170 Workers Convene for Labor Lobby Day; Push for Universal Childcare and Tax Fairness
PHOTO: Maine AFL-CIO President Cynthia Phinney speaking at a press conference Thursday.
170 workers convened at the State House in Augusta on Thursday March 5 to talk with legislators about key worker legislative priorities as part of the Maine AFL-CIO’s annual Labor Lobby Day. At a press conference in the State House Hall of Flags, Maine workers pushed for affordable childcare, tax fairness and gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson’s universal childcare plan.
Workers started the day with a training to get familiar with the process of talking with their legislator. Everyone then went over to the Statehouse. Attendees talked with legislators about four bills: making childcare more affordable and accessible (LD 1955 - Daughtry), a millionaire's tax to fund important state needs and make Maine's tax code fairer (LD 1089 - Golek), closing the state employee pay gap and restoring funding to the salary plan in the supplemental budget (LD 2212), requiring 120 days notice around closing or reducing services in labor and delivery units in Maine hospitals (LD 2189 - Mathieson). The halls of the Statehouse were filled with union members. We held a press conference followed by afternoon meetings with legislative leaders and breakout workshops. Around 35% of attendees at this year's Labor Lobby Day were first time attendees. We had our largest ever contingent from Bath Marine Draftsmen's Association UAW 3999 at BIW.
After the morning session we held a press conference focused on childcare and tax fairness. "Working parents are struggling tremendously with the cost of child care and the lack of available providers,” said Cynthia Phinney, President of the Maine AFL-CIO. “We can achieve universal, affordable, quality childcare for working class families and pay for it by modestly taxing the wealthiest Mainers. It’s time to support working families, ensure the wealthy pay their fair share, and invest in our future.”
The Maine AFL-CIO supports gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson’s ambitious plan to create a universal child care program for Maine. This would free childcare for most Maine families and result in huge savings for all families. “Childcare is a critical lifeline to working families, but our system is broken,” said gubernatorial candidate and former Senate President Troy Jackson. “Parents can barely afford the cost of child care if they can even find it. The lack of quality child care is forcing families to constantly juggle child care responsibilities, cut their hours and even drop out of the workforce entirely. Right now, 18,000 working-age Mainers are out of the labor force because of a lack of childcare. Meanwhile, early childhood educators are paid low wages and providers are struggling to keep the lights on. This failing childcare system costs Maine more than $400 million in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue every year. My plan would boost hiring of qualified early childhood educators by raising wages, increase the number of available child care slots and ensure that no family has to struggle to pay for quality, early childhood education.”
MSEA-SEIU members with Senator Peggy Rotundo (D-Androscoggin)
As an important immediate step, the Maine AFL-CIO is calling on the Maine Legislature and the Governor to support LD 1955, An Act to Increase Child Care Affordability and Early Childhood Educator Stability, sponsored by Senator Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland), which would lower child care costs and increase access to quality early childhood education by providing $15 million to the Child Care Affordability Program, which helps families cover child care costs. This legislation will eliminate the waitlist and make the program available for many more working class families.
“A while back, when my family heard about the Child Care Affordability Program, we were excited to apply. I remember telling my co-workers about the program and hearing how big a difference it would make in their lives, too,” said Kevin Ready, a postal worker and member of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 458. “But when the funding dried up and the waitlist was implemented, it was like the rug was pulled out from us just when it seemed like things were about to get a little better. Without that support, our family couldn't afford to pay for child care which meant that my wife couldn't work. In the end, our family was worse off, struggling to pay the bills. LD 1955 will eliminate the waiting list and ensure more working-class families like mine no longer have to struggle to afford quality child care.”
To achieve a universal childcare system in Maine, we will need to tax the wealthy and unrig our tax code. This session the Maine AFL-CIO is backing LD 1089 An Act to Increase Child Care Affordability and Early Childhood Educator Stability, sponsored by Rep. Cheryl Golek (D-Harpswell), which would place a 2 percent tax surcharge on incomes over $1 million. This would bring in approximately $143 million over two years.
Registered nurse Meg Sinclair, a member of the Maine State Nurses Association and RN in Maine Medical Center’s emergency department, said she and several of her colleagues have had to cut their hours due to a lack child care availability. “No one who desires to have a family should be limited from doing so because of the inaccessibility and unaffordability of child care. But the reality is, working class families are doing exactly that. This is simply wrong, especially given that we can find the funding to improve access to child care with a modest tax on the wealthiest Mainers. It is unfair that nurses like us pay the same rate of taxes as a millionaire,” said Sinclair. “We need leaders in the state house and in DC who are going to support the working class by doing exactly the opposite of what former Governor Paul LePage and other politicians have done in slashing taxes for the very wealthy as they did in 2011. We need to elect Troy Jackson as our governor, because he always has and always will stick up for the working class.”
PHOTO: Union members show solidarity with the Bath Marine Draftsmen's Association, who are fighting for a fair contract with Bath Iron Works.