Maine Democratic Party Convention Inserts Plank Supporting Right to Strike, PLAs & More
At the Maine Democratic Party Convention in Bangor last weekend, Democrats voted to insert a new plank in the party's platform supporting workers' rights, equal pay, project labor agreements and the right to strike.
"Maine workers across all industries and sectors, including public employees, must have the right to strike as a means to protest hazardous conditions, inadequate pay, unacceptable benefits, and unfair treatment based on who they are, how old they are, who they love, or how they live," the plank states.
It is currently illegal for public sector workers to strike in Maine. In 2019, Democratic Governor Janet Mills thwarted an effort to pass legislation granting public employees the right to strike after she threatened to veto it.
The plank, which was submitted by Maine Building & Construction Trades Council President Jason Shedlock, commits to defending "every worker's right to join or form a union" and opposes so-called "right-to-work" laws that "strip workers of their rights and their voice."
In addition, the plank commits to working to ensure that the deployment of automation and artificial intelligence "ensure working Mainers are never treated as expendable."