Maine AFL-CIO Team Aroostook getting ready to talk with voters about labor endorsed candidates ahead of the 2022 election. (Courtesy of Maine AFL-CIO)
Maine has been going in circles trying to pass labor safeguards for agricultural workers who are excluded from protections under state law regarding overtime, rest breaks and minimum wage. A fight that Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris similarly took up in 2018 when she was a senator for California.
Her work on the issue is among the reasons why unions and labor organizations in Maine and nationally are throwing their support behind the vice president and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. They believe the former prosecutor and high school teacher are the people for the job, not only because of their prior experience, but because of what they believe a Harris-Walz administration could accomplish for American workers.
“Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz have spent their political careers supporting workers and backing legislation that will meaningfully improve the lives and livelihoods of working people in America,” said Andy O’Brien, communications director for Maine AFL-CIO. “They are really helping us turn the corner to a new environment that will be conducive to earning good wages and solid benefits, pathways to retirement and protections on the job.”
In addition to the Maine AFL-CIO, Maine Morning Star spoke with leaders from the Maine State Nurses Association and the Maine Education Association. While the unions are not all officially endorsing the Democratic nominee, representatives from each said they believe a Harris administration would do more to protect workers rights.
The Harris campaign in recent days has been courting support from labor unions. On Tuesday, Walz gave a speech in Los Angeles to members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees outlining how a Harris administration would prioritize worker-friendly policies. Also this week, the United Auto Workers held a mass mobilization call to rally its one million active and retired members for what the union described as the “most ambitious political program in decades for an all-out effort to elect Kamala Harris.”
Some groups, such as Maine Service Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union and the local chapter of the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers that represents Bath Iron Works employees, said they hadn’t made an endorsement yet but plan to take it up in the coming weeks.
Maine AFL-CIO
Looking at Harris’ policy stances, O’Brien highlighted the vice president’s role as the deciding vote on key pieces of labor legislation such as the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, which bailed out pension plans for about 2 million workers nationwide who were at risk of losing those benefits.
At the time, Maine AFL-CIO, which is a state federation of over 200 local labor unions representing over 42,000 working and retired Mainers, was in touch with workers across the state who were in the unsettling position of potentially losing their pensions. O’Brien said a lot of them were struggling financially, so letting them know they would be able to access that money after all was significant.
Similarly, Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the Bipartisan Inflation Reduction Act, legislation that has helped create union jobs on clean energy investment projects among other things.
“We’ve had a real ally in the federal government,” O’Brien said when it comes to labor agreements for projects.
O’Brien also mentioned Harris’ efforts to make child care more affordable — which is a big issue for union members, especially those who do shift work, he said.
While he isn’t always excited to campaign, O’Brien said this year he is. Harris coming onto the ticket has infused energy all the way down the ballot for an election that is about “the future of our economy and our ability to live a decent and dignified life,” he said.
Maine AFL-CIO is planning to start door-knocking next week, talking to union and non-union workers about Harris and Walz as well as pro-labor candidates for state and local races.
The executive council of AFL-CIO, which represents 12.5 million workers nationwide, unanimously voted to endorse Harris just one day after President Joe Biden announced he was dropping his reelection bid and supported Harris taking his place.
The Maine AFL-CIO has not officially endorsed Harris, because it normally focuses on state-level races, but will follow the lead of the national AFL-CIO.
If Harris is elected, O’Brien said he’d like to finally see passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which protects the right of workers to form a union. The bill has repeatedly stalled in Congress, highlighting why the Maine AFL-CIO is also prioritizing electing lawmakers that will support Harris’ priorities on labor.
“What Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz understand is that you need to give workers the tools so they can advocate for themselves and they can fight for better wages and rights on the job,” O’Brien said.
Maine State Nurses Association
National Nurses United previously endorsed President Joe Biden in his reelection bid, but it was somewhat under the mindset that he was the better option compared to former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, explained Cokie Giles, one of the union’s vice presidents and a registered nurse in Bangor. However, Biden’s decision not to run “turned the page for people,” she said.
Nursing is a primarily female industry, and though there isn’t a large population of nurses of color in Maine, Giles, who is also president of the Maine State Nurses Association, said having Harris on the ticket ignites hope “for all of us that she will win.”
Giles said the Maine nurses union will launch an effort to get the vote out for Harris. While person to person interactions are most effective, she said, the union also sends postcards and makes phone calls to tell people who they are and why they support the vice president.
“She’s also up our alley with our values of care, compassion and community,” Giles said of the nursing community.
Those values, Giles said, are reflected in Harris’ politics, specifically noting her support of the Affordable Care Act, abortion rights and Medicare for all. Giles also pointed out Harris’ efforts in the White House to improve nurse-patient staffing ratios in nursing homes— a policy that is similar to legislation that nurses in Maine fought for during the past legislative session but came up unsuccessful .
Giles said Harris and Walz’s health care policies embody an idea that she and other nurses hope becomes more universal among political leaders, that “health care is a human right.”
Maine Education Association
While the Maine Education Association typically only endorses candidates for state elections and hasn’t taken a formal position on the presidential race, it is affiliated with the national union that has endorsed Harris and Walz.
However, MEA President Jesse Hargrove outlined the policy areas that are top of mind for educators in Maine.
As is true for a lot of the country, Maine school districts have experienced staffing shortages throughout myriad positions such as bus drivers, social workers and classroom teachers. To combat that, Hargrove said there have been efforts to improve wages for educators, but there is still work to be done.
Hargrove also spoke of improving conditions for students. Like Maine, as governor, Walz signed legislation to provide free breakfast and lunch for students in Minnesota. Given that track record, Hargrove said he’s confident that feeding and supporting student mental health would continue to be a priority under a Harris administration.
Beyond policy, Hargrove said Walz — who previously taught high school social studies and coached football — brings values and virtues that resonate with educators.
“He brings joy to our society,” Hargrove, a high school social studies teacher himself, said. “I see that in the way he speaks, I see that in his social media presence.”
To see someone in public service be joyful is something that the country needs right now, Hargrove said. Walz also leads with compassion and evokes a sense of community, he added, which registers with educators who work to build community with all the students in their own schools.
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