April 2, 2021
SMWC is hiring an Executive Director! (Extended Deadline)
About the Southern Maine Workers Center The Southern Maine Workers’ Center (SMWC) is a membership organization committed to creating a people-powered movement that improves the lives, working conditions, and terms of employment for working and poor people in Maine— particularly low-wage workers, young people, immigrant workers, and people of color. SMWC conducts transformative grassroots organizing…
Read MoreMarch 23, 2021
Requesting Proposals for Graphic Design Services
The Workers’ Center issues this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for an individual or firm (the “Contractor”) to develop a style guide of colors, fonts, use of logos, use of taglines, etc. Support SMWC in producing guidelines for consistent, coherent look for all our publications & graphics.
Read MoreJanuary 27, 2021
Big changes at the Workers’ Center
Dear Workers’ Center community, We are excited to announce some bittersweet news and major transitions at the Southern Maine Workers’ Center. After five years serving as our Executive Director, Drew Joy is stepping down to take on another role in the organization. Our former Board Chair Meaghan LaSala will serve as the Interim Executive Director…
Read MoreDecember 17, 2020
SMWC is hiring! Joint Committee Organizer.
Joint Committee Organizer Job Description The Joint Committee Organizer is a permanent (ongoing) staff position with the immediate goal of supporting members in building out our new Joint Committee project through outreach and leadership development. The Joint Organizing Committee is a new project at the Southern Maine Workers’ Center. For years, we have organized campaigns…
Read MoreDecember 9, 2020
How did we get here? A brief history of healthcare and formation of ACA
This is the second in a series of brief articles by members of the Southern Maine Workers Center’s Health Care is a Human Right Committee. We have covered current challenges to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the ACA in the broader context of American health care history, and will soon cover how successful or not…
Read MoreNovember 23, 2020
What’s Going On with the Affordable Care Act?
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare, is back in the Supreme Court this year and the court heard oral arguments last Tuesday, November 10. The case, California V Texas, is challenging the constitutionality of the law’s “individual mandate” that requires everyone purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. The case will likely be decided in June. In this short article, we will explore the legal challenge and it’s potential outcome and consequences.
Read MoreOctober 2, 2020
Workers Support Hotline Shut Down October 2nd thru November 9th 2020
The Southern Maine Workers’ Center is suspending the worker support hotline service beginning Friday, Oct 2nd until Monday, November 9th. We are using this time to do a much needed overhaul of our volunteer program, intake process and legal referral system. Since the pandemic began in late March the hotline has experienced a surge in…
Read MoreOctober 1, 2020
Voting Resources 2020
Find the answer to questions the people you talk to have in the links below, or let people know the websites if they want to search for it themselves. General from League of Women Voters: www.lwvme.org/VoteInMaine Includes the following subjects (all linked from the website above): Voter Eligibility • Student Voting • Register to Vote…
Read MoreSeptember 21, 2020
Infographic: I don’t feel safe going to work. Can I still get unemployment benefits?
Many workers are concerned about going back to work or taking a job. They do not feel safe because of COVID-19. They are asking if they can continue to get unemployment benefits if they believe the workplace is unsafe.
Read MoreSeptember 15, 2020
Am I required to look for work in order to receive unemployment benefits?
Starting August 9, 2020, workers who are permanently separated from their employer (i.e. cannot or do not expect to return to their former employer when it is safe to do so, including self-employed workers who do not intend to return to their self-employment) must engage in work search activities and document those activities when they…
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