BANGOR – The 32nd Maine AFL–CIO Biennial Convention was held locally this year. Electricians, nurses, transportation workers, and more came together.
“This is very, very valuable, because we all come from different spots,” said Cokie Giles, the president of the Maine State Nurse’s Association.
Union leaders said support for unions is at a near fifty year high.
“Well what brought me out here is the fact that labor history is generally not taught in the schools today,” said Brian Markey, with the Maine State Employees Association, “and for me to come out here to be in my thirties and bring that information out to my coworkers is very important.”
Some of the topics at hand included job recruitment and retention issues, getting Medicare for all through legislation, and the perception of labor unions to non-members.
“They either don’t know what the union does or they think we’re still the guys with the machine guns and the dark windows on cars and we’re not … we’re the backbone of the work force,” said Doris Poland, the vice president of the Southern Maine Labor Council.
As for what’s next, the Maine State Nurses Association is involved with an ongoing contract negotiation in Ellsworth.
Nurses there are looking to get increased security, especially in the emergency department, and better staffing ratios.
Erin Oberson, who works in Bangor, said Ellsworth nurses want to see, “a cap for how many patients you could have, and that’s a safety issue. Statistics show that patient deaths increase the more patients that a nurse has.”
Nurses and technicians at Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital in Ellsworth will join for a vigil for patient safety and a fair contract on Tuesday evening at Whiting Park in Ellsworth.
“These issues can be discussed, handled. You can actually bargain and negotiate to arrive at something that’s fair for both sides. That’s what we’re looking for,” said Giles.
