Susan Collins Voted to Confirm Trump Appointee With Track Record of Eroding Workers’ Rights in Maine and Anti-LGBTQ Stances

Senator Susan Collins voted to confirm another Trump nominee yesterday, this time helping confirm a Labor Secretary who has an extensive anti-labor and anti-LGBTQ record.

Ex-lobbyist Eugene Scalia has made millions by working on behalf of corporations in their fights against workers’ rights across the country and in Maine. Specifically, Scalia was contracted by Bath Iron Works (BIW) in a labor dispute with its workers, and was “directly involved in legal battles with three out of the four unions representing workers of the Maine-based shipyard arguing that bosses should be allowed to ‘unilaterally’ alter workers’ pension plans.” This comes after Collins already lost the support of unions that had backed her in the past. Another Maine labor group, the Maine AFL-CIO, also came out strong against Collins’ vote for Scalia: 

“‘We are greatly dismayed that Senator Collins voted this morning to advance the nomination of anti-worker, union-busting lawyer Eugene Scalia for U.S. Secretary of Labor,’ said Cynthia Phinney, president of the Maine AFL-CIO. ‘Scalia has a long, shameful record of siding with corporations over workers, from giving the green light to investors to pocket money from workers’ retirement accounts and representing a casino mogul accused of stealing tips from his employees to suing on behalf of big banks to kill consumer protections and championing Boeing’s decision to ship jobs to anti-union ‘right-to-work’ states,’ Phinney continued. ‘It’s an outrage that Scalia is even being considered for this important position and we urge Senator Collins to reconsider her decision and oppose Scalia when the full Senate votes on his confirmation.’”

Scalia also has a troubling record when it comes to LGBTQ issues. Specifically, Scalia said that “gay parents were ‘in conflict with the traditional organization of society’ and shouldn’t be treated ‘as equally acceptable or desirable as the traditional family’” and had even “defended a printer who had refused to print a poster about homosexuality, writing that ‘discrimination on the basis of ‘sexual preference’ is legal.’”

Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra issued the following statement: 

“Senator Collins just this week voted to support another Trump nominee who has a despicable anti-labor and anti-LGBTQ record and a history of fighting against BIW workers’ pensions right here in Maine. This is yet another example of Senator Collins siding with her party leaders in Washington at the expense of hardworking families and prioritizing politics over what’s right for Maine.”