Increased Workplace Militancy in Maine Brings Victories in 2023
PHOTO: Ironworkers 807 march for a fair contract in April.
The Maine Labor Year in Review: Strikes & Organizing Victories
2023 was quite a year for the labor movement both in Maine and across the country. After so many years of stagnation and decline, hundreds of thousands of workers across the country have been building strike-ready unions and taking to the streets. Striking workers at the Big 3 automakers, the major Hollywood production companies and UPS have achieved phenomenal gains that were unimaginable a few years ago. They have won 25 percent wage increases, the right to bargain over plant closures, the elimination of discriminatory two-tier wage and benefits systems, protections from the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and more.
As of December 19, there have been 405 strikes involving nearly half a million workers — roughly eight times the number of workers involved in strikes for the same period in 2021 and nearly four times the number for the same period in 2022. Even the Wall Street Journal has begrudgingly acknowledgedthat a “new generation of leaders ran smarter and more militant campaigns” and were effective. Public support for unions consistently polls at around 70 percent and record numbers of Americans want unions to be stronger and more influential.
Maine Workers Stand Up & Fight Back
Over the past year, our affiliate unions have taken collective action and won big gains at the bargaining table. It was by standing together in unity that union members from Portland to Bath and Rumford to Madawaska bargained significant wage increases and improvements in working conditions. In many cases, workers received strong support from public officials including Rep. Jared Golden, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Senate President Troy Jackson, House Speaker Rachel-Talbot Ross, House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham and other members of the Maine Legislature.
After rallying to demand improvements to hiring practices, workplace safety and other improvements in December of last year, National Letter Carriers (NALC) Local 92 in Portland won a number of improvements including wage increases and an end to forced overtime. In April, the USPS boosted wages and benefits for certain Portland mail carriers in an effort to address an abysmal staffing shortage that has delayed mail and forced overworked postal employees to work gruelingly long hours. The agency also converted part-time and non-permanent “non-career ” workers into career positions.
In January, Transportations Security Officers (AFGE) won a historic pay raise to bring TSO pay in line with the general schedule that most federal workers receive and expanded workplace rights under Title 5, which covers most federal employees. Under the agreement TSOs received an average 30 percent raise thanks to an omnibus government funding bill signed by President Joe Biden.
In February, union nurses at Maine Medical Center (MSNA/NNU) successfully pressured hospital management to restore paid leave benefits it unilaterally took away in December, 2022. As part of the agreement, MMC administration has restored nurses’ paid parental, bereavement, jury duty, witness and military leaves and included additional benefits to their collective bargaining agreement. Nurses reported that managers told them these benefits were ending because they joined the union.
Ironworkers 807 members at the Cives Steel fabrication facility in Augusta won a contract in May that addressed wage, health insurance and pension concerns as well as a number of other issues. Local 807 was in a tough contract struggle and were very grateful to have the Central Maine Labor Council and other unions rally members to show up to support them in the spirit of solidarity.
In the one of the most high-profile contract fights to hit Maine this year, 1400 unionized UPS workers with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 340 won a truly historic contract after nearly going on strike. The new UPS contract raises wages for all workers, creates more full-time jobs, and includes dozens of workplace protections and improvements. It is certainly being used as an organizing tool to bring more workers under the Teamsters umbrella.
Maine actors joined the massive 118-day SAG-AFTRA strike and won a solid contract that will enable thousands of actors to build sustainable careers in the industry. The new contract includes 11.28 percent pay hike over the next year and another 3.5 percent increase the following year, larger pay increases for background actors, a new bonus for actors in streaming programs, consent and compensation guardrails on the creation and use of AI-generated digital replicas of members and more.
In August, IAM Local S6 members at Bath Iron Works won the “the most significant pay increase in nearly 70 years” with an average raise between 2.6 percent and 9.6 percent in the first year due to a mid-contract wage adjustment already in effect for a portion of workers. Additionally, the second year provides for a 5 percent increase, followed by a 4 percent increase in the third and final year.
After more than a month on the strike line at Woodland Pulp in Baileyville, members IAM 1490, Millwrights 1121 and SEIU 330-3, forced the company to adopt some guardrails on a new trade classification system and allowed current journeymen maintenance employees to opt out of being placed in the general mechanic category. The contract also includes improvements to wages, vacation policy, sick leave and more.