Check out the new "Agitator," Newsletter of the Local 14 Solidarity Center
Below is the second issue of "The Agitator," a newsletter put out by the new Local 14 Solidarity Center in Jay, Maine.
The agitator outside the Solidarity Center was part of the "Blue Goose" repulper at the Otis Paper Mill in Jay. It was donated to the Local 14 Solidarity Center by Clarks Riverside Scrap (with the help of Tim Dimillo) who is demolishing the mill. Dennis Couture, a Jay Striker, picked it up with his logging truck and placed it in front of the Hall a month ago.
Fixing Up the Jay Solidarity Center
The project to fix up the Historic Local 14 Union Hall is moving ahead. Every Tuesday morning people involved in the 1987-88 strike along with new friends from away gather to fix up the Hall, put names on photographs from the strike, drink coffee, discuss world and national events, clean up the Hall and make plans for the new Labor Education Center.
The historic union hall is now owned by the Western Maine Labor Council and operates in partnership with the Local 14 Solidarity Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This space continues to serve as a vital hub for labor education, organizing, and solidarity in our community.
We are seeking support from individuals and groups who believe in preserving our labor history and strengthening the movement. If you or someone you know would like to donate, please contact Linda Deane, President of the Western Maine Labor Council, at sterlin@roadrunner.com or (207) 491-8168.
If you’re interested in visiting, lending a hand, or learning more about the project, please reach out to Linda or Peter Kellman at kellman3333@gmail.com or (207) 676-3356 (landline—no texts).
SMLC Delegation Visits Solidarity Center
At our Tuesday February 4th meeting a delegation from the Southern Maine Labor Council came by and immersed themselves in the history of the hall and the central role it played in the Strike of 1987-88. It turned out that five of the delegates had walked the picket line back in the day at the mill.
The President of the SMLC, Jason Shedlock, spoke about the current status of a $200 million dollar project at the former Jay paper mill to convert it into making oriented strand board. Shedlock is looking for information about who the workers are and the Canadian Company they are working for. This is a good example of how history is about the past, present and future playing itself out at the Local 14 Solidarity Center. If you have any information about the current project at the mill contact Shedlock: jshedlock@lnerof.org
Chronicling the History of the Otis Mill
Guy Saldanha, a photographer of workers and worksites at legacy manufacturing facilities, stopped by the Solidarity Center recently. He told us that back in the early 1990s he took pictures of a number of paper mills including the Otis and will try and get some photos together for a show.
In 1905, The Corporation, as the International Paper Company referred to itself, began construction of a modern paper mill—the new Otis Mill—on the banks of the Androscoggin River in Jay and Livermore Falls. To build it, the company brought in 500 Italian contract laborers, housing them in an area known as Italian Camp.
Penniless, largely illiterate, and unfamiliar with the language of their new country, these workers became easy prey for employment agencies. In exchange for securing jobs, the agencies took a percentage of the workers’ wages—an average of just 17.5 cents per hour. On top of that, they controlled the commissary, where workers were forced to buy necessities at exorbitant prices. At the end of each month, there was often little—if anything—left of their earnings.
Such exploitation was not unique to the Otis Mill. Across the country, workers in mills, factories, mines, and maritime industries faced similar hardships.
The Otis Mill was completed in 1908 and operated under International Paper until it was sold in 1978. It continued producing paper until 2009. Though the mill itself is now gone, its legacy remains—preserved in our memories and in the agitator from the mill, which now stands in front of the Local 14 Solidarity Education Center.
Union Laborers & Electricians to Fix Up Solidarity Center in March
We’re planning a workday to fix up the Hall on a Saturday in March! So far, apprentice programs from the electricians, plumbers, and laborers are set to participate. Once the date is finalized, we’ll share the details in The Agitator. Stay tuned!