Federal Facilities Staff in Bangor, Augusta & Portland Organize Union with Operating Engineers Local 877

Facilities workers who work for Action Facilities Management at federal buildings in Bangor, Augusta and Portland have won their union election to be represented by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 877. The new unit includes seven full-time and part-time general maintenance workers and maintenance mechanics at the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building and Courthouse in Bangor, the Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building in Augusta and the Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse and the U.S. Custom House in Portland.

“The workers are feeling really good about it, said Local 877 Vice President and Business Agent Shawn Ballard. “We’re all looking forward to going through the process and coming to a good, fair and equitable agreement we can have a vote on.”

Ballard said the union will begin bargaining with the company in February and that the workers are hoping to get out from under prevailing wage rates, improve benefits and hopefully get some more time off. Local 877 currently represents workers at solid waste facilities ecomaine in Portland and Maine Waste in Auburn. It also represents several hospitals, high rise buildings and data centers in Massachusetts.

“Local 877 is a stationary local and Local 4 in Maine is the construction arm of the Operating Engineers,” explained Ballard. “They build the buildings and we staff them afterwards. Inside the buildings we represent maintenance mechanics, HVAC techs, boiler engineers. Anyone who is either maintaining or operating a building.”

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