In one of the most petty acts in the recent wave of anti-worker attacks from Republican governors and legislatures, Maine Gov. Paul LePage has ordered the removal of a 36-foot mural depicting the state’s labor history from the Department of Labor. On top of that, he is removing the names of renowned labor leaders from the department’s conference rooms because both the mural and room names “go against the department’s pro-business goals.”
The 11-panel piece in part depicts a 1986 paper mill strike and “Rosie the Riveter” at Bath Iron Works. Judy Taylor, an artist based on Mount Desert, won a 2007 competition to create the mural to depict the “History of Labor in the State of Maine.”
The governor “wants to pick a battle with working people,” says Maine AFL-CIO President Don Berry. Paul LePage cannot erase our history, and he will not silence the voice of the working class in Maine.”
“Here is another example of how important your vote is. The Republican Governor of Maine wants to erase the memory of what hard working men and women have done to better the state of Maine. TCU stands in solidarity with all the Maine workers to show that their hard work will never be forgotten,” said TCU President Bob Scardelletti.
Click here to read the AFL-CIO blog on this issue.