(Cross-posted at Dirigo Blue)
That's okay, Gov; we got your back on this one! I know how you feel about "people spending too much time on the blogs" and all, but hey, no worries! And I'm quite sure that you failing to give even a lil smidge of a mention to "Labor Day" itself in your Labor Day Weekend weekly radio address was just a silly mistake, a mere oversight. Not a deliberate act and certainly with no malice on your part.
The pro-union folks who gathered last February were all wrong about you!
It's not like over 1000 people from all over Maine have ever stood out in the freezing cold to get your attention.
Oh, wait... (more below.)
From March: ME State Senator Troy Jackson (D-Aroostook) Addresses Pro-Union Crowd at Statehouse Rally
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That reminds me, sir: When are you going to meet with Senator Jackson and the Maine loggers and will it be soon?
Because I hate to mention it or anything (boy is THIS awkward for a high profile public official!!), but it's very hard to know where you're gonna be and with whom, as your daily and weekly schedules never, ever, ever have been released to media.
Not once.
The first time this has been the case for a sitting Maine governor in thirty years, by the way.
Do we need to start looking for you in the dairy case??
And it's not like hundreds of Maine workers with bullhorns have ever come to the Statehouse for a rally, then marched in front of your home or anything.
Shoot, I forgot- that DID happen!
From June: Maine Workers Rally Marching By Blaine House
Rally held 25 June 2011 at the Statehouse in Augusta by Maine state workers and supporters. Afterwards, those assembled marched from the Capitol, past the Governor's Mansion (the Blaine House), through Augusta with a final destination of the Governor Hill Mansion on State Street.
Well, jeez, THAT is awkward, huh? But, isolated incidences- I am SURE. It's not like you are "anti-labor" or anything like that!!
What? No, it wasn't? Oh dear...
Ah yes, I completely forgot about "Mural-gate"... now at Day 157!
Day 78 (March 23): Maine AFL-CIO ACTION ALERT: Tell LePage, "Honor Maine's Working Class History"
Day 79 (March 24): Press Release: Maine Artists and Labor Historians Protest Mural Removal
Day 80 (March 25): Maine Women's Lobby Asks: What Would Frances Perkins Say?
Day 80 (March 25): Playing Musical Chairs With the Maine Dept of Labor Mural?
Day 81 (March 26): Gov. LePage's Weekly Radio Address: 'Today, There is a New Mentality in Augusta'
Day 83 (March 28): BREAKING: Governor LePage Releases Statement About Mural Removal
It was reported on Day 84 (March 29) that despite being on the job for less than 3 months, Governor Paul LePage was taking a full week off for a vacation in Jamaica with wife Ann.
But even the Governor's absence did not stop "Mural-Gate", which evolved into a lawsuit and a temporary restraining order being filed against LePage.
And "Mural-Gate" rolled on:
Day 87 (April 1): Rep. Cynthia Dill Asks: Citizen's Recall- What Now?
Day 87 (April 1): BREAKING: Lawsuit Filed Against Gov LePage, Others Regarding Missing MDOL Mural
Day 88 (April 2): Governor LePage's Weekly Address (2 Apr 2011)
Day 89 (April 3): Did Dirigo Blue Scoop Maine Media with GOP Senate Letter Post?
Day 90 (April 4): The 8 Senators' Letter is Published- All Tone Issues, No Problems With LePage Agenda
Day 91 (April 5): Maine GOP/ Tea Party Antics: Attacking Art and Ripping Each Other Apart
Day 91 (April 5): Statement of ME Union of Visual Artists President Robert Shetterly
And on:
Day 91 (April 5): The Maine Labor Mural Projection Bombing On The Capital
Day 93 (April 7):Statement of MDOL Mural Artist Judy Taylor
Day 93 (April 7): Video: Portland Attorney Jonathan Beal Discusses MDOL Mural Lawsuit
Day 93 (April 7): Press Release: Congresswoman Pingree statement on Department of Labor mural
Day 93 (April 7): New MDOL Mural Video: "Paul LePage's Dream"
Day 94 (April 8): REQUEST for Temporary Restraining Order Filed Against Maine Governor Paul LePage
Day 94 (April 8): "Maine Labor Mural Projection Bombing: PORTLAND
Day 97 (April 11): Video: "Welcome Back, Governor LePage!
Day 98 (April 12): HuffPo Scores Exclusive Interview with ME Labor Mural Projection Bombers
Oh my. Maybe your father-in-law was right:
Back in November, long before he decided to hide from the media behind his own weekly television show, Gov. Paul LePage sat down along with his wife, Ann, to chat with WCSH-TV's Bill Green.
They talked about, among other things, how they met while they worked at what was then Scott Paper Co. in Winslow -- Ann had a union job, Paul was a member of management.
"Scott was battling its unions," recalled Green in his set-up. "She was a union rep from a union family when she took the manager home to meet her father."
Cut to Ann LePage:
"And my dad looked at me and said, 'Ann, you've got to be kidding me! What are you doing with him? Those white collars don't know how to work!' "
Hmm.
Then there's this- hey, maybe you are anti-labor after all, Governor!
In an interview at the National Governors Association, the Republican (Maine Governor Paul LePage) praised Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and couched his own proposal in the language of liberty loved by tea partiers.
"He's got a big challenge, and quite frankly, once they start reading our budget they're going to leave Wisconsin and come to Maine because we're going after right to work," LePage told POLITICO.
LePage was unsure about the feasibility of passing right-to-work legislation.
"You know, it's going to be a battle," he said. "The people that elected me want jobs. They don't care if they're union jobs or non-union jobs. They just want a paycheck."
"I think [Walker is] going to have a lot less hair next month than he has this month, but I admire him for recognizing the problem and at least attempting to get it under control," LePage said. "We're all looking at each other and discussing the options, and he's taken an option that he believes is necessary for his state. And I certainly support him."
"I believe if an individual wants to join organized labor and work under a union contract, they should have the legal right to do so," he said. "At the same token, a person who does not want to work under organized labor and wants to work should have the ability to do so without the threat of having to join and having to pay dues to organized labor. It's that simple. It's all about freedom and liberty."
Oh that does it; I give up.
Have a nice day off tomorrow, Paul. And whatever you do, don't ever thank a union member for the days off you get.
36 Reasons to Thank a Union
1. Weekends
2. All Breaks at Work, including your Lunch Breaks
3. Paid Vacation
4. FMLA
5. Sick Leave
6. Social Security
7. Minimum Wage
8. Civil Rights Act/Title VII (Prohibits Employer Discrimination)
9. 8-Hour Work Day
10. Overtime Pay
11. Child Labor Laws
12. Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA)
13. 40 Hour Work Week
14. Workerâs Compensation (Workerâs Comp)
15. Unemployment Insurance
16. Pensions
17. Workplace Safety Standards and Regulations
18. Employer Health Care Insurance
19. Collective Bargaining Rights for Employees
20. Wrongful Termination Laws
21. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
22. Whistleblower Protection Laws
23. Employee Polygraph Protect Act (Prohibits Employer from using a lie detector test on an employee)
24. Veteranâs Employment and Training Services (VETS)
25. Compensation increases and Evaluations (Raises)
26. Sexual Harassment Laws
27. Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
28. Holiday Pay
29. Employer Dental, Life, and Vision Insurance
30. Privacy Rights
31. Pregnancy and Parental Leave
32. Military Leave
33. The Right to Strike
34. Public Education for Children
35. Equal Pay Acts of 1963 & 2011 (Requires employers pay men and women equally for the same amount of work)
36. Laws Ending Sweatshops in the United States