Labor leaders throughout Maine, including Dale Blethen, have signed on to a petition in support of the Portland Newspaper Guild members working in the newsroom at the Morning Sentinel in Waterville.
Dale Blethen, chief steward for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1837, is a cousin of Frank Blethen, patriarch of the Blethen Family.
The contract between the Guild and Blethen Maine Newspapers expired on January 31, 2006, and the last raise for employees was on January 30, 2005.
"Enough is enough," said Maine AFL-CIO President Ed Gorham. "It's time for the long simmering negotiations to be finished and for the management to start acting responsibly."
The company's demands for the right to outsource jobs, changes to reduce paid sick time, the right to transfer employees unilaterally to other Blethen Maine enterprises, and a limited wage proposal are the main points of disagreement.
Signatories to the petition in addition to Gorham and Blethen include Presidents of the Eastern Maine, Central Maine, Western Maine and Southern Maine Labor Councils, the entire Executive Board of Maine State Employees Association-SEIU Local 1989, and leaders of Teamsters Local 340, United Steelworkers Local #4-9, #4-900, #449 and #4-014, United Association Local 716, Maine American Federation of Teachers, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Locals 2327 and 1837.
For more information, contact C.J. Betit at cbetit@local128.org or 207-772-1202.
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