PORTLAND, Maine — Lawmakers in Washington are discussing cases of alleged union-busting, including reported instances at businesses in Maine.
On Wednesday, unionization attempts at businesses in Maine including at Chipotle and Starbucks were discussed during the U.S. Committee on Education and Labor hearing. The hearing called In Solidarity: Removing Barriers to Organizing lasted more than 3.5 hours.
"It speaks to how far this campaign has moved just in the couple of months," Brandi McNease, co-founder of Chipotle United said.
Chipotle United is the organization working to unionize the Chipotle restaurant in Augusta.
"It's incredible that lawmakers are recognizing what we're dealing with on a daily basis," McNease said.
No members of Maine's Congressional Delegation serve on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee. However, during the hearing, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Connecticut) said he received a text from Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) about recent challenges to union organizing that Maine employees have faced.
"I actually got a text from Congresswoman Pingree, who again was indicating that up in Maine–again, another successful Starbucks organizing drive–and the business immediately, dramatically cut the store hours," Courtney said.
On Labor Day, employees at the Biddeford Starbucks location closed the store and went on strike, following union negotiations.
Courtney also discussed the effort to unionize at Chipotle in Augusta and outlined claims by employees that they're being blacklisted by the company.
"That kind of devastating, diabolical activity has to be looked at very carefully," Mark Pearce, former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board current Georgetown University professor, said. "The law talks about an employer [who] has the right to shutter its business to stop a union from coming in. But if you have a corporate employer that has a cluster of business and essentially is playing whack-a-mole to drive out the union, I think the law looks a little bit different at those kinds of activities."
Pearce gave testimony during the hearing and answered questions along with Dr. Kate Bronfenbrenner, director of labor education research and senior lecturer at Cornell University; Roger King, a senior labor and employment policy counsel with HR Policy Association; and Michelle Eisen, a barista from a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, that was the first Starbucks location in the country to unionize.
Speakers covered various topics that included alleged illegal anti-union activity at businesses across the nation. The hearing also included discussion surrounding delays impacting the National Labor Relations Board to investigate incidents and hold union votes.
Multiple members of the committee called for the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which has already passed in the House of Representatives.
You can view the full recording of the committee hearing here.
McNease says members of Chipotle United have also partnered with the Service Employees International Union to launch the Maine Labor Alliance. McNease said this will be a resource to support future Maine businesses working to organize.