Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Once again, Maine Medical Center nurses in Portland have voted for a strong union voice on the job. In the decertification election held last week, nurses voted by an even larger majority for their union than they did the first time, in April 2021. Nurses won by a nearly 3-to-1 margin (74% to 26%) to keep their union. Maine Med nurses say they are excited to affirm their union support and get back to the bargaining table. “The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a right-wing, out-of-state organization that goes around trying to get workers to decertify their unions,” said Mary Kate O’Sullivan, RN and a bargaining team member, explaining some of the forces at play in the election. “They thought because we were a new union, they could manipulate Maine Med nurses and overturn our 2021 election. But we just showed them the door.”