Members of MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 endorse Troy Jackson for U.S. Senate

Citing his proven record of standing up for Maine’s working families and retired workers, the members of the Maine Service Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union (MSEA-SEIU Local 1989) have endorsed Troy Jackson for U.S. Senate in the Nov. 3 General Elections.

In announcing their support for Jackson, they noted his longtime championing of Maine’s working class, his determination to address the nation’s affordability crisis by fighting against the billionaire class, his advocacy for strengthening workers’ rights, and his support for quality, affordable healthcare for all, including reproductive rights. Many MSEA-SEIU members said they worked with Jackson during his 19 years in the Maine Legislature, including as Maine Senate president, and know they can count on Jackson to represent them as their U.S. senator.

“Troy Jackson has consistently voted in favor of the working class,” said MSEA-SEIU Member Jake Adams of Holden, a systems integration specialist for Maine Maritime Academy.  “He is in favor of affordable healthcare for all. I have interacted with him while he was the senate president a number of times and on each occasion, he was quick to sit and brainstorm solutions.”

“As an MSEA member and environmental activist, I’m supporting Troy Jackson because I want a senator who understands that justice for working people, immigrants and our communities is all connected,” said MSEA-SEIU Member Ella Tabasky, membership and partnerships manager for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. “We need leaders willing to stand up to corporate power, protect our environment and make polluters pay, support Medicare for all, and reject the cruelty and violence of ICE. Troy has consistently shown that he will stand up and fight for people, and I want that kind of courage representing Maine in the U.S. Senate.”

“Troy has always listened to my issues and concerns,” said MSEA-SEIU Retiree Member Robyn Egan of Windham, who worked for 37 years for the Maine Department of Corrections. “He has worked with me to find solutions that have benefited myself, my family and my union brothers and sisters. I am supporting Troy Jackson for U.S. Senate and believe he will work diligently for all Maine citizens.”

MSEA-SEIU Member Shane Lewis of Bangor, a housing navigator for Preble Street, said that before organizing his worksite and fighting for labor rights with his co-workers, he saw firsthand how bosses and greedy CEOs have no issue exploiting working-class people – and that our nation needs leaders like Troy Jackson in the U.S. Senate so that working families can gain a voice in the decision-making.

“Too often, workers lack a voice and are afraid to speak up for fear of losing their jobs and livelihood. Over the last few years, we have all witnessed the hoarding of wealth and the exploitation of hardworking people at the hands of greedy politicians—both nationwide and in our own state,” Shane Lewis said. “Troy Jackson has always been an advocate for healthcare, workers’ rights, dignity, and a livable wage in the face of an ever-increasing cost of living. It is crucial that he is elected to dismantle the MAGA extremists and wealthy politicians who continue to put the boot to working-class and everyday citizens across our great state.”

MSEA-SEIU Retiree Member Ginette Rivard of Caribou said Jackson represented her and her fellow citizens well in the Maine Senate. “Troy is a proven champion for Maine people. In his years in the Maine Senate, he has consistently taken on corporations, including Big Pharma, with the goal of making life better for all of us,” said Rivard, who serves as a retiree director on the MSEA-SEIU Board of Directors and as chair of the MSEA-SEIU Retirees Steering Committee. “As my senator during this time, I have found him to be accessible and a persistent advocate for all of us. He is a man of integrity who sets high standards for himself. In Troy, Maine will have a true representative in the U.S. Senate.”

MSEA-SEIU Member Paul Josephson of Auburn, who works as a comprehensive health planner for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, added, “Troy always stands with the workers who plow our roads, teach our children, and all those who keeping our communities running. Time after time, year after year, he shows up with his support and to fight for what we deserve for our work, regardless of if it is an election year. Vote for Troy if you want a senator who will keep fighting for working families and against greedy corporations and those enriching themselves with our tax dollars.”

In accepting MSEA-SEIU Local 1989’s endorsement, Troy Jackson said, “I’m damn proud to have earned the endorsement of the Maine Service Employees Association, representing over 13,000 service workers across the state. Trump’s broken economy, working people are putting in more hours for less pay while people like Susan Collins benefit from stock trading. I got into politics organizing loggers because the people doing the work deserved a fair shake, and that’s what I’ve fought for ever since. In the Senate, I’ll stand with working people fighting for better wages, safer workplaces, the right to organize, and a government that works for them instead of the wealthy and well-connected. It’s time we brought some working-class power to Washington.”

The MSEA-SEIU Board of Directors voted to endorse Troy Jackson for U.S. Senate after the Maine Democratic Party’s nominating convention on July 25 on the recommendation of members of the union’s political action committee, PASER, Political Action by Service Employees and Retirees.