Maine Workers Oppose Bill to Undermine Unions & Drive Down Wages

On Wednesday, union workers from all over Maine testified against a so-called “right-to-work” bill designed to weaken the collective power of workers and drive down wages. LD 187, An Act to Prohibit Labor Organizations from Imposing Mandatory Service Fees on Nonmembers, sponsored by Rep. Josh Morris (R-Turner), would outlaw union security agreements in contracts between workers and employers.

These agreements require that all workers in a unionized workplace contribute to the costs of union representation, but they do not require them to join the union. LD 187 would allow employees to opt out of contributing at all while still receiving the benefits of union representation like fair wages, safer working conditions, access to healthcare and retirement plans, just cause protections and all the other benefits of a union contract.

“By draining unions of the resources needed to effectively negotiate and advocate for workers, these laws erode the ability of unions to secure fair contracts and protect workers' rights. Over time, this leads to lower wages, reduced benefits, and diminished workplace protections,” said Chris Williams, President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local S6, the largest union at Bath Iron Works with over 4300 members. “Right-to-work laws are not about protecting workers' rights—they are about dismantling the power of workers to collectively bargain and advocate for a fair share of the wealth they help create. These laws harm workers, weaken communities, and undermine the principles of fairness and equity that our labor movement has fought for over generations.”

Once again, no actual workers testified in support of the bill, which was drafted with boiler plate language written by a national corporate-funded group. Maine Republicans have submitted right-to-work for less bills every legislative session since 1948, following passage of the Taft-Hartley law of 1947, which allowed states to adopt these measures. Numerous studies have shown that workers in “right-to-work” states earn less and have fewer benefits on average than their counterparts in non-right-to-work states.

In 1948, nearly 68 percent of Maine voters rejected right-to-work legislation, known then as the “Barlow” and “Tabb” bills, and bipartisan majorities of lawmakers have rejected similar efforts ever since.

Those testifying against the bill included shipbuilders, nurses, paper workers, millrights, UPS drivers, state employees, firefighters, construction workers, electricians, telecom workers and others from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local S-6 from Bath Iron Works, Maine State Nurses Association, IUPAT DC 35, Maine Education Association, SMART 17, APWU, Carpenters,  Southern Maine Labor Council, Millwrights 1121, Teamsters 340, Laborers Local 327, Professional Firefighters of Maine, United Steelworkers (USW) 4-9, UMaine Graduate Workers Union (UAW) Maine Service Employees Association, the Western Maine Labor Council and IBEW 567, 1837 and 2327.

Representative Kilton Webb (D-Durham), who is a union electrician with IBEW 567, said that union apprenticeships like IBEW’s Electrical Apprenticeship Program are life-changing for hundreds of young people like himself who were able to become electricians without going into debt. However, LD 187 threatens to severely weaken union apprenticeships and jeopardize their ability to train the skilled workers Maine’s workforce needs.

“Imagine if, as a member of a town, you had access to all the amenities provided by the municipality – fire protection, trash pickup, the local elementary school and any other service your town offers. Now imagine if taxes were also optional,” said Representative Webb. “How long before those services must be cancelled or rolled back? Do we expect there to be a realistic way to expand those services everyone agrees are necessary? I don’t think so.”

“Now is the time to strengthen the voice of working people, not to weaken it. The actual purpose of this bill is to give more power to employers, corporations and the rich, and less to people like us who actually work for a living,” said retired Maine Medical Center registered nurse Amy Strum, a member of the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses United.