Janet Mills and unions attain offshore wind deal
A model of this text was initially printed in The Every day Temporary, our Maine politics publication. Join right here for each day information and perception from politics editor Michael Shepherd.
A standoff between Gov. Janet Mills and labor teams was solved late Wednesday, when the edges inked a deal that may save among the jobs within the nascent offshore wind business for unions, assuming they will fill them.
What ended up bringing the edges collectively was a veto from the Democratic governor that angered organized labor final month. They needed corporations constructing offshore wind ports and tasks to have agreements in hand with unions. Mills and enterprise teams argued that might hinder the business’s growth and depart it reliant on out-of-state staff.
The deal: The settlement goals to separate the distinction by leaving half the roles reserved for non-union corporations like Maine development big Cianbro and half for these with a union workforce. If the unionized corporations can’t fill their share of the roles, the measure lays out a course of by which Maine staff must be prioritized in hiring.
“I believe the overarching purpose right here is to ensure that as this new business emerges in Maine … we’re offering good-paying wages and advantages to Maine workers and Maine folks,” Mills adviser Tom Abello informed the Legislature’s finances committee.
The invoice, which can successfully enable for eventual port and mission development in Maine, now must clear ultimate votes within the Legislature earlier than going to the governor’s desk.
Counterpoint: The deal between the governor’s workplace, labor teams and key Democratic lawmakers cleared the panel with three of the 5 Republicans dissenting. One among them, Rep. Mark Blier, R-Buxton, stated he had not had a lot time to evaluate the package deal, which got here in a serious modification to a tabled invoice that was solely made public round 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Absent from the deal have been enterprise teams. Whereas Mills mirrored lots of their considerations within the veto letter, they weren’t utterly glad with the deal setting apart a sure variety of jobs for unions. Ben Lucas, a Maine State Chamber of Commerce lobbyist, stated his group appreciated the modifications however was nonetheless skeptical of the idea and reviewing it.
What’s subsequent: Offshore wind has been a fraught political subject as a result of considerations from Maine’s legacy fishing business. Whereas there may be numerous conservative skepticism on this subject, the talk final evening confirmed bipartisan effort to set the state up for achievement within the nascent sector. There’s a lot to settle earlier than tasks begin coming on-line throughout the latter a part of this decade.
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