Over 100 Union Members Attend Summer Institute, Join Direct Action with Grad Workers

PHOTO: Union members rally with UMaine Graduate Workers outside the Chancellor's office.

Over 100 union members gathered at the University of Maine in Orono last week for two days of workshops, presentations, and panel discussions focused on the theme of under staffing and overwork - past, present and future. As part of that theme the Institute also included discussions on organizing non-union workplaces and building cadres, common sense economics, the 200-year struggle for the shorter work day, immigration, affordable housing, building political power to address shortstaffing and more. The event featured labor music and art as workers across numerous different unions socialized and shared stories of their struggles and victories in the workplace.

PHOTO: Panel of nurses, a mental health worker and a letter carrier at Summer Institute.
 

One of the most powerful panels featured a union nurse named Silvia from Germany, who is a member of the German union ver.di as well as a mental health worker (AFSCME 1814) from Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta, two Maine nurses (MSNA) and a letter carrier (NALC 92) discussing how overwork and short staffing is not only taking a toll on workers, but also workplace, public and patient safety. A paper worker described working 24-hour shifts while nurses explained how understaffing prevents them from providing adequate patient care. A mental health worker said he and his coworkers have suffered frequent injuries from psychiatric patients due to understaffing and workers have had to use vacation time to recover for workplace injuries. Sylvia, the nurse from Germany, told an inspiring story of how nurses in her union organized, went on strike and won safe patient staffing.
 

A UMaine Grad Worker reads a list of demands to a representative for Chancellor Malloy.
 

PHOTO: Union members at a workshop about making a strategy to pass a public sector right-to-strike law.

On the first day of Summer Institute, University of Maine Graduate Workers (UAW) were joined by shipbuilders, postal workers, electricians, nurses, teachers, professors, state & federal employees, food service workers, paper makers, construction workers & many others in a march to UMaine Chancellor Daniel Malloy’s office to demand that the University settle a fair contract with grad workers. A representative for Malloy accepted the letter and informed the group that she would pass along the message to the Chancellor.

Watch a video of the march to Chancellor Malloy's office!

There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm at this year's Labor Summer Institute and we had great feedback from participants. If you haven't made it to SI, please consider attending the 2025 Labor Summer Institute!