Sen. Duson earns high marks from unions for pro-worker voting record

Posted: September 19, 2024 | Senator Duson

AUGUSTA — Sen. Jill Duson, D-Portland, earned a perfect score from the Maine AFL-CIO for her votes to support working Maine families. Sen. Duson is one of 22 Senators to earn a 90 or perfect score from the AFL-CIO.

“Growing up, my father was a labor union carpenter,” said Sen. Duson. “I’ve seen firsthand the daily concerns and have worked with organized labor most of my legislative career. I’m proud to stand for workers and believe very strongly that when unions succeed, all of us succeed”.

Sen. Duson has a long history of supporting Maine workers. As a member of the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, she has endorsed initiatives to support Maine workers and ensuring they have the tools they need to succeed. As the sponsor of LD 1286, the newly formed Blue Economy Task Force will allow Maine to realize its full potential of aquaculture, coastal and ocean resources, and improved livelihood and jobs for those involved in the blue economy.

Maine AFL-CIO, a statewide federation of more than 200 labor unions, based their scorecard on legislators’ votes on 11 bills, including the bipartisan supplemental budget and:

  • LD 1639, “An Act to Address Unsafe Staffing of Nurses and Improve Patient Care,” sponsored by Sen. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough
  • LD 373, “An Act to Improve Labor Conditions for Maine Workers,” sponsored by Sen. Mike Tipping, D-Orono
  • LD 1983, “An Act to Establish the Maine Buy American and Build Maine Act,” sponsored by Pres. Troy Jackson, D-Allagash
  • LD 372, “An Act to Increase Enforcement and Accountability for Wage and Hour Violations,” sponsored by Sen. Mike Tipping, D-Orono

The Maine AFL-CIO represents more than 40,000 Maine workers and retirees delivering public services or working at paper mills, shipyards, hospitals, construction sites, nonprofits, utilities, and in many other industries.

A PDF of the full scorecard can be found here.