President Trump at times has indicated a willingness to support unions in a way that would break with his party’s record. His moves to tilt the scales of the NLRB in corporations’ favor tell a different story.
Sir, I applaud your work for the NLRB. Unions are effective and necessary. Good work. But, Sir there is a problem that is demanding of all legislators right now, and that is the felon occupying the Oval Office. He is destroying our democracy by following the same plan of attack Hitler and every dictator follows while destroying a government and subjugating the people. That is the problem which must be corrected first, then you can and should work on things such as the NLRB, Social Security, public education and on and on and on. Until and unless you do that there will be no chance for you to do the good work that you do now. You will be a mere subject of a ruler. Get rid of the felon or at least render him ineffective.
Another total nut case heard from. You can disagree with Trump - your right and privilege - but not for the bogus reasons you offer. They are not from a sane mind.
Representative Golden: Our Maine Dairy Farmers are suffering from President Trumps Tariff proposals which have increased the cost of feed. Their subsidies have been denied, the Public School food program deleted, and the influx of foreign produced milk has rose.
We the People are suffering from Trumps Security Cabinets ignorance, his Department of Defense is leaking our War Program in Yemen, and his need to appoint a Faith Base representative at the White House advertising Health thru monetary donation's is appalling with our opinion. Greenland's visit by Vice President Vance with his wife is no more than a Political disaster, as their PM does not need President Trumps rhetoric. Our National Labor Relations board is being destroyed and our Economy suffers chaotic reflections with Trumps Domestic Policy.
We feel that Impeachment of Federal Judges are the last stray. If their is anything you could do to inform our President that his agenda is not working we would greatly appreciate your efforts.
Having just turned 74 I grew up in an America where unions represented and much larger percentage of workers than they do today. I benefited from the efforts of unions to collectively give American workers reasonable pay and working conditions. By the time I was 10 my father no longer had to work nights in small machine shops to pay the bills. He was home for supper every night and especially in the spring we could go fishing together in the evening. The steady rhythm of life created by stable employment was a great benefit to millions of families.
I recently was treated to two telling comments from Trump minions. One stated the "his mother in law would nor call up and complain if her Social Security check was late because she is not a fraudster" Translation for the rest of us: she does not need the money.
The second one was "it is good for people to get fired once in a while" Translation for that is that he grew up a lot wealthier than most Americans,
Here is another tidbit from the 1960's. Almost exactly 56 years ago to the day I received a letter from the draft board to report in person and register for the draft. Somehow they knew i was a citizen and exactly where I lived. I and several friends went and signed up and felt like we had taken a first step toward manhood. We were proud to have a draft card and did not burn it. (Or find an expensive doctor to get us out of it)
Now I may have to provide proof of citizenship to vote under Trumps most recent proclamation.
Thanks for the post, Rep. Golden. Some key unions supported Trump, which was interesting (but not surprising, given the elitist-supported democrat party's near-complete abandonment and/or betrayal of the working classes in recent times). There are many moving parts to keep an eye on for sure. Thanks for looking out for Maine's interests in these matters.
You’re doing good work on the NLRB and protecting funding for Mainers, but the quiet approach isn’t cutting it. Republicans are loud, relentless, and unapologetic—even when they’re wrong. Democrats, on the other hand, keep playing it safe and hoping results will speak for themselves. They won’t.
You say you’re working behind the scenes, but the people who put you in office want you out front, naming names, calling out corruption, and making noise. While you tread lightly, the other side is bulldozing norms and rewriting the rules. We don’t need more caution—we need more squeaky wheels.
My father worked for the NLRB in a coop job while working his way on the GI bill through college. His boss called him into a tough situation in Texas knowing Dad was an army veteran and tall and tough. During the voting by the workers on whether to organize as a union local, Dad was asked by the very big local Deputy Sheriff who sided with the factory owner if Dad spoke Spanish. Dad said "No." But when Dad overheard the Deputy trying to intimidate voting Mexican Americans into opposing the union. Dad told him he had two choices if he did not leave the hall at once -- go directly to jail or go by way of the hospital after Dad got through with him. The Deputy said "I thought you said you didn't speak Spanish!". Dad replied, "Yes, but I understand it. So get out!" The workers proceeded to vote 100% for the union.
Now you need to remove anyone who violated Section 3 of the 14th amendment out of any office for which he is disqualified. Congress and the courts and the officers of the Armed Forces who are loyal to their oaths to uphold the Constitution must work together to do that. That is why Maine sacrificed more soldiers per capita than any state in the union -- to buy the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments with their blood so we would be one nation with equal rights under the law for all.
Thanks Jared. Sounds like you are working hard for all Mainers. Keep on working across the aisle to get republicans to see the damage their silence is causing America and it's allies.
