Labor Day & Labor 2020
IN THIS EDITION
- IATSE 114 Calls on Congress to Support Entertainment Workers
- Maine AFT Members Demand Safe Schools
- “They Vacation While We Die” Labor Day Caravan in Portand
- Volunteer for our Labor 2020 political work
- Join Us for Labor Day Events Across the State
IATSE 114 Calls on Congress to Support Entertainment Workers
[caption caption="Members of IATSE Local 114 at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland." align="center"]
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Members of the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 114 projected messages on the marque and back wall of Merrill Auditorium in Portland Tuesday night to call on Congress to support the thousands of live entertainment workers in Maine who have been laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. IATSE members are urging Congress to pass the RESTART Act , which would provide a lifeline to small and midsize businesses harmed by the pandemic, and to extend the $600 in weekly pandemic unemployment benefits.
“Due to public health concerns, live events will not return until sometime next year at the earliest making the RESTART Act an essential piece of legislation for the survival of multiple event related businesses and their employees,” said Doug Born, labor rep of IATSE Local 114. “Our entire industry is predicated on the idea of a thousand people or more being comfortable rubbing shoulders in order to enjoy a performance. Until that happens again, we are out of work.”
The demonstration was part of a national #RedAlertRESTART Day of Action spearheaded by WeMakeEvents North America which projected messages in red lights on hundreds of buildings across the country.
Maine AFT Members Demand Safe Schools
As the new school year begins, parents, teachers and other school employees are struggling to make sure they have all the resources they need to keep students safe in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. American Federation of Teachers members in Maine took part in a national day of action on Wednesday to highlight the need to reopen schools safely and continue the call for passage of the HEROES Act, which includes more than $13 billion for our public schools. Unfortunately, Republican Senators and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos are still refusing to give schools what they need.
“Please tell your Congress members to pass the HEROES Act because we can’t gamble with our children’s safety,” said Amy Roeder, an adjunct instructor at the University of Maine Orono and a member of the Part-Time Faculty Association (AFT).
While the US Senate takes a vacation, workers risk exposure and even death on the job. To highlight this outrageous inaction, the Maine AFL-CIO, Southern Maine Workers Center and the Southern Maine Labor Council will hold a funeral procession for the workers who have needlessly died from COVID-19 across the country.
Speakers will call on our federal elected officials, most notably Sen. Susan Collins, to immediately pass a COVID-19 relief package to protect and provide hazard pay for frontline workers, provide federal aid for cash-strapped local governments, extend unemployment benefits for struggling Mainers and support the US Postal Service. If you would like to join the caravan please register here. The press conference will be live-streamed on our Facebook page.
Volunteer for our Labor 2020 Campaign
[caption caption="Phone banking with the Maine AFL-CIO recently." align="center"]
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With anti-labor politicians taking no action amidst an economic and health crisis, it is critical to support candidates who will fight for workers' rights and support labor issues. We need all hands on deck this fall to make sure union members get out to vote.
Count Me In: If you would like to volunteer with our Labor 2020 campaign please click here. There are lots of ways to be involved. Contact Sarah at 207-356-7322 or sarah@maineaflcio.org with questions or for more information.
We have a Labor 2020 Training this coming Friday Sept. 11, 9am on zoom. If interested email Adam, adam@maineaflcio.org. We also have online Labor 2020 phonebanks Wed. Sept 9 & Thurs Sept 10, 4pm - 7pm. We'd love more volunteers to join us. RSVP: adam@maineaflcio.org
Join Us for Labor Day Events Across the State
[caption caption="Judy Taylor's Maine Labor Mural" align="center"]
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This Labor Day comes at a challenging time for working people. While corporate executives are safe in their homes, frontline workers are risking their lives every day and very few have the right to negotiate safe workplaces or hazard pay. Now, more than ever, working people need a strong labor movement to fight for them. So let's devote ourselves to building it.
There's a lot happening this Labor Day weekend in Maine. Please click here for a listing of Labor Day celebrations happening in Portland, Skowhegan, Saco and on Zoom. We hope to see you there!
Also, on Monday Sept 7 at 4:30p, workers will launch Maine Labor for Biden to highlight Biden's policy plans to support and grow the labor movement. This virtual event will headline long-time labor champion, US Senator Sherrod Brown and will feature Maine Senate President (& IUPAT & IAM member) Troy Jackson, Maine AFL-CIO President Cynthia Phinney, Southern & Western Maine Labor Council Trustee Garrett Stewart, IAM Grand Lodge Representative Dave Sullivan, Maine Education Association President Grace Leavitt, Maine State Nurses Association President Cokie Giles, and Maine Service Employees Association Vice President Allison Perkins. Please sign up to attendand share with members and friends.