Machinists Local S6 Wins Solidarity Award

Wherever there’s a labor struggle in Maine, the Machinists signal goes up and Local S6 is on the scene with picket signs, loudspeakers and often a grill for burgers and hotdogs. This year’s Solidarity Award goes to the Fightin’ Machinists of Local S6 for walking picket lines for workers from Baileyville to Portland, being steadfast supporters of the formation of our A. Philip Randolph Institute chapter and participating in the labor movement.

Over the past few years, Local S6 has really gone to the mat for workers across the state. When young coffee baristas at the Little Dog Coffee Shop were striking for a fair contract in 2023, Local S6 members were there lifting their resolve. One barista described the show of solidarity as “attending a family reunion with our favorite protective older brothers.”

“They got it. They hate it just as much as we do and didn’t need to be convinced to support us. That’s what solidarity and working class power is all about,” said former Little Dog barista Jess Czarnecki. “Each one of them seemed so genuinely impressed with our ability to organize our workplace in under a month. They were proud of us and we were proud to stand side by side with them. A handful of ill-informed members of the general public have told us we don’t deserve to be union members because we’re ‘just baristas!’ The boys at Local S6 made it clear: unions are for all workers. This is one fight and we’re in it together.”

When word got out that Lewiston/Auburn CityLink drivers (ATU 714) were struggling to negotiate a fair contract with an anti-union employer last year, Local S6 showed up to demand a fair contract. As vehicle after vehicle honked in support of the workers on the street outside, inside the building management came back to the negotiation with a revised proposal for much better wage increases. The offer, said management, was good “only if you have everyone leave our parking lot!” The picketers outside applauded the news as they enjoyed a lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs from the Local S6 grill.

A few months later, Local S6 was on the scene in Baileyville to support their brothers and sisters on the picket line at Woodland Pulp. When an overzealous police chief arrested five Local S6 members for supposedly blocking traffic (they weren’t), fellow Machinist Troy Jackson was there to help bail them out. The following month Local S6 members could be found supporting workers on a picket line at the IKEA Distribution Center in Perryville, Maryland.

But Local S6 hasn’t limited its support just to union members, In October, 2024, several Machinists went down to Portland to picket in front of Hannaford headquarters with farmworkers demanding the company commit to fair wages and safe working conditions in its dairy supply chain. Most recently, Local S6 has lent its support to federal workers under attack by the Trump administration. From lending their support to fellow shipbuilders at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to standing with postal workers in Portland. For its willingness to show up for workers and the solidarity it has demonstrated, Local S6 is an inspiration to everyone in the labor movement.