Maine AFL-CIO
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Maine AFL-CIO 2016 Working Families Legislative Scorecard Phone: 207-622-9675 • Fax: 207-622-9685 Maine AFL-CIO • 21 Gabriel Drive • Augusta, ME 04330 www.maineaflcio.org • email: [email protected] Ranking Our Legislators’ Commitment to Workers’ Rights and An Economy that Works for All The 127th Maine Legislature was set in a period of staggering inequality, stagnant wages and declining living standards. As working people, we looked for the Legislature to: • reflect our core values of fairness, solidarity and economic justice; • do everything within its power to support workers and their families; and • take proactive measures to create a just economy. The Maine AFL-CIO is a statewide federation of more than 160 local labor unions in Maine. We represent more than 50,000 Maine workers and retirees delivering public services or working at paper mills, shipyards, hospitals, construction sites, utilities, and in many other industries. We represent these workers and their families at the Legislature, and we organize together year round for workers’ AFSCME 1814 and MSEA-SEIU 1989 members lobbied legislators all session to pass rights and economic justice. LD 1645, a bill that raised wages for direct care staff at Riverview and Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Centers to improve recruitment and retention. This legislative scorecard seeks to capture the votes that were of the greatest importance to working people in the second session of the 127th Maine Legislature (2016). It provides information on those bills and lets you know how your legislators voted. Our Legislative Committee and Executive Board carefully reviewed all the bills that came before the State Legislature and selected which bills to work on and to score. We hope you find the scorecard useful and that you will use it to hold your state legislators accountable. INSIDE: Bill Summary and Scorecard Contacting Your Legislators PERMIT 338 PERMIT PORTLAND, ME PORTLAND, P A I D I A P The Human Faces of These Bills U.S. POSTAGE U.S. NON-PROFIT ORG NON-PROFIT Raising Wages Dear Union Members and Friends, Maine AFL-CIO In this age of rampant income inequality unions are the strongest and clearest voice advocating an 21 Gabriel Drive economy that is fair, safe, and just. During the last legislative year union members from all across Maine united to turn back corporate attacks on the rights our predecessors fought to achieve. The Maine Augusta, ME 04330 AFL-CIO is proud to have led on defeating, among others, the following anti-worker pieces of legislation Executive Board introduced during the session: President Cynthia Phinney (IBEW 1837) • No Unemployment Insurance during strikes and work stoppages (LD 1501) Vice President Patrick Carleton (USW 9) • Invasive and demeaning drug tests (LD 1384) Secretary-Treasurer Ryan Jones (Machinists S6) • Nullifying liability incurred after providing unsafe work conditions (LD 1181) Don Berry (Union Retiree) Don Bilodeau (Western Maine Labor Council) • A competing measure that would have undermined our minimum wage referendum (LD 674) Doug Born (Southern Maine Labor Council) Harlon Boyington (Maine Labor Council USW) It’s no surprise the 127th Legislature’s second session would see plenty of bills designed to roll back Tim Burgess (IBEW 104) worker rights; Governor LePage and corporate legislators have been collaborating on such legislation for Wayne Campbell (Machinists S89) years now. However, through hard work, collective strength, and solidarity we were able to defeat these Jessica Chubbuck (Young Workers) Peter Crockett (Central Maine Labor Council) odious attempts at hurting families. Together we have proven Maine is no place for radical designs Mike Croteau (USW 36) intent on racing to the bottom at the expense of workers. John Curtis (NALC 391) Emery Deabay (USW 1188) The session was also notable for the victories won. Responding to an era of mismanagement and Serina DeWolfe (CWA 1400) recruitment and retention issues at Riverview Psychiatric Hospital the Legislature voted to give workers George Edwards (Machinists Council) there a raise. And let’s not forget: Though efforts to pass legislation affecting “Buy American” policy and Coralie Giles (Maine State Nurses Association) Ron Green (IAFF 772) Medicaid Expansion were unsuccessful we continued to elevate those issues and edge closer to the day Ron Hemingway (USW 900) when we realize them. Bill LeGrand (IUPAT District Council 35) John Martell (Professional Fire Fighters of ME) It can be difficult to keep up with all these legislative goings-on. That is why the Maine AFL-CIO is proud Devin Mayo (Laborers 327) to present you with our Working Families Legislative Scorecard - so you can see how your legislators Jack McKay (Eastern Maine Labor Council) Brett Miller (Teamsters Local 340) voted on these important matters. Who supported working families during the last year and who needs Reginald Munson (Ironworkers 7) to be held accountable for failing to do so? Take a look for yourself and contact your legislators to let Don Nazaroff (Maine State Building Trades) them