Solidarity Harvest Delivers 1,675 Thanksgiving Food Boxes to Mainers
Photo: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers unload Solidarity Harvest boxes delivered by Teamsters Local 340
This month, union members and other volunteers helped deliver 1,675 food baskets full of fresh Maine produce from local farms and other Thanksgiving fixings to Mainers in need as part of the annual Solidarity Harvest, sponsored by Eastern Maine Labor Council and Food AND Medicine. Volunteers packed food boxes for union members from 50 unions, from Kittery to Madawaska. Teamsters Local 340 delivered 200 boxes from Brewer to federal workers at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard who have had to work without pay or were furloughed during the recent federal government shutdown.
“It's amazing to see our local Maine farms being supported and the amazing things that can happen when we all come together,” said Alana Schaeffer, President of the Metal Trades Council at the shipyard. “This is what solidarity looks like!”
"It went awesome. We gave out all the boxes," said Chris Rogan, President of Painters Local 1915 and a member of the Metal Trades Council. "People were shocked and pleasantly surprised" The Painters distributed ten boxes to newer, younger employees who don't have much leave built up. "I think this helps strengthen our union longer term. It helps with internal organizing when people see the unions doing this kind of thing," added Rogan.
About 40 solidarity food boxes were delivered to the Shipyard Professional Fire Fighters (IAFF F-123), who had been really struggling without pay during the shutdown.
"Our members greatly appreciate the Solidarity Harvest boxes, especially after not getting paid and it being the holiday season," said Kyle C. Moser, President of IAFF Local F-123. "It really helped out some folks.
The volunteers also delivered 170 solidarity boxes to members of five different unions at Woodland Pulp and St. Croix Chipping who have been laid off while the mills are shut down for a month due to the soft pulp market. USW Local 27 President Shawn Howland said his members were very moved by the show of solidarity when the trucks arrived to deliver the boxes.
"As President, most of the time you're fighting with the company or arguing with your members, but in this case, it all got washed away," he said. "I delivered a turkey to a guy that absolutely hates my guts and I don't really care for him. But he's out of work. He's a member. He pays union dues and he's a good worker. So I made sure that he got a turkey and hand delivered it to him myself. And he shook my hand."
Howland said Local 27 has donated to the Solidarity Harvest for the past ten years, but after this year it plans to increase its contribution to the program because the members were so impressed with the show of solidarity from their union family. Usually, the union requests a handful of boxes to members going through a rough patch due to illness or disability and Food AND Medicine always has them ready for them with no questions asked. But this year, because so many mill workers have been laid off, members were able to see for themselves the value of the Solidarity Harvest.
"It touched a lot of people and it was really kind of emotional," he said. "It really is one of the best things that I get to do every year."
He said the company just invested in a $500,000 piece of equipment and the workers are scheduled to go back to work on December 17.