In the southeast corner of York County lies the picturesque village of Ogunquit, which means “beautiful place by the sea” in the Abenaki Indian language. Ogunquit is at once a fishing community, major art colony, and summer tourist destination. In 1952, artist Henry Strater, friend of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, founded the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, which is situated on a cliff overlooking the ocean and has been called “the most beautiful small museum in the world.” Perkins Cove in Ogunquit is the only remaining wooden, double-leaf draw-footbridge in the United States. Ogunquit is known for its 3-mile white sand beach and the Marginal Way, a mile-long walkway gifted to the Village by Josiah Chase in 1923 that runs among the rocky cliffs from Perkins Cove to Israel Head. To the north is Wells, the third oldest town in Maine, known also for its miles of sandy beaches. Major points of interest in Wells include the tidal marshes of the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge and the Maine Diner on Route 1.
Maine Employee Rights Group represents Ogunquit –Wells employees in all types of employment discrimination cases. Examples of recent cases we have handled include:
OSHA/Whistleblower RetaliationWe represented a senior manufacturing technician who worked for a major parts supplier for commercial and military aircraft. Our client was terminated after complaining to his employer and to OSHA about the air quality in the plant, lack of proper ventilation and protective equipment. As a result of our client’s complaints, OSHA inspected the plant. OSHA found several safety violations, issued substantial fines and forced the employer to make expensive repairs. Shortly after OSHA came, the employer terminated our client, citing “cutbacks” due to “the global recession.” However, we were able to show that the employer had made substantial profits that year and had a continuing need for our client’s services. The employer also claimed that the manager who made the termination decision was unaware of our client’s safety complaints. We pointed to an email sent from our client directly to that manager. The company claimed to have “lost” that email. We argued they intentionally destroyed it. The company paid a significant settlement to our client.
Sex Discrimination/Sexual HarassmentWe represented a hotel chambermaid who was sexually harassed by the hotel owner. The harassment was severe and pervasive, and included vulgar and offensive comments and unwanted touching. Our client made it clear to the owner that his conduct was unwelcome and demanded that he stop. When the harassment continued and the unwanted touching intensified, our client filed a police report. The owner responded with a quid pro quo: either our client could sleep with him, or look for work elsewhere. We were able to obtain sworn statements from our client’s coworkers who had seen and heard the owner harassing our client. We were also able to prevent the hotel owner from fraudulently transferring assets during the case to avoid having to pay a judgment in favor of our client. The case resulted in a generous settlement to our client.
If you have been retaliated against for complaining about safety violations at work, or sexually harassed, call Maine Employee Rights Group today, 207.874.0905, for legal consultation.