BANGOR, Maine — Union representatives from all over the state gathered Thursday at the Maine AFL-CIO 28th Biennial Convention being held through Friday at the Ramada Inn.
Delegates talked about everything from ways to change the economy to bills in the state Legislature.
“We use this opportunity to educate ourselves on what’s going on with the economic crisis as well as electing our officials,” said Sarah Bigney, Maine AFL-CIO coordinator.
Union officials discussed successes in getting bills that hurt labor shot down and what needs to be done to have similar success in the future.
“We called their bluff,” said Matt Schlobohm, executive director of the Maine AFL-CIO, referring to LD 309, the Right to Work Act. “They were certain on the Right to Work fight that when they pulled the private sector part off the table and killed that, that we would all just go away because private sector workers don’t care about private employees.
“We called that bluff and it worked. We showed incredible solidarity and I think that it’s a model for how we have to work together in supporting rights for all workers. There’s a lot of great work that we did and we need to continue that kind of work,” he said while standing in front of a replica of the Maine labor mural that was removed from the State House by Gov. Paul LePage.
Schlobohm, along with Matt Beck and Emery Deabay, co-chairmen of the union’s legislative committee, targeted 12 bills they say are attacks on Maine workers, which they titled The Dirty Dozen.
They focused on five of them for the Legislature’s second session, including LD 1571, which they called a “no-holds-barred attack on workers’ compensation.”
“What do employers think about workers’ comp?” Deabay asked attendees. “They love it! You’ll never hear them say it, but they love it.
“If it wasn’t for workers’ compensation, and terrible injuries took place under these circumstances that employers failed to correct and ignored for years and years and years and people keep getting hurt and hurt and hurt, you and your members would have the right to go to a jury of your peers and ask them to hold employers accountable for their behavior and the losses your members have sustained,” said Deabay. “Full lost wages, not some token payment. Full medical bills, not contested after they screw around with your doctors.”
Under the current law, he says, workers cannot sue their employers over injuries on the job.
Schlobohm said LD 1314 is also on the union’s radar. It misclassifies employees and independent contractors, he says.
“It’s a big deal,” said Schlobohm. “If you think about what could happen if they change the definition of ‘employee.’ It’s frightening when you go down that road.”
Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree also spoke at the daylong conference.
Jack McKay, president of Eastern Maine Labor Council and director of Food AND Medicine, will speak Friday to update the Solidarity Harvest.
The Solidarity Harvest hands out baskets around Thanksgiving to laid-off workers and families during hard times. He said each basket can feed from six to eight people.
Last year, turkeys were donated by Manna in Bangor with rolls donated by Eastern Maine Community College.
The vegetables are collected from local farmers.
“[Farmers] do what they can do [for donating food],” said McKay. “If they need it, we’re happy to pay them the full amount. Some will donate half; some will donate all.”
McKay said they have raised $15,000 so far with a matching $5,000 donation from Topsham law firm McTeague Higbee. He hopes to have 500 baskets, which will feed 3,000 to 4,000 people. Last year, they handed out 125 baskets.
“The vast majority [of donations] is from unions,” said McKay.
The Maine AFL-CIO handed out three awards. The Edie Beaulieu Legislative Award went to Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Allagash; the Solidarity Award went to the nurses of the Maine State Nurses Association; and the President’s Award went to Lucien Deschaine, a paper worker at the Madawaska mill and longtime United Steelworkers representative.