know if they have adequately represented you and your community! This scorecard is produced in Denise Nemeth-Greenleaf (Maine Women’s Labor Institute) John Newton (AFGE 948) hopes of educating union members and the wider citizenry. We hope it encourages you to take a deeper Elizabeth O’Connor (AFSCME Council 93) look and get more involved. Thanks. Don Parks (American Postal Workers Union 458) Nick Paquet (IBEW 1253) In solidarity, Wes Perry (Machinists 2740) David Schofield (Metal Trades Council) Michael Scott (IAFF 797) Patrick Shane (IBEW 2327) Richard Smith (IUPAT 1915) Cynthia Phinney Matt Schlobohm Tim Suitter (Machinists S6) Vanessa Sylvester (Maine State Nurses Association) President Executive Director Trent Vellella (UAW 3999) The Maine AFL-CIO would like to thank the generous sponsors of the Working Families Legislative Scorecard: Locals 1458, 2011 & Council 93 IBEW AMPS & BMDA Local 3999 MA and Northern Local 5729 Ironworkers Local 7 Locals 104, 567, Local 4 1253 & 2327 UAW New England Laborers District Council 35 District Council Central Maine Labor Council Southern Maine Labor Council Western Maine Labor Council PATFA Metal Trades Council at Professional Firefighters Local 4593 Maine State Council of of Maine Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Teamsters Local 340 Letter Carriers & Local 391 Local 334 file:///C:/Users/owner.Matt-PC/Dropbox/2016 scorecard/Page Content/P... Local 17 Locals 9, 291, 366, 449, 1069, 1188 and District 4 Local 861 S7 & Maine State IATSE Local 481 Local 3 2 Maine AFL-CIO 2016 Legislative Scorecard Council of Machinists Chapter 7 1 of 1 8/29/2016 11:56 AM Summary of Maine AFL-CIO Scored Bills LD 1645: Riverview LD 1501: No Unemployment Insurance During Work Stoppages “An Act To Address Employee Recruitment and Retention Issues “An Act To Amend the Law Regarding Disqualification for at State Mental Health Institutions” Unemployment Benefits during Stoppages of Work” Sponsored by: Sen. Roger Katz (R - Kennebec) Sponsored by: Rep. Joel Stetkis (R – Canaan) Maine AFL-CIO Supported Maine AFL-CIO Opposed Senate Roll Call #709 — House Roll Call #599 & #654 Senate Roll Call #544 — House Roll Call #484 Final Outcome: Passed Into Law Final Outcome: Defeated Direct care workers at Maine’s mental health hospitals - Riverview and The Maine AFL-CIO opposes efforts that undermine striking workers’ Dorothea Dix Pscyhiatric Centers – have been struggling in recent years due to economic security including their potential ability to collect unemployment severe understaffing. Workers were frequently being forced to work mandated insurance. Growing out of the Fairpoint strike, this bill was an attempt by the overtime shifts to cover for staff shortages. The work they do is dangerous and LePage Administration to guarantee that striking workers could never receive difficult, and being understaffed was unsafe for workers and patients alike. unemployment insurance. Going on strike is very difficult; workers only AFSCME 1814 & 1825 and MSEA-SEIU 1989 represent the workers at Riverview withhold their labor when they’ve exhausted all other viable options. This and Dorothea Dix. bill would have tipped the balance of power against workers and in favor of One of the biggest barriers to recruiting and retaining staff was low wages. employers. It would have made things even more difficult for striking workers. Mental health worker pay started at less than $12 an hour. Staff turnover The right to strike exists in a context of a fundamental power imbalance was high, which negatively impacted the care they were able to provide their between the individual worker and a large corporation. Workers have banded patients. together in unions and demanded rights – including the right to strike – as a Senator Roger Katz and other legislators heard from workers speaking up on way to address that power imbalance. We should be strengthening workers’ this issue and submitted a bill to increase wages for front line staff including rights not weakening them. This bill was defeated in the House. mental health workers and nurses. Increasing wages for mental health workers, nurses, and other direct care staff at Riverview and Dorothea Dix LD 1384: Drug Testing by Employers means they’ll be able to better compete for and keep good staff. “An Act To Improve Workplace Safety by Simplifying and Improving LD 1645 passed both the House and Senate with strong bipartisan majorities, Employers’ Substance Abuse Policy Requirements” but was vetoed by Governor LePage. Both chambers overrode the veto Sponsored by: Rep. Joel Stetkis (R – Canaan) and LD 1645 became law, giving these workers well deserved raises. Since Maine AFL-CIO Opposed implemented, workers at Riverview have seen a decrease in mandated Senate Roll Call #640 — House Roll Call #552 overtime shifts, better staffing levels, and increased morale. Final Outcome: Defeated Two roll call votes in the House were key in the passage of this important bill. Employer drug testing of workers is inherently intrusive and compromises We are scoring both the initial roll call as well as the roll call vote to override workers’ privacy and rights.