State workers call on Maine Legislature to pass the bipartisan LD 2225 to help address understaffing throughout Maine State Government

The largest union representing workers in Maine State Government today called on the Maine House of Representatives to support the Maine Senate’s bipartisan legislation known as LD 2225 to help address the rampant understaffing throughout state agencies.

“When the Maine Senate passed LD 2225 Friday night, they showed real bipartisan leadership to address urgent priorities like repairing infrastructure damaged from the devastation of the January storms, addressing the shortages of educational technicians in Maine schools, funding long-term care facilities and veterans homes, and addressing the need for mental-health services throughout Maine,” said Mark Brunton, president of the Maine Service Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents workers in all three branches of Maine State Government. “The Maine Senate showed their commitment to quality public services by giving state employees an objective process to address the recruitment and retention crises in their departments and help prevent future crises like we have seen in many state agencies. We commend Senate President Troy Jackson and Senator Rick Bennett for their hard and courageous bipartisan work to address these issues in LD 2225, and we are grateful that the Senate approved it. We also thank all the senators who voted in support: Senators Bailey, Baldacci, Bennett, Black, Brakey, Chipman, Farrin, Grohoski, Guerin, Harrington, Hickman, Keim, Libby, Lyford, Moore, Nangle, Pouliot, Stewart, Timberlake and Tipping.”

LD 2225 would give the Mills administration authorization to negotiate a new compensation and classification system for workers in the Executive Branch of Maine State Government. LD 2225 includes the authorization language that had been included in the pay-gap bill known as LD 2121. Members of MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 for years have been calling on state government to close what it calls the state employee pay gap – the difference between what State of Maine workers are paid compared to their public and private sector counterparts throughout Maine and New England. Two state-commissioned studies, one in 2009 and the other in 2020, show that State of Maine workers are substantially underpaid compared to the wages earned by their public and private sector counterparts throughout Maine and New England. The 2020 study showed that on average, state workers are underpaid by 15 percent, and it’s even worse for many classifications – accountants are underpaid 20 to 33%; chemists, 24%; civil engineers, 20 to 25%; mechanics, 31%; and correctional officers, 16%.

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The Maine Service Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union, represents over 13,000 Maine workers, including workers in all three branches of Maine State Government.