LePage Official Answers Union Rhetoric With Facts

 Maine People Before Politics

I believe People must come before Politics - even in Augusta!

-Paul LePage Victory Speech

Please Note: State Union Contracts Expire In Less Than 72 Hours  

Governor LePage's Chief of Staff John McGough has penned this Op-Ed to answer some of the outlandish union rhetoric about current contract negotiations.  It is time for the taxpayers of Maine to call out the MSEA union leadership and demand that they participate in an adult conversation.

View the full Op-Ed here.

  

Here are key points from the Op-Ed:

• The MSEA offered a 2 year contract extension claiming they were interested in 'saving negotiating costs' but then rejected the administrations offer to extend for 1 year with the same terms they initially proposed.

• Maine taxpayers subsidize the home telephone bills of approximately 1800 state employees. Many of these state employees also have a state provided cell phone, others are rarely, if ever called at home. This will cost Maine taxpayers approximately $380,000 in the next budget cycle.

• Currently the state of Maine is forced to use tax dollars to pay union members to attend private union meetings. This will cost Maine taxpayers $180,000 in the next budget cycle.

• Nearly 3,000 Maine state employees are forced to pay fees to the unions even though they do not wish to join the union or pay dues.  This proposed change would simply change policy back to where it was before the Baldacci administration allowed the union the ability to force payments from non-union employees.  The LePage administration does not believe that state government should be a bill collector for the union, nor do they believe workers who do not wish to join the union should be forced to pay union fees just towork for the state.

• The MSEA runs a $5.4 million budget and while they criticize the LePage administration for hiring a lawyer from New York, last year the MSEA sent their $1.5 million surplus to their international union office.  In this same budget, the union spent $2 million on lobbying and political activity, but only spent $1.4 million on collective bargaining representing state employees.

• In fact, Maine People Before Politics issued a report earlier this year showing where the union spends their money. View it here. 

The MSEA claims that the LePage administration is trying to "take away rights of Maine workers"  but as you can see, nothing in these negotiations would have a negative impact on the rights of Maine workers.

Our government should not be a bill collector for the unions, and a union that spends twice as much money out of state or playing politics than it does representing its members is not the standard-bearer for what's right for Maine taxpayers or workers.

Here is what you can do to help:

• Share this email with family and friends so they can know the facts.

• Ask your friends and family that are state employees why the MSEA is spending such a high percentage of their dues on political activity and salaries for union leaders instead of representation for which they have paid.

• Call your local talk radio shows - help get these facts out to the public. Help us make sure the union rhetoric does not go unanswered. Here are three major talk radio shows you can listen to and call in:
  
  WLOB Radio 95/5 FM 1310 AM
  Ray & Ted Show 6 am - 10 am
  1-877-393-8255
  
  560 WGAN Morning News
  Ken & Mike 5 am - 9 am
  207-879-9426
  
  WVOM 101.3 & 103.9 The Voice of Maine
  George Hale Ric Tyler Show 5 am - 9 am
  1-800-966-1039

• Write a letter to the editor thanking Governor LePage for hanging tough and protecting taxpayers in these negotiations. Go here for a listing and links to Maine newspapers that publish letters to the editor. 

• Tell your local lawmakers that you support efforts to reign in wasteful provisions of these contracts.

Sincerely,

Jason Savage

Executive Director

Maine People Before Politics