Legislators, Golden, Pingree Have Stood Up for Workers, Now It’s Time to Stand with Them

Sometimes politicians make symbolic gestures to labor to get their votes at election time, but then forget about them after the election. But here in Maine, we have been fortunate to have many pro-labor political leaders who have consistently stood up for workers, even at risk to their political careers.

As anyone who has been on strike for a fair contract can tell you, having the support of the community and our elected leaders means a lot. During past strikes, Senate President Troy Jackson along with our Congressional Reps have unequivocally stood up for workers organizing and urged employers to remain neutral in unionization efforts in Maine.

During the 2020 strike at Bath Iron Works, Senator Jackson, Reps. Golden and Pingree were outspoken in their support for IAM Local S6 members and ratcheted up pressure on BIW management to settle a fair contract.

Jackson and other legislators actively supported Maine Med nurses (MSNA/NNU) when they were organizing a union and urged management to remain neutral. Jackson and 60 legislators also pressured Maine Med to negotiate a fair contract. Due to the solidarity of the nurses and the support of the community they reached a great first contract with 15 percent wage increases in September. Senate and House leadership and several dozen lawmakers also rushed to the support of Starbucks workers unionizing and blasted Chipotle for union busting last summer.

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree has led efforts to hold Chipotle accountable by calling for an investigation into its illegal closing of Augusta store amid a union drive. Rep. Jared Golden follows workers’ struggles in Maine very closely and stood up for Sappi workers (USW 4-9) in Skowhegan during difficult negotiations last winter and striking Cummins workers in Scarborough (IAM 477). He wasn’t afraid to fight for for nurses (MSNA/NNU) in pressuring Calais Regional Hospital administrators to negotiate a fair contract in 2019 among numerous other examples.

As we know from the history of workers’ struggles in America, having political leaders in Congress and in state government is critical to the success of workers in organizing for a better life.  Having New Deal elected officials like President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Michigan Gov. Frank Murphy made a big difference in the growth of unions in the 1930s because they refused to send in troops to break the Flint, Michigan, sit-down strike at General Motors in 1936/37. Then President Ronald Reagan reversed decades of labor policy by declaring an all-out war on unions with his firing and permanent replacement of striking air traffic controllers 44 years later.

At a time when nurses, papermakers, shipbuilders, food service workers, museum workers and college employees in Maine have been rising up to demand fair treatment, living wages and better working conditions, we need leaders who will stand up for them and take on the powerful interests that seek to drive down wages and undermine our right to collectively bargain. We are fortunate to have such leaders representing us in Maine. They’ve had our back and now we need to have theirs.