Council 93 members working in Maine state corrections and mental health facilities have reached a contract agreement with the state.  The contract, ratified last night, provides for a one-year extension of the current contract. 

“Our lead negotiator Jim Mackie and our entire negotiating team did a fantastic job under very difficult conditions,” said Frank Moroney, special assistant to Council 93 Executive Director Tony Caso.  Moroney noted that public employees in Maine have been under constant attack in recent years.  “Anti-union elected officials are coming after our pensions, our healthcare benefits and our collective bargaining rights but we are standing up to them and fighting back in every corner of the state. I want to assure our members in Maine that AFSCME will continue to serve as a loud and strong voice against these attacks.” 

Moroney also noted the important role Council’s 93’s Harriett Spencer played in reaching an agreement in Maine.  Spencer had been working in both Maine and New Hampshire before shifting full-time to New Hampshire where public employees are also facing a barrage of attacks on benefits and collective bargaining rights. 

Council 93 represents more than 700 members in Maine state corrections and mental health, many of whom put their lives on the line every day.  In an effort to raise public awareness of difficult work performed by state corrections officers, the Council recently produced a series of radio commercials that aired state-wide over a two week period.  The radio spots provided AFSCME members with the opportunity to speak directly to hundreds of thousands of citizens about the difficult and dangerous nature of their jobs.