AUGUSTA, Maine — The Central Maine Labor Council's Labor Day barbeque was the epicenter of state workers and Maine Service Employees Association on Sunday to voice their goals for the future.
The Maine Service Employees Association, local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union (MSEA-SEIU), has been in negotiations with the state of Maine since the start of the year to close the state employee pay gap.
Maine state workers are paid 15 percent below market average compared to public and private sector workers across New England, according to a 2020 study from the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services.
"Wealth inequality has increased so much. At the same time, wages have stayed stagnant," Mike Brunton, a Maine DHHS worker and member of the Maine Service Employees Association, said.
Some workers, like Cynthia Sargent, said she hopes the increase in wage will help state workers earn pay more consistent with all they do for the people of Maine.
"I feel like we're at a crisis deserving attention because of our staffing and our inability at times to meet the needs for our clients on a regular basis," Sargent said.
Sargent has worked for Child and Family Services for almost 40 years in Maine's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Currently, the DHHS office in Lewiston has 26 staff vacancies, she said, which is causing other staff members to try and bridge those gaps.
The association has been negotiating for a new contract with increased pay for several months. The rally hit the road to the State House and Blaine House on Sunday as workers laid down their horns to air their frustrations.
Brunton, a member of the association's negotiating team, said he's starting to see movement with the Mills administration's negotiating team and is hoping to meet some agreements in the coming weeks.
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to Governor Mills' office for comment and is waiting for a response regarding negotiations.