Mills Administration Continues to Fail to Address Concerns of State Employees

Governor Mills' administration is stubbornly refusing to budge in negotiations with executive branch state workers with the Maine Service Employees Association (MSEA-SEIU 1989). According to MSEA, the administration has presented a few counter-proposals but made no substantial movement.

"The administration’s bargaining team continues to fail to address the core needs of workers," union leaders wrote in an update to members. "The behaviors exhibited by the administration’s negotiation team in the bargaining sessions thus far have been both disrespectful and flat-out embarrassing. They have refused to acknowledge or address the substance of the proposals that could provide immediate relief to the struggles that state workers are facing."
 

MSEA members called on the administration to address the dire staffing levels across the state, the unmanageable workloads and the economic hardships caused by wages that lag behind 2019 standards. However, union leaders said it's clear that the administration's negotiating team is "happy with the status quo" and "has no interest in bringing real change to the table."

"The administration’s negotiation team has continued to play games during bargaining sessions, and seems content with not only allowing state workers to suffer, but they also seem content with subsequently allowing services delivered to the citizens of Maine to suffer as well," union leaders continued. "The 'hardball tactics' that the administration’s negotiation team continue to attempt to display are not only cancerous to the Executive Branch’s work culture, but they are also dangerous and detrimental to the well-being of the entire State. Enough is enough."