DEMS CALL FOR AN END TO STATE CIVIL EMERGENCY

Fed shutdown is over: Time to get Mainers back to work

AUGUSTA– Democratic leaders called on Governor LePage to end his declaration of a state civil emergency since the federal shutdown ended and federally funded employees in other states have returned to work.

Earlier today, the state employees’ union, MSEA, asked Governor LePage to end the state’s civil emergency and allow more than 40 employees to immediately return to their jobs. Governor LePage refused to put people back to work immediately.

“We call on Governor LePage to immediately rescind his state of emergency and get these workers back on the job,” said Speaker Mark Eves of North Berwick.

Governor LePage is the only governor to declare a state of emergency in the wake of the 16 day partial shutdown of the federal government.  At a private event on Monday night, Governor LePage told a group of conservative supporters that he intended to use the civil emergency to nullify and void the collective bargaining rights for state workers who are paid by the federal government. More than 2,700 state employees were potentially impacted by the state’s civil emergency relating to the shutdown.

“Since Day One we have asked Governor LePage to narrow the scope of his civil emergency so that his scope of power was transparent to all of us. Today, his civil emergency is unnecessary and to continue with it is perplexing,” said Senate President Justin Alfond of Portland. “Maine workers should not go one more day under a cloud of uncertainty of when they’ll get their next paycheck.”

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