Legislature Adjourns with Worker Victories & a Defeat

IN THIS EDITION:

• PRO Act Rally at King & Collins’ Office in Bangor - Thurs July 29
• PFFM Women Pass Fire Fighter Health & Safety Bills
• Four Dems & Governor Join GOP to Defeat Pro-Labor Renewable Energy Bill
• Legislature Provides $20 Million for Housing Built with Union Labor
• Take Our Reader's Survey!
• Solar Boom Keeping Union Workers Busy this Summer

Workers to Rally in Bangor for PRO Act — July, 29th

The Maine AFL-CIO will be holding a press conference, postcard delivery and rally to support the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act outside the offices of Senators King and Collins at the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building, 202 Harlow Street, in Bangor on Thursday, July 29, at 10am. Union members and other supporters are encouraged to bring pro-union signs and banners. 

After a press conference we will deliver postcards signed by hundreds of rank and file Maine union members urging Senator Susan Collins to support the PRO Act and thanking Senator Angus King for his support for this critical legislation that would repeal right-to-work for less laws and dramatically improve the climate for union organizing and contract bargaining. Stay tuned for more information and a list of speakers! Please reply to this email if you are interested in participating.

Women in the Fire Service Committee of PFFM Passes Fire Fighter Health & Safety Bills

The Women in the Fire Services Committee of the Professional Firefighters of Maine (PFFM) has successfully passed all three of their priority bills to improve health and safety in their professions. Committee Chair Caroline St. Pierre, a Portland fire fighter and member of IAFF 740, said she had never been involved in submitting bills to the Maine Legislature before this year and it was definitely an “educational experience.”

Fortunately, because legislative committees held public hearings online this session, she was able to recruit a number of women fire fighters to testify in support of the bills. 

“I think the reason why these bills passed is we spoke from the heart and legislators heard our stories,” said St. Pierre. “More and more women are joining the fire service and we just want to have the same equipment and health benefits as male fire fighters."

 These priority WFSC-PFFM bills include:

LD 213: Workers’ compensation coverage — Gov. Mills signed this legislation that would provide more protections under the workers' compensation system for female fire fighters who contract reproductive cancers due to their employment. It would provide what is known as a “rebuttable presumption," which means that if a female firefighter contracts a reproductive cancer, it likely happened as a result of their employment for purposes of qualifying for workers comp, unless proven otherwise.

 LD 1245: Protective equipment — LD 1245, which requires fire departments to provide safe and properly fitting gear for female firefighters, was also signed into law. The committee submitted the bill because too often equipment is fitted for the male body and not females. A separate bill, LD 1440, provides $500,000 in funding for grants to municipal fire departments, volunteer fire associations and fire districts to comply with the mandate

Four Dems & Gov. Mills Join GOP to Defeat Pro-Labor Renewable Energy Bill

Four Democratic Senators — Susan Deschambault (D-York Cty.), Bill Diamond (D-Cumberland Cty.), Louie Luchini (D-Hancock Cty.) and Jim Dill (D-Penobscot Cty.) — joined Senate Republicans this week to defeat LD 1231, which would have raised labor standards and encouraged thousands of good-paying union jobs in the renewable energy industry.  Governor Mill's office worked to kill the bill by getting Sen. Deschambault to switch her vote.  The measure previously passed the Senate on a vote of 17-16, but, at the urging of the Governor's office, Sen. Deschambault switched her vote on enactment and it went down on a split vote of 17-17.

LD 1231 would have required large renewable energy projects receiving significant public funding to pay workers prevailing wages, support workforce development through participation in apprenticeship programs, and provide hiring opportunities for underrepresented communities. The bill also encouraged the use of Project Labor Agreements to ensure renewable projects have a highly-skilled workforce. This is a disappointing outcome after months of work and numerous workers contacting their legislators.  We will be back next year working to win this into law. 

Legislature Provides $20 Million to Build Affordable Housing with Strong Labor Standards

The Maine Legislature has provided $20 million from President Joe Biden’s American Recovery Act funding to build energy efficient affordable housing under a project labor agreement (PLA). PLAs ensure construction projects use highly a skilled workforce (often union labor) and projects are built on time and under budget. This funding will create urgently needed affordable housing and provide good work for building trades union members.

This proposal was originally considered a long shot. However, due to the persistence of  Laborers 327, the Maine Building Trades Council and Maine People's Alliance with support from the Maine AFL-CIO and legislative leaders the bill became law. Congratulations on this hard fought victory, brothers and sisters!

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Solar Boom Keeping Union Workers Busy this Summer

This summer, IBEW locals in Maine have more solar work than ever thanks to strong state renewable energy policies. IBEW 1253 has been working on large scale solar projects in Farmington, Rockport, Lincolnville, Winslow, Monmouth, Farmingdale and Harmony and Livermore Falls while IBEW 567 is about to start two projects in Poland and Lewiston. 

“We’ve got so much work right now,” said Jim Valente, Business Manager of IBEW 1253. “In 34 years in the industry, I’ve never seen it so busy.”

Both IBEW 567and IBEW 1253 are seeking licensed journeymen electricians on several jobs and are offering $1,000 sign on bonuses.