Labor leaders are speaking out against a Collins campaign ad for misrepresenting her role in this summer’s strike. According to the Maine AFL-CIO, despite multiple requests from the union, Collins refused to intervene after accepting substantial contributions from BIW’s senior management and parent company. Now she’s trying to take credit for ending the strike.

 

Senator Collins has consistently failed to fight for Maine workers. She voted to confirm Eugene Scalia as Donald Trump’s Labor Secretary despite the fact that he had previously represented Bath Iron Works in a lawsuit against BIW’s labor unions. Now she’s trying to paper over her record with a disingenuous and inaccurate ad.

 

Maine Public: Union Officials: Susan Collins Ad Falsely Implies She Helped End BIW Strike

 

By Nora Flaherty

October 14, 2020

 

Key Points:

 

  • The Maine AFL-CIO and the State Council of Machinists are calling on Susan Collins’ campaign to take down an ad the organizations say is false and misleading.

 

  • In the ad, several members of Bath Iron Works’ Local S6 praise Collins, and imply that she helped end the union’s acrimonious nine-week strike this summer.

 

  • But Maine AFL-CIO executive director Matt Schlobohm says Collins did little to end the strike.

 

  • “Collins, in spite of repeated requests from the union at BIW, did not support workers on strike, refused to get involved, and did not take a position to resolve a fair contract,” he says. “They know exactly what they’re doing and they’re trying to be disingenuous with the Maine people and they’re trying to take credit for something they had nothing to do with, and refused to take an active role.”

 

  • Schlobohm also says Collins took substantial political contributions from BIW’s senior management and that of BIW’s parent company General Dynamics, in the period leading up to the strike.

 

  • In a statement, both the AFL-CIO and the State Council of Machinists say Senate candidate and Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon worked hard to help resolve the strike — and both have endorsed Gideon.

 

  • Collins’ campaign did not immediately return a request for a statement.


 

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