Maine Workers Get Start Date for Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits

Effective May 1, workers across Maine’s public and private sectors will have access to as much as three months of paid family and medical leave benefits.

As Maine Morning Star reported, the Maine Paid Leave Authority landed on the May 1 start date at a Jan. 20 meeting, after considering the solvency of the state’s paid family medical leave fund and determining that starting the program in early May would meet their fiduciary obligation.

Established by the Maine legislature in 2023, the paid leave program allows eligible public and private sector workers in the state to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for reasons such as illness, to care for a loved one or the birth of a new child.

As Maine Morning Star’s Annmarie Hilton noted, Maine employers with 15 or more workers contribute 1% of wages, but may deduct half of that from employee wages. Employers with fewer employees will contribute 0.5%, and may take all of it from employees’ wages.

The Maine Paid Leave Coalition commended the Authority’s decision.

“This is a major step toward establishing Paid Leave for working Mainers, and is a transformative moment for the state,” said Destie Hohman Sprague, executive director of the Maine Women’s Lobby, in a statement.

“We join 13 other states and the District of Columbia in ensuring that no one is forced to choose between their health, their families and their jobs. When benefits go live this spring, we will see the culmination of years of work toward a more just, equitable economy that values families, caregivers and all workers.”