October 27, 2023
The Fight Against Israeli Apartheid Is A Fight For Freedom For Us All
SMWC stands with Palestine and all people around the world who are taking to the streets, airwaves, and halls of power to demand an immediate ceasefire in Israel/Palestine, and an immediate end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Demanding a ceasefire comes from an immediate need to stop the loss of life, both Palestinian and Israeli. The…
Read MoreJune 3, 2020
To say that Black Lives Matter is to commit ourselves to fundamentally changing the world.
To say that Black Lives Matter at this time is to commit ourselves to fundamentally changing the world. We see the devaluation of Black life in the state and vigilante murders of Black people, and in the unrelenting violence of the police against people rising up to demand justice. In a pattern repeated across the…
Read MoreApril 27, 2020
Sign The Petition – Tell Gov. Mills: during this pandemic, we need universal healthcare!
Please sign the petition here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-gov-mills-during-this-pandemic-we-need-universal-healthcare Gov. Mills must utilize every resource available to address the healthcare needs of all Mainers amid the COVID-19 pandemic which has initiated a public health and economic crisis unprecedented in our lifetimes. Important steps have been taken by Gov. Mills to respond to our circumstances, the situation however, is…
Read MoreMarch 31, 2020
Solidarity is Always the Answer: Demands for Human Rights in the Time of COVID-19
Our conditions are changing rapidly. We published this response on March 31st, 2020. We will continue to update our members as our positions evolve in response to the rapidly evolving crisis. Our people are in crisis, facing loss of income, eviction, debt and dangerous work conditions. Workers who are told they are “essential” are being…
Read MoreMarch 15, 2020
Solidarity is Always the Answer: how we’re taking collective care & action in a time of crisis
Dear Friends, The members, staff, and board of SMWC have been closely monitoring the rapidly changing news and impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and the response this week. The times we are in are uncertain and unknown. We’ve never been a Workers’ Center under circumstances like these, and we are trying to pivot quickly to respond…
Read MoreMay 28, 2019
We Applaud Progress on Paid Time Off & Pledge Continued Work to Ensure Protections for All Maine Workers
Southern Maine Workers’ Center and Maine Women’s Lobby Statement on LD 369 Groups Applaud Progress, Pledge Continued Work to Ensure Protections for All Maine Workers Now that Governor Mills has signed LD 369 into law, Maine will become the 12th state in the country to enact a version of a paid sick time policy, and…
Read MoreMay 8, 2019
Portland City Council Plays Politics With 9,000 Workers’ Health
May 8th, 2019 Statement of the Southern Maine Workers’ Center On Monday, the Portland City Council voted 5-4 to reject an ordinance that would have guaranteed earned paid sick days for all Portland workers, regardless of whether they’re part-time, temporary, per diem, or seasonal. City Councilors Spencer Thibodeau (who is running for mayor), Justin Costa…
Read MoreDecember 22, 2018
1115 Waiver Approved – Mainers Unite to Defend MaineCare
In October we launched our campaign against the 1115 MaineCare waiver, because these attacks on MaineCare will move us further away from our vision of a universal, publicly funded health care system. Yesterday, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Maine’s 1115 waiver application, paving the way for thousands of Mainers to…
Read MoreNovember 19, 2018
For LGBTQ+ young people, access to affordable, comprehensive, low-barrier healthcare is a lifeline.
Good afternoon! My name is Osgood and I’m the Director of Portland Outright. As an organization by and for low-income LGBTQ+ people, Portland Outright’s work is inextricably linked to the work of organizing for the human right healthcare. Every time Outright youth leaders organize–for better access to healthy foods for incarcerated youth, for the right…
Read MoreOctober 4, 2018
We Believe Survivors. We Know our Rights are at Stake.
The Southern Maine Workers Center believes that all people are entitled to basic human rights that meet basic human needs. Our work is to secure these rights: to ensure that all people have work with dignity and access to the health care they need. We make progress every day, but we know that our rights…
Read MoreJuly 9, 2017
We Won’t Let our Rights be Traded Away Behind Closed Doors
We Won’t Let our Rights be Traded Away Behind Closed Doors Late at night on Friday, June 30th, a compromise budget failed to pass in the state house, triggering a shutdown of Maine state government, which ended late on July 3rd. While we are grateful that this manufactured crisis has ended, we know that the…
Read MoreMay 11, 2017
Health Care is a Human Right Committee Statement & Call to Action on DHHS Proposed MaineCare Rule Change
We at the Southern Maine Workers’ Center (SMWC) are fighting for a universal, publicly-funded health care system that honors our human rights. The protection and expansion of existing public health care programs are important reform measures that also grant us platforms to demand the system we truly need. Right now, the Maine Department of Health…
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