Maine AFL-CIO Convention Hosts UAW Pres. Shawn Fain & Elects New Executive Board & Secretary Treasurer

PHOTO: Maine AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer John Perry IV (USW 900, center) and, from left, Executive Board members Dave Hebert (USW 291), Serina DeWolfe (AFT), Tom McCord (PATFA-AFT) and Chris Hodgdon (IBEW 2327) being sworn in last Friday.

150 union delegates from across the state convened in Bangor last week for two days of discussions, workshops and officer elections. On Friday, delegates elected John Perry (USW 900) to succeed Brother Doug Born as our new Secretary-Treasurer.

“I want to thank every member of the executive board, past and present, for letting me do this for the last nine years,” Born told the convention. “Standing alongside you in the service of Maine Labor has been the singularly proudest experience of my life.”

Perry is past president of the USW 900 at the Rumford Mill. He currently serves as a staff representative for the United Steelworkers. Shipbuilder Matt Wooten of IAM Local S6 has replaced Perry on our Executive Board to represent interests of Young Workers. On Thursday night, union women had an inspiring panel discussion about union victories, contract fights and other struggles in their workplaces.

PHOTO: (from left) Jessie Lambert (MSNA/NNU), Allie Taylor (IATSE 114), Christine Lizotte (AFGE 1164) and Lexie Merk (UMGWU-UAW on the "Workers Winning Panel - Organizing, Contract Campaigns & More!
 

The panel was followed by a beautiful ceremony where awards were presented to Linda Deane, USW 900 retired (Working Class Hero Award); Machinists Local S6 (Solidarity Award); Ronnie Green, Professional Firefighters of Maine & IAFF 772 retired (President’s Award); Sen. Mike Tipping, D – Penobscot, (Edie Beaulieu Legislative Award) and Elyse Bronson, IBEW 1837 (Union Steward of the Year Award).

Ronnie Green brought down the house with stories about his turbulent relationship with unions prior to becoming a union firefighter. He recalled the fateful day striking Jay mill workers shook his truck as he delivered wood to the Jay paper mill during the 1987-88 strike.

“I had to get out of their before Linda Deane kicked my ass,” he said, drawing uproarious laughter.

Green also got emotional as he described the support he and his fellow firefighters received from his union family after the 2023 Lewiston tragedy and when he lost a close firefighter friend and union brother to suicide.

PHOTO: Maine AFL-CIO Vice President Grant Provost, UAW President Shawn Fain & Maine AFL-CIO President Cynthia Phinney.

Thursday afternoon, Shawn Fain gave a powerful keynote speech, which you can view here (starts at 17:50). Brother Fain described how he struggled in the 1980s when there wasn't much construction work - he started out in IBEW - and his family had to rely on government aid for diapers and formula for his first born son.

“As humbling as that experience was for me, it was really life-changing,” he said. "I'm going to a grocery store with a WIC certificate and I'm giving it to a cashier that I went to high school with. Those are things that molded me into who I am today because I don't forget that.”

He said the corporate and billionaire class try to make it “shameful” for people to a get a little help from when they need it. “That's what the hell we're about, you know, is about helping, lifting each other up,” he said. “And and that's what's been lost in this country in my entire work life.”

Fain called on the University of Maine to immediately negotiate a fair contract with UAW grad workers. “What is happening to these members is the epitome of everything that's wrong in this country, in this world right now,” he said. “They voted to organize two years ago. 700 days later, they are still fighting for a contract. It's inexcusable and it should be criminal to do that in this country. We’ve sent the message to Chancellor Malloy and Governor Mills that it's time to get a fair contract to University of Maine [grad workers].”

At the convention, Fain met members from Locals 2110 (Portland Museum of Art), 2320 (Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Food And Medicine), 3999 (Bath Iron Works), and the UMaine Grad Workers Union. The Bath Marine Draftsmen’s Association (UAW 3999) members at BIW are preparing for bargaining their upcoming contract which expires in March 2026. After UAW Local 571’s major contract victory at Electric Boat in Connecticut, BMDA members are getting ready to win the strongest contract possible for their membership in 2026.

“I love being here in Maine with our members because they show the diversity of our union and what we're all about,” Fain said. “And not just our union, but of our movement and of the entire working class.”

Gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson received a thunderous standing ovation when he took the stage Thursday following several speeches from union members about the work he’s done in the Legislature for the labor movement. Maine State Nurses Association member Kelli Brennan gave a fiery speech about how Jackson championed safe nurse-patient ratios as Senate President. 

“Our nurse to patient ratio bill passed the senate with bipartisan support under Troy’s leadership, the farthest a bill of this magnitude has been in decades and currently only exists in one state,” said Brennan. "Troy always gave us a place to sit and room to stand to make sure our voices, our patients’ voices were heard. He always shows up to support nurses and there’s no door he’s unwilling to walk through beside us. And Like Troy says, he isn’t right, he isn’t left, he’s from the bottom lifting us all up with him and that’s why we need to get Troy Jackson elected.”

Union members also had spirited discussions at a number of workshops focused on getting young members involved in the union, labor and immigration, aligning contracts and building toward May Day, 2028, federal workers and the shutdown and more. The energy in the room last week was electrifying and we are excited to move ahead in the coming year to advance the cause of workers’ rights on the shop floor, in Augusta and in Washington.