IN THIS EDITION:
- Mainers Support Striking Massachusetts Nurses
- Child Tax Credit Big Benefit for Working Families
- New Laws Pass to Strengthen Democracy in Maine
- UA Plumbers & Pipefitters 716 Leader Retires
- Mark Your Calendars for Labor Day Events
Mainers Support Striking Massachusetts Nurses
[caption caption="Linda Deane (USW 900), Doris Poland (APWU) and Serina DeWolfe (AFT)." align="center"]
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Maine union members Linda Deane (USW 900), Doris Poland (APWU) and Serina DeWolfe (AFT) drove down from Maine on Monday to stand on the picket line in solidarity with striking nurses at St. Vincent's Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts. The nurses have been on strike for 145 days. They are fighting a David and Goliath struggle for patient safety with St. Vincent’s parent company, the for-profit Tenet Health Care, and they need all of our support.
If you'd like to support our brothers and sisters in Worcester, please consider donating through Venmo to the Massachusetts Nurses Association’s dedicated strike fund, @StVsStrikefund or send a check payable to: Massachusetts Nurses Association, Attn: St. Vincent Nurses Strike Fund, 340 Turnpike St, Canton, MA 02010.
Child Tax Credit Big Benefit for Working Families
[caption caption="Kevin Ready (AFSCME 1373), his wife Courtney & daughter Naomi." align="center"]
[/caption]This summer, working people are discovering another great benefit of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan — the expansion of the Child Tax Credit. Starting this month, for every child 6-17 years old, families will get $250 each month, and for every child under 6 years old, families will get $300 each month. The 80 percent who get their refunds from the IRS through direct deposit will get these payments in their bank account on the 15th of every month until the end of 2021.
AFSCME 1373 member Kevin Ready, who works for the City of Portland in the parking division, recently received his family’s $300 check, which he says is very helpful in paying for his 3-year old daughter’s pre-school.
“I love getting this extra support because the cost of child care is ridiculous,” he said. "We’re very fortunate that my wife can go back to work part-time while our daughter is in pre-school. Without the tax credit, if she were to go back to work part-time she would earn just enough to pay child care with nothing left over. This is a great benefit to working families.”
As of July 15th, families who filed tax returns for 2019 and 2020 or signed up to receive stimulus checks should be automatically receiving monthly payments of $250 or $300 per child without having to take any action. The new Child Tax Credit is only in effect for 2021, but President Biden is proposing to extend it under his American Families Plan.
How is the Child Tax credit impacting your family? We would love to hear your story. Please let Andy - andy@maineaflcio.org - know if this program is helping you.
New Laws Pass to Strengthen Democracy in Maine
[caption caption="Gov Mills signing of a package of voting rights bills on July 19." align="center"]
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A union is the most effective way for working people to have a voice at their workplace. From our fight for the citizen referendum in 1908 to women’s suffrage in the early 1900s and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we in the labor movement understand that our commitment to strengthening democracy in the workplace should also extend to protecting the right to vote in elections. That’s why the Maine AFL-CIO was part of a coalition that successfully pushed through a number of bills during this past legislative session that will expand access to the ballot box.
The reforms that will be implemented include:
Online Voter Registration (OVR): Maine passed a bill to create an online voter registration system. This helps working people who are balancing work and family by providing flexibility to register to vote at a time that best fits one’s schedule.
Ongoing Absentee: An ongoing absentee ballot list will be established for seniors and disabled voters by January 2023. This means that certain voters will be able to automatically receive an absentee ballot before elections, eliminating the need to request a ballot should the voter choose so.
Other election infrastructure improvement items that were passed in 2021 include permanent authority for towns to have drop boxes, a new signature cure process, making student IDs acceptable for registration, and expanding the absentee ballot processing window for towns.
Automatic Voter Registration (AVR): The legislature passed an automatic voter registration bill in 2019. The deadline to have implemented Automatic Voter Registration is June 2022. Of all the changes, Automatic Voter Registration will have the highest impact on working people’s access to the ballot.
UA Plumbers & Pipefitters 716 Business Manager John Napolitano Retires
[caption caption="John Napolitano speaking at Labor Lobby Day in 2019." align="center"]
[/caption]John Napolitano has retired from his position as the Business Manager for UA Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 716. Napolitano is a 45-year member of the Plumbers and Pipefitters, having started at the Douglass Brothers fabrication shop in Portland in 1976. As an active union member, he then rose up through the ranks to become Business Manager in 2003 and has served for six terms. He is also the President of the Maine Building and Construction Trades Council.
In a letter, US Labor Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh called Napolitano a "tireless advocate for all working people."
"John, the values you fought for — fair wages and worker protections including the right to join a union, high quality job training and apprenticeships, and economic opportunity for all — are values the Biden-Harris administration shares and that I am fighting for as Labor Secretary," wrote Walsh. "But any steps forward we are able to take now for workers in this country would not be possible without the decades of hard work and leadership that you and others devoted to this cause. We stand on your shoulders."
Napolitano thanked union members for the opportunity to represent them over the past 18 years.
"Working with the Maine State Building & Construction Trades Council, the Maine AFL-CIO, and the Central Labor Councils has helped educate communities and their representatives on the need for laws that protect the workers and the public, grow our skilled workforce and create work opportunities throughout the state including renewable energy, affordable housing, manufacturing and infrastructure projects," said Napolitano. "I am blessed to be a part of the movement and have had the opportunity to work with so many wonderful and dedicated people to help make life better for working families. I look forward to my next chapter. Be well, my friends!"
Save the Dates for Labor Day Events Across Maine!
[caption caption="Labor Day Parade in Portland in 2018." align="center"]
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This year, Labor Day falls on Monday, September 6 and central labor councils are planning their annual events featuring food, guest speakers, music and more. Participants should be fully vaccinated. The Western Maine Labor Council is not holding its Labor Day barbecue this year and the Central Maine Council is still finalizing details for its event. Stay tuned for more info and please mark these events on your calendar:
Southern Maine Labor Council Breakfast
When: Monday, September 6, 2021
Where: Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St., Portland
Time: Doors and coffee at 7am. Breakfast at 8am. A short program will follow.
Tickets: $25 (each)
Tables: $175 (seats 8)
Reserve your tickets early because they sell out! To reserve your table or seats and for more information, please contact: southernmainelaborcouncil@gmail.com.
Food AND Medicine and Eastern Maine Labor Council's 18th Annual Labor Day Celebration & Picnic
Celebrate labor's holiday in solidarity with local union members. Speakers will highlight recent labor challenges and successes.
When: Monday, September 6th
Where: Solidarity Center, 20 Ivers Street, Brewer
Time: 4:30 to 7pm
Suggested donation at the door to help cover the cost of food is $5 for adults or $12 for a family, kids under 12 are free. Union membership not required to attend. Hot dogs and local burgers will be served; it's also a POT LUCK, so bring your favorite side dish or dessert.