Union Members Speak to Fair Goers at the Common Ground Fair

PHOTO: Loris, Doris & Joe Poland (APWU) with Garrett Stewart (IAM S6/MEA)

Members from several unions made the trek to Unity, Maine this past weekend to help staff the Maine AFL-CIO table at the Common Ground Country Fair. With over 60,000 people attending over the three days, it’s a great opportunity to talk about unions and labor issues with a spectrum of people, as well as to connect with some of the other organizations we often work with in the Social Political Action area.

Common Ground is one of Maine’s 25 agricultural fairs that take place between June and October. Besides animals, food, and an array of vendors and entertainment, Common Ground offers talks on a wide area of subjects from farming to cooking to home and farm energy use to health and well-being and public policy. There is also a children’s area, a large crafts and fine arts area, and demonstrations of everything from bean-hole-beans making to spinning wool to threshing seed to using horse-drawn farming equipment to the latest in energy-saving home building.

20 union volunteers staffed the Maine AFL-CIO table in the Social and Political Action area. We shared information about organizing unions, passed out copies of our Legislative Scorecard, pointed people toward fliers for upcoming events, sold our new t-shirts, and gave out “Solidarity” bumper stickers.

Jane Gilbert, an MSEA-SEIU retiree, said “I really enjoy meeting and talking with other union members both from Maine and other states.” Tom McCord of AFT summed up his experience this way “The AFL-CIO table at the Common Ground Fair is like being at the town square. Some ignore you. Some smile. And some spend a little time stopping to chat -- and asking questions. It's a joy to be able to visit.” Marc Cryer from the Bureau of Labor Education expressed, “I volunteered on Friday and really enjoyed talking with the people who briefly stopped at our table, all of whom were interested and supportive. I also enjoyed being wedged between organizations that I connect with only occasionally by email or Zoom (and getting to talk with them).”

If you missed this year’s fair, consider joining us in the future. We try to put at least two people on each three-hour shift and volunteers can participate in other Fair events for the rest of the day on the free pass we provide.