Thanks to everyone's good work making calls and a lot of grassroots pressure, the Republican leadership's effort to eliminate the the Maine State Legislature's Labor Committee has been delayed. The issue will be referred to a committee, and the Legislature will likely take the issue up on December 17. This would not have happened without everyone's work. It is a good first step, but we obviously have a long way to go to stop the Labor Committee from being eliminated. We need to keep the pressure on. If you haven't yet personally called the Republican leadership in the Maine Senate and Maine House, and also called your own State Representative and State Senator to oppose elimination of the Labor Committee, the phone numbers for you to make those calls are listed or linked below.

 

The Labor Committee has existed in the Maine Legislature continuously since 1887 (yes, that's right - over 120 years!). The Labor Committee is the place in the Legislature where labor issues impacting the daily lives of all Maine workers are dealt with. These issues include unemployment; enforcement of wage, hour & overtime laws; public sector retirement issues; severance pay; workers compensation; sick leave; and hundreds more. The Republican state legislative leadership wants to eliminate the Labor Committee.Under the Republican leadership's plan, the Labor Committee's duties would be added to another committee that already has its own priorities.

 

Eliminating the Labor Committee is bad policy, it's bad precedent and it is a slap in the face to the hundreds of thousands of Maine people who get up every morning and go to work. And the new leadership is trying to do this as quickly as possible. We are encouraged that editorials appearing Dec. 2 in the Maine Today Media newspapers (Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal and Central Maine Morning Sentinel) agree with us that eliminating the Labor Committee is the wrong way to go. Also see the 'Latest News Stories and Feature Links' section of our website for news coverage.

 

We need you to take action quickly. Here's what you can do (talking points are below):

1. Call the Senate Republican Office (287-1505) AND the House Republican Office (287-1440) to leave a message for Senate andHouse Republican leadership to ask them to oppose eliminating the Labor Committee.
   
   
   
2. Call your own State Representative & State Senator to ask them to oppose eliminating the Labor Committee.
   
   Click here for a list of State Representatives and their phone numbers.
   
   Click here for a list of State Senators and their phone numbers.

   
   
   
3. Especially if any of these Republican leaders are your Representative or Senator, please call them to ask them to oppose eliminating the Labor Committee:

   Senate President Kevin Raye, 853-9406

   Senate Majority Leader Jon Courtney, 324-5467

   Assistant Senate Majority leader Debra Plowman, 862-4506

   Speaker of the House Robert Nutting, 465-7139

   Asst. Majority Leader Rep. Andre Cushing, 449-1358

   Majority Leader Rep. Phil Curtis, 696-3052
   

   
   

Talking Points/Sample Script (make it your own; add any points you like) for your calls: Hi, my name is______________. I'm calling from ______ and I'm calling today to ask ________ to oppose eliminating the Labor Committee. The Labor Committee is a key committee for issues of importance to working people; it has existed continuously since 1887 and I see no reason to eliminate it.

• Out of all of the 17 Joint Select Committees within the Maine Legislature, none plays a more critical role in ensuring the health and safety of all Maine workers, and the fair treatment of workers on the job, than the Joint Select Committee on Labor. According to the state Office of Policy and Legal Analysis, the Labor Committee has jurisdiction over: The Maine Department of Labor; Maine's wage and hour laws; Working conditions, including health and safety; Workforce development; Unemployment compensation; Workers' compensation; Labor relations; Collective bargaining; Retirement eligibility and benefits for state and municipal employees, including teachers; Workers' Compensation Board; The Maine Public Employees Retirement System.
• Eliminating the Labor Committee would be an attack on every Maine worker, retired worker and future worker in our great state - it says "your concerns don't matter."
• Eliminating the Labor Committee would strip workers of their mechanism to be heard by a committee that has existed for over 120 years -- since 1887 -- specifically to hear and act on issues affecting Maine's half-million member workforce.