What is a labor union?

A union is an organization of coworkers who come together to have a collective voice in their workplace. Together, workers’ voices are stronger than any one individual can be on their own. Without a union, the employer has all the power and can make top-down decisions without including staff in the process. Workers who form a union together have the legal right and the power to negotiate over their wages, hours and working conditions — guaranteeing a voice in decisions that impact them. Improvements that workers win together are solidified in a union contract — a legal document that outlines the terms and conditions of work. Workers decide together what they want to fight for in their own contracts.

For examples of Maine workers taking on issues with their union contracts, see:

Portland Press Herald (2022): Preble Street employees get big pay boost in new contract, Portland Press Herald

Maine AFL-CIO (2022): ACLU of Maine and MSEA-SEIU Reach First Contract

Portland Press Herald (2022): New unions in Portland make racial justice a top priority

Who is the Maine Labor Alliance?

MLA is a growing group of Maine workers who are organizing to improve our work lives, and to better provide for the communities who rely on our work.

Our support team of organizers, allies and volunteers are available to help Maine workers form unions, take collective action together, and get connected to other workers who are organizing. We believe in building worker power through organizing, and are here to help other workers make improvements they need and bring democracy to their workplaces!

What sorts of improvements can we make by organizing?

Ultimately, that’s up to you and your coworkers to decide! A union contract gives workers a say over their wages, hours and working conditions — and workers democratically shape their lists of priorities together. That said, typical in most union contracts are: Wages, benefits, rights on the job, health and safety conditions, protections from unfair firings or unfair discipline, time-off rights, etc. Even when workers are done bargaining a contract and vote to ratify it, having a union ensures a long-term structure for workers to take on issues and enforce their rights on the job together.

Can my employer retaliate against me for organizing?

No. Collective action and union activity is protected activity under labor law. It is illegal for employers to discriminate against organizing activity, retaliate against workers because they are organizing, or terminate workers because they are organizing. MLA organizers and legal support will help ensure that your rights under labor law are protected as you organize.

How do most employers respond to unions?

It varies. Many employers unfortunately try to fight their workers who are exercising their rights to organize together. Often, management will hire legal or consulting firms that specialize in spreading manipulative and dishonest misinformation campaigns. When management hears about organizing activity, they may also start to suddenly show interest in making improvements that people have been asking about for years. Fortunately management’s anti-union campaigns and tactics are predictable, so we can be prepared for their strategies, stick together, and form a strong union regardless of management’s attempts to persuade us otherwise.

How can workers at different workplaces make improvements together?

When workers are organizing together within a specific industry, they have a vested interest in improvements that colleagues from other workplaces make. Maine is a small state, and victories for workers ripple across their industries. MLA helps workers who do similar types of work get in touch with each other, to think together about how they can raise the collective standard around shared workplace concerns.