April 12, 2013
Just when things were going so well . . .
The headline at at WorkersCompensation.com summed up Sen. Troy Jackson’s latest bill this way: “Dem Rollback of Workers’ Comp Reforms Threatens Premium Death Spiral.”
Maine is quietly celebrating the 20th anniversary of a truce some thought might never be achieved in the battle over workers comp. The logging industry has fared especially well. In the video (above), Mike St. Peter, director of Maine’s Certified Logging Professional program, explains how loggers got safer and workers comp rates dropped as much as 69 percent.
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| Sen. Troy Jackson |
Labor Committee approves Jackson’s bill, 7-3
Friday’s work session on LD 1103 — Sen. Troy Jackson’s latest attempt to tie bonded labor, Tree Growth taxation and fire protection – lasted just two minutes and 49 seconds, but there was one memorable moment and it was not the vote.
“It’s a sad day when Maine legislators approve a bill that’s clearly unconstitutional and discriminatory,” said Executive Director Patrick Strauch. “But the Democrats on the committee allowed Troy Jackson to use this issue as a political football.” Read more.
What’s happening with the ACF merger?
Fin shares information and builds trust at annual meetingThe Fisheries Improvement Network (FIN) held its second annual meeting at the MFPC office on April 3. The meeting was attended by representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Keeping Maine’s Forests, The Nature Conservancy, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Maine Forest Service, and representatives of nearly 6 million acres of SFI certified forestlands. Read more.
How can “The Google Generation” be introduced to the forestry industry? The County of Renfrew in Ontario has created an award-winning website. The site was co-developed by county business development officer Craig Kelley and county forester Lacey Rose, and it serves as an online hub for all things wood-related, from lumber products to wooden crafts and furniture.
“The project was undertaken primarily to make it easier, especially for the internet-savvy generation who are exercising their buying power right now, to source local wood products,” Rose explained to county council during a recent presentation. We also wanted to raise awareness in the general public that we do have a large forest-based industry here that can supply everything from lumber to art. A lot of people don’t realize we have so many different wood products here.” Read more.
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