Pretty amazing reading some of the other comments from Mainers about collective bargaining and unions. I've been in the union going on 40 years as a project superintendent and project manager. Working on thousands of union projects throughout this great country and listening here to people who live in the least unionized state on the East Coast, besides Vermont. All the while this state that the lowest wages for both nonunion and union workers. Just travel around Maine and see if you can count on one hand the number of union halls you can find on your journey. Maine has in the past always tried to discourage unions; just look at the nurses two years ago who had to fight tooth and nail to unionize at Maine Medical. We should be more concerned about how members of congress can become millionaires on their annual salary in a short amount of time.
I agree with your positions for the most part, and I trust your judgement. That's why, as an Independent, I'll continue to vote for you. The one area in which our perspectives are very different, is our view of large, national unions' contribution to the welfare of the working class. In a word, they don't. I've seen it up close and personal, from both sides. I became so convinced of that fact, that for 10 years in the middle of my career, I became a negotiator for management. The white collar unions are particularly counter productive. I'm thinking the Teachers' and Public sector unions are most damaging in the current scheme of things. And your assertion that unions built the middle class is absurd on its face...just not true. And the working class knows that intuitively - that's why they voted for Trump.
Having spent two decades as a management rep in federal labor relations, I might lean toward your view that public-sector employees should not be eligible to engage in collective bargaining; but I have also seen enough boneheaded managers that I'm sympathetic to employees' need for some measure of protection from arbitrary wielding of authority by those in supervisory positions. Whatever, that's a policy matters that is "way above my pay grade."
Where do you get your conclusion that unions didn't help build the middle class? A middle class was minuscule before employee rights began to be respected about a hundred years ago. As to workers voting for Trump, I chalk that to poor public education and no instruction in civics or economics rather than to some instinctual respect for grifters like DJT (or antipathy toward unions). That is, they've been fooled.
20 years a mgmt. rep? Kudos! 10 was enuf for me! I agree that management boneheads are the reason a union takes root in any organizing effort...unfortunately, because once the union is voted in, its agenda is what gets negotiated. Decertification is almost impossible under those circumstances, but I achieved that result for several well run companies. No union dues equals a wage increase. And by the way, China has added 300,000,000 to its middle class in the last 50 years, and I don't think unions had much to do with it.
There is always good and bad with organized labor. And have been on both sides of many aspects of this issue. It is important to have a balance so that all sides are represented. And not be unbalanced to the extreme.
Since we have all seen the massive amount of abuse of our tax money. It is important that this be sorted out quickly. And weed out all the good services that have been abused by this fraud. We do not want to support enemies of our nation and promote programs that are questionable. (and that many would not be in line with) I am happy for the work of DOGE to sort through this.
One important thing that stands out is that the Nations failure to ever update and fix out computer systems. They even fail to make sure that it is protected from an EMO!
These updates are needed to update records. (I can remember my brother getting notices for jury duty and he had been dead for over 10 years. This issue is not only at the federal level but also the States. Not removing dead people from records systems.
It is also sad to see that there are so many people that can not seem to stop the craziness. And start working for the people. Hopefully their voters will vote them out in favor of people that put the interest of their electorate before personal feelings.
Sir, I applaud your work for the NLRB. Unions are effective and necessary. Good work. But, Sir there is a problem that is demanding of all legislators right now, and that is the felon occupying the Oval Office. He is destroying our democracy by following the same plan of attack Hitler and every dictator follows while destroying a government and subjugating the people. That is the problem which must be corrected first, then you can and should work on things such as the NLRB, Social Security, public education and on and on and on. Until and unless you do that there will be no chance for you to do the good work that you do now. You will be a mere subject of a ruler. Get rid of the felon or at least render him ineffective.
Thank you for your work.
Amen. Felon and traitor.
Another total nut case heard from. You can disagree with Trump - your right and privilege - but not for the bogus reasons you offer. They are not from a sane mind.
Yup. You're doing a good job of avoiding all the intentional distraction out there and paying attention to the stuff that really matters.
Representative Golden: Our Maine Dairy Farmers are suffering from President Trumps Tariff proposals which have increased the cost of feed. Their subsidies have been denied, the Public School food program deleted, and the influx of foreign produced milk has rose.
We the People are suffering from Trumps Security Cabinets ignorance, his Department of Defense is leaking our War Program in Yemen, and his need to appoint a Faith Base representative at the White House advertising Health thru monetary donation's is appalling with our opinion. Greenland's visit by Vice President Vance with his wife is no more than a Political disaster, as their PM does not need President Trumps rhetoric. Our National Labor Relations board is being destroyed and our Economy suffers chaotic reflections with Trumps Domestic Policy.
We feel that Impeachment of Federal Judges are the last stray. If their is anything you could do to inform our President that his agenda is not working we would greatly appreciate your efforts.
Having just turned 74 I grew up in an America where unions represented and much larger percentage of workers than they do today. I benefited from the efforts of unions to collectively give American workers reasonable pay and working conditions. By the time I was 10 my father no longer had to work nights in small machine shops to pay the bills. He was home for supper every night and especially in the spring we could go fishing together in the evening. The steady rhythm of life created by stable employment was a great benefit to millions of families.
