (PDF)
Spring 2013
Working Conditions and Patient Safety: Safe Staffing in Maine’s Hospitals (PDF)
2012
Oklahoma, Maine, Migration and “Right to Work”: A Confused and Misleading Analysis (PDF)
Spring 2012
What You Need to Know About… Workers’ Compensation (PDF) Spring 2012
The Truth about “Right to Work” Laws (PDF)
Spring 2011
Who Pays and Who Benefits?
21st Century Tax Reform for Maine (PDF)
2010
Update on Labor’s Demographics (PDF)
2010
The Minimum Wage:
Two Generations of Neglect Add Up (PDF)
Spring 2010
Other:
Responsible Contractors Help Build Thriving Communities
2010
Fair Pay and Fair Contracting: Maine’s Prevailing Wage Laws (PDF)
2009
Stretching the Law II: The Misclassification of Employees as Independent Contractors (PDF)
2009
Hot Jobs Update: 2008 Outlook for Maine’s Women Workers (PDF)
Spring 2008
Privatization Pitfalls (PDF)
Spring 2008
The Three E’s: Attaining Occupational Health and Safety Through Education, Engineering, and Enforcement (PDF)
Spring 2008
Restoring the Right to Organize: Impacts of the Employee Free Choice Act (PDf)
Fall 2008
Stretching the Law, Stressing the State: Misclassified Workers in Maine’s Construction Industry (PDF)
Spring 2007
What Counts, and Who’s Counting? Maine’s Business Climate 2006 (PDF)
Winter 2006
Project Labor Agreements and Construction in Maine (PDF)
June 2005
Hot Jobs or Not So Hot? Outlook for Maine’s Women Workers (PDF)
Spring 2003
Fair Weather or Foul? Maine’s Business Climate Revisited (PDF)
Summer 2002
Thinking Outside the Box: The Challenge of Maine’s Regional Service Centers (PDF)
Winter 2002
The U.S. Healthcare System: Best in the World, or Just the Most Expensive? (PDF)
Summer 2001
Labor’s Demographics: Report for 2001 (PDF)
Spring 2001
Maine’s Development Dilemma (PDF)
2001
The Minimum Wage: Issues to Consider (PDF)
1999
Printing tip: If the text seems too small when you print a paper from Acrobat Reader, check the Print dialog, and set Page Scaling to None before printing.
Printed copies of some of these papers are available in limited quantities free of charge from the Bureau of Labor Education while supplies last. See our home page for information on how to contact our office.