About 150 union members and their allies gathered in Lewiston on Saturday morning, April 28, to mourn for the 38 Maine workers who died on the job last year. Besides looking back, they sought to look ahead and join together to improve the lives of working people and their families.

The occasion was the First Annual Workers Memorial Day Observance and May Day Breakfast, sponsored by the Western Maine Labor Council, AFL-CIO and Museum L/A. The gathering, which took place at the Bates Mill Complex, also celebrated the gains and local history of working people. Jack Amrock, Matt Beck, Cynthia Phinney and Doug Wall were on hand to represent IBEW Local 1837.

The first Workers Memorial Day was celebrated on April 28, 1989. The date was chosen to commemorate the founding of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. As workers continue to die on the job every year, trade unionists around the world now recognize April 28th as an International Day of Mourning. On this Saturday morning in Lewiston, the names of the 38 Maine workers who died on the job last year were read one by one. And one by one, people chosen to represent them stood in place, followed by a moment of silence.

Southern Maine Labor Council President and noted labor historian Peter Kellman addressed the crowd.But the morning’s activities went well beyond that somber ceremony. Museum L/A Executive Director Rachael DesGrosseilliers invited people to tour the Museum of Labor and Industry. The museum in the Bates Mill complex owns a superb collection of historical artifacts from the area’s textile industry. Also, Maine Senate President Beth Edmonds and the musical group “9 to 9” encouraged everyone to join in a sing-along of “Solidarity Forever” and other songs which helped define the U.S. labor movement.

Peter Kellman, President of the Southern Maine Labor Council and a noted labor historian, spoke to the large group in front of a mural of the Lewiston skyline. “With all due respect, I don’t see the union hall in this painting,” Kellman said. “We have to do a better job teaching labor history in our schools.”

There was a clear consensus among those at the spirited gathering of the importance of Congress passing the Employee Free Choice Act. 2nd District Rep. Michael Michaud and Rep. Tom Allen from Maine’s first congressional district both urged those in attendance to work for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act in the U.S. Senate. The legislation passed the House of Representatives on March 1, 2007, by a vote of 241-185. Michaud Cynthia Phinney and Doug Wall from IBEW 1837 are joined by Maine AFL-CIO Pres. Ed Gorham for "Solidarity Forever" sing-along.and Allen were both co-sponsors of the measure in the House of Representatives. The Employee Free Choice Act would make it easier for workers to form a union and enact greater penalties against companies who violate the law during a union organizing campaign.

“This has been a great kickoff year for our Workers Memorial Day event,” said Western Maine Labor Council President Don Berry. “It’s my hope that people will leave here energized and determined to contact Sen. Collins and Sen. Snowe to ask for their support for the Employee Free Choice Act. A strong union movement is critical to helping to rebuild the middle class in our country.”

The Western Maine Labor Council represents workers in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties. The council received its charter from the AFL-CIO in 2006, making it the first new labor council to be chartered in ten years. Proceeds from the First Annual Workers Memorial Day Observance and May Day Breakfast benefited the Western Maine Labor Council and Museum L/A.

Looking ahead, the Western Maine Labor Council will join with the Southern Maine Labor Council for the Portland Labor Day Breakfast. This event is THE PLACE TO BE on Labor Day, September 3, starting at 8:30 am at Verrillo’s on Riverside Street in Portland. Seating is by reservation, so sign up now! IBEW 1837 will have tickets available for our members and their family if you sign up early.

Along with a tasty breakfast, Labor Day celebrants will enjoy live music, a photographic exhibition by Guy Saldanha, and special guest speakers of note. You can register online using our website events calendar, or contact IBEW 1837 Organizer Matt Beck at 207-623-1030. We hope you’ll join us for this great celebration of working people in Maine!