Holiday and Vacation Law Summaries

Holiday and Vacation Law Summaries

Maine, Holiday and Vacation Law Summaries

Maine's holiday law is codified in Title 4 of the Maine Revised Statutes Annotated at Section 1051. Maine's statutory provisions dealing with vacation are located in the state's wage payment law (Title 26, Chapter 7, Subchapter II). See ¶20-1200 for a full summary of the wage payment law.

COVERAGE

Maine's holiday law covers only state government employees. See ¶20-1200 for details on coverage of the state's wage payment law, which contains provisions on vacation pay.

WHAT THE EMPLOYER MUST DO

Holidays defined.- The following days are holidays (Sec. 1051):

1. Sundays;

2. January 1, New Year's Day;

3. third Monday in January, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Day;

4. third Monday in February, Washington's Birthday;

5. third Monday in April;

6. last Monday in May, Memorial Day;

7. July 4;

8. first Monday in September, Labor Day;

9. second Monday in October, Columbus Day;

10. November 11, Veterans' Day;

11. fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving Day;

12. December 25, Christmas Day.

Holidays falling on a weekend.- If any of the holidays enumerated above falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be a legal holiday (Sec. 1051).

Wages/vested vacation wages.- Effective until September 18, 1999, whenever the terms of employment include provisions for paid vacations, vacation pay on cessation of employment has the same status as wages earned (Sec. 623, as amended by P.L. 465 (H. 214), L. 1999).

In the event of the sale of a business, the seller may enter a specific agreement with the buyer in which the buyer agrees to honor any paid vacation earned under the seller's vacation policy (Sec. 626, as amended by Ch. 580, L. 1996).

See ¶20-1200 for a full summary of the wage payment law.