This time, bring a friend to the Legislature

By Ginette Rivard, President

In the last legislative session, more than 2,000 MSEA-SEIU members, both working and retired, advocated in some way in the Maine Legislature for quality public services, retired workers and working families. We spoke up and made our voice heard by signing petitions, attending rallies, telling our stories and giving testimony at legislative committee hearings. We did so with the leadership of past MSEA-SEIU president Bruce Hodsdon.

 

As many of you know, Bruce worked for the Maine DOT for more than 34 years. He started out as a rank-and-file unionist and went on to become an MSEA-SEIU steward, chief steward, vice president and, in 2008, president. On any day or night that we gathered at the State House or at worksite meetings, Bruce advocated for all of us, active and retired alike, and encouraged us as we stood up for quality public services and Maine workers. On Nov. 1, Bruce retired from state service and resigned as our president. We owe Bruce a debt of gratitude for his years of service to our union and to the working men and women of our state. We know Bruce will remain active as a retiree member and we look forward to continuing to work with him in this role.

 

The trust you have placed in me as your President for the next two years is deeply humbling. I do not take this trust lightly and I look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead of us as we move forward.

 

Gov. LePage has submitted a proposed supplemental budget specifically to address what he is describing as a $120 million revenue shortfall within Maine DHHS in the current fiscal year, and a $100 million shortfall in the next. The Governor has proposed reducing MaineCare enrollments by 65,000 individuals. While there are no layoffs proposed, the Governor is proposing a total of $5 million in personnel savings based on vacant positions within Maine DHHS. With his proposal, countless private, nonprofit sector jobs would also be at risk by eliminating MaineCare services to 65,000 Mainers.

 

In January, Gov. LePage is expected to release his basic supplemental budget in which he is likely to propose cuts to quality public services that Maine people count on. With the slowing economy, it's unclear whether the State of Maine will have the revenues necessary to make up for the $400 million in already-approved new tax breaks for the rich scheduled to take effect July 1, 2013.

 

The Legislature is coming back in session Jan. 4 and legislators will need to look at the Governor's proposed budget and make some tough decisions. This is a short legislative session with adjournment by the end of April.

 

LD 309, held over to this session, proposes to take away the rights of Maine workers at a time when all workers deserve a voice in their wages, benefits and working conditions. The public hearing has already been held, so the next step is for this to go directly to a work session.

 

LD 1571 is a bill designed to reform the Workers' Compensation system. In actuality, this legislation would decimate Maine's Workers' Compensation laws. LD 1571 would threaten the safety and security of all Maine workers and make it harder for injured workers to get back on track.

 

With challenges come opportunities. We are poised to take advantage of many of these. In anticipation of the legislative session we have initiated the "Not another cent from Maine's working families" campaign. Many of you have signed these postcards urging legislators to oppose any and all efforts to cut, cap or further reduce the retirement and health benefits of Maine's public workers and retired public workers. This is a crucial and urgent message for all of us to deliver. If you haven't yet signed this "Not another cent from Maine's working families" postcard, we have printed it on the front of the Dec. 8 edition of the Maine Stater. Clip it out, sign it and mail it to MSEA-SEIU headquarters so we can include you in this important message to your legislators. It's critical that your legislators hear from you now.

 

As in the last legislative session, we have begun holding in-district meetings with legislators. There is no better voice than that of the voters in a House or Senate district. As their constituents, you hold a great deal of influence with your legislator. As in-district meetings are scheduled in a number of districts, we urge you to attend, bring your family and invite coworkers to join you.

 

We continuously monitor the legislative process and we will be calling on you to contact your legislators in a number of ways. Phone calls are accessible to all of us and your legislators do pay attention to the phone messages they receive from their constituents. For those who have access to home email, that is also effective. Lastly, we will be asking those who can to come to the Legislature when key issues are scheduled However, we will be asking you to take this one step further. Make a call and ask one other person to also call. Send an email and ask one other person to do the same. And when you come to the Legislature, "Bring a Friend". We could easily double our participation this way. And make no mistake about it: We are going to need everyone participating to win for working families and retired workers in the next legislative session.

 

In closing, each year, Thanksgiving starts off a time of celebration with family and friends that lasts through the start of the new year. While we may not all celebrate the same holidays, I send my greetings to you and your family for a season filled with gratitude, joy and peace.