FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners have ratified a two-year contract with the Teamsters Union, representing county emergency dispatchers, county Clerk Julie Magoon said Monday. Commissioners voted on the pact Aug. 5. There used to be a 15-year pay scale, but commissioners voted to compress the pay scale into fewer steps. Under the new agreement, supervisors […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Cat neutered with rubber band, abandoned
LEWISTON — Officials say a local animal shelter is caring for a cat that someone tried to neuter with a rubber band and then abandoned in a vacant apartment. The Greater Androscoggin Humane Society received the cat from a Lewiston landlord Tuesday evening, just before closing. Shelter Manager Zach Black said the landlord found the […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Poaching pensions? School leaders inflate salaries to boost retirement
Tom Morrill wanted to boost his retirement. So a few years ago, during his last year as Auburn’s school superintendent, Morrill chose to have the school system pay him some of the money it was paying for his health insurance. He turned around and bought back that insurance. Morrill didn’t gain or lose anything in […]
Posted inFranklin
Franklin County lawyers boycott state-appointed sex-assault cases
FARMINGTON — Two defense lawyers in Franklin County have announced they will no longer be taking on state-appointed sexual-assault cases, in a protest against the state’s compensation rate for public defenders. In a March 6 letter to the Franklin County Courts, Walter Hanstein of Farmington and David Sanders of Livermore Falls said the $50-per-hour rate for […]
Posted inMaine
Bill to restore state employee pay raises draws emotional testimony
AUGUSTA — A pair of Maine State Police troopers were among dozens of state workers who told the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee on Monday that state merit and longevity pay increases that were frozen in 2013 are taking a toll on their family finances. The two were testifying in support of a bill, LD 1639, […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
State investigator finds ground for claim of whistleblower at Norway auto shop
An investigator for a state agency sided with a former manager of a Norway auto repair shop who claims he was fired because he complained that he was underpaid. Michael W. Record filed a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission, saying he was fired for blowing the whistle on the owners of the Grease […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
U.S. government work is losing cachet for some
WASHINGTON (AP) — There was a time when being a federal employee meant a steady paycheck, great benefits and pride in serving the country. But these days, many federal workers are frustrated, anxious and growing tired of being pawns in a never-ending political struggle over government funding. “The pay has fallen behind, the uncertainty of […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Investigators: 36K got improper disability pay
WASHINGTON (AP) — Social Security made $1.3 billion in potentially improper disability payments to people who had jobs when they were supposed to be unable to work, congressional investigators said in a report Friday. The Government Accountability Office estimated that 36,000 workers got improper payments from December 2010 to January 2013. The numbers represent less […]