Maine Follows California in Deputizing Workers to Sue Employers

The controversial California labor law known as the Private Attorneys General Act has found a foothold outside the Golden State, with Maine lawmakers approving a similar bill Friday.

California’s PAGA deputizes employees to seek civil penalties on behalf of the state for labor code violations. California courts have uniformly refused to push such claims into mandatory arbitration, prompting employers in the state to challenge the law, and worker advocates around the country to attempt to replicate it.

Maine is the first state to do so, with the passage of Senate President Troy Jackson’s (D) Act to Enhance Enforcement of Employment ...