Tag: Labor Mural

WERU News Report 4/19/11

Producers/Host: Amy Browne, John Greenman

Supporters of the effort to return Judy Taylor’s History of Maine Labor mural to the Department of Labor in Augusta, held a rally this morning in Bangor, across from the Federal Courthouse, in conjunction with a hearing on their lawsuit which charges that Governor LePage violated citizens’ First Amendment right of access to the mural by removing it. WERU’s John Greenman recorded the event, and this afternoon we have highlights, starting with Art historian Daniel Kany who spoke as the hearing was coming to a close:

WERU News Report 4/5/11

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Audio contributed by Matt Murphy and Chris Stark
Yesterday, back to back rallies were held at the state house. We have some audio from each of them today on the WERU News Report. First, the “Bring Our War Dollars Home” rally, emcee’d by Bruce Gagnon of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space. Following the “Bring Our War Dollars Home” rally, a group gathered to call for the return of the Labor Mural that Governor LePage had removed from the Department of Labor lobby. Artist and activist Robert Shetterly introduces Edgar Allen Beem.

RadioActive 3/31/11

Producer/Host: Meredith DeFrancesco

Segment 1: We talk with labor historian Charles Scontras, in the wake of the labor history mural removal from the Me. Dept of Labor, on Caesar Chavez Day.

In Maine, Governor Paul LePage’s active purging of labor history observations from the Maine Dept of labor building, includes not only taking down the mural depicting scenes from Maine’s labor history, but also orders the renaming of the rooms of the rooms in the Department of labor, one of which is named after Caesar Chavez. Another is named after Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a US Cabinet post and the longest serving of any member. Among the many scenes of labor history depicted on the mural painted by the artist Judy Taylor is a panel of Frances Perkins.

Dr. Charles Scontras, the labor historian that worked with Judy Taylor on what history to represent in the mural. Scontras is a retired professor from the University of Maine at Orono’s department of political science, history and modern society. He now works as a historical and research associate with the Bureau of Labor Education. Maine is currently embroiled in another such “right to work” effort, which would undermine the capacity of unions.

For more information on the Bureau of Labor education’s publications, you can go to their website dll.umaine.edu/ble or call 581-4123.

A rally and press conference to demand the return of the Maine labor history mural to the Maine Dept of Labor has been rescheduled due to expected weather. It will take place Monday, April 4th at the hall of Flags at the Augusta State House at noon.

Segment 2: We spoke earlier with Mike Belliveau, the executive director of the statewide public health organization, the Environmental Health Strategy Center.

He spoke with us about the recent unanimous vote by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to support a ban on Bisphenol-A in products used by children in Maine, LD 412. he also discusses a proposed bill, whose intention is to essentially gut the Kids Safe Products Act.

For more information:
The Environmental and Health Strategy Center : www.preventharm.org
Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine : www.cleanandhealthyme.org.

You can listen to testimony by Rep. Jim Hamper, in support of his bill to weaken the Kids Safe Products Act, LD 1129 , in WERU’s archives from the Tuesday, March 29th WERU News Report. In his testimony he admits industry wrote his bill.