I recently was treated to two telling comments from Trump minions. One stated the "his mother in law would nor call up and complain if her Social Security check was late because she is not a fraudster" Translation for the rest of us: she does not need the money.
The second one was "it is good for people to get fired once in a while" Translation for that is that he grew up a lot wealthier than most Americans,
Here is another tidbit from the 1960's. Almost exactly 56 years ago to the day I received a letter from the draft board to report in person and register for the draft. Somehow they knew i was a citizen and exactly where I lived. I and several friends went and signed up and felt like we had taken a first step toward manhood. We were proud to have a draft card and did not burn it. (Or find an expensive doctor to get us out of it)
Now I may have to provide proof of citizenship to vote under Trumps most recent proclamation.
WTF
Craig Snow Hampden
Thanks for the post, Rep. Golden. Some key unions supported Trump, which was interesting (but not surprising, given the elitist-supported democrat party's near-complete abandonment and/or betrayal of the working classes in recent times). There are many moving parts to keep an eye on for sure. Thanks for looking out for Maine's interests in these matters.
Thank you for keeping us informed about this, & for speaking up for Maine workers.
Thank you for looking out for working class people. Keeping watch and not getting distracted by the chaos is helping to get things moving for us.
You’re doing good work on the NLRB and protecting funding for Mainers, but the quiet approach isn’t cutting it. Republicans are loud, relentless, and unapologetic—even when they’re wrong. Democrats, on the other hand, keep playing it safe and hoping results will speak for themselves. They won’t.
You say you’re working behind the scenes, but the people who put you in office want you out front, naming names, calling out corruption, and making noise. While you tread lightly, the other side is bulldozing norms and rewriting the rules. We don’t need more caution—we need more squeaky wheels.
My father worked for the NLRB in a coop job while working his way on the GI bill through college. His boss called him into a tough situation in Texas knowing Dad was an army veteran and tall and tough. During the voting by the workers on whether to organize as a union local, Dad was asked by the very big local Deputy Sheriff who sided with the factory owner if Dad spoke Spanish. Dad said "No." But when Dad overheard the Deputy trying to intimidate voting Mexican Americans into opposing the union. Dad told him he had two choices if he did not leave the hall at once -- go directly to jail or go by way of the hospital after Dad got through with him. The Deputy said "I thought you said you didn't speak Spanish!". Dad replied, "Yes, but I understand it. So get out!" The workers proceeded to vote 100% for the union.
Can you provide a list of programs that have been cut that affect Maine tax payers?
Now you need to remove anyone who violated Section 3 of the 14th amendment out of any office for which he is disqualified. Congress and the courts and the officers of the Armed Forces who are loyal to their oaths to uphold the Constitution must work together to do that. That is why Maine sacrificed more soldiers per capita than any state in the union -- to buy the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments with their blood so we would be one nation with equal rights under the law for all.
Thanks Rep. Golden for your efforts to keep Us informed in the midst of the ongoing chaos. Appreciate all you are doing. Let us know how we can help.
Thanks Jared. Sounds like you are working hard for all Mainers. Keep on working across the aisle to get republicans to see the damage their silence is causing America and it's allies.
Pretty amazing reading some of the other comments from Mainers about collective bargaining and unions. I've been in the union going on 40 years as a project superintendent and project manager. Working on thousands of union projects throughout this great country and listening here to people who live in the least unionized state on the East Coast, besides Vermont. All the while this state that the lowest wages for both nonunion and union workers. Just travel around Maine and see if you can count on one hand the number of union halls you can find on your journey. Maine has in the past always tried to discourage unions; just look at the nurses two years ago who had to fight tooth and nail to unionize at Maine Medical. We should be more concerned about how members of congress can become millionaires on their annual salary in a short amount of time.
I agree with your positions for the most part, and I trust your judgement. That's why, as an Independent, I'll continue to vote for you. The one area in which our perspectives are very different, is our view of large, national unions' contribution to the welfare of the working class. In a word, they don't. I've seen it up close and personal, from both sides. I became so convinced of that fact, that for 10 years in the middle of my career, I became a negotiator for management. The white collar unions are particularly counter productive. I'm thinking the Teachers' and Public sector unions are most damaging in the current scheme of things. And your assertion that unions built the middle class is absurd on its face...just not true. And the working class knows that intuitively - that's why they voted for Trump.
Having spent two decades as a management rep in federal labor relations, I might lean toward your view that public-sector employees should not be eligible to engage in collective bargaining; but I have also seen enough boneheaded managers that I'm sympathetic to employees' need for some measure of protection from arbitrary wielding of authority by those in supervisory positions. Whatever, that's a policy matters that is "way above my pay grade."
Where do you get your conclusion that unions didn't help build the middle class? A middle class was minuscule before employee rights began to be respected about a hundred years ago. As to workers voting for Trump, I chalk that to poor public education and no instruction in civics or economics rather than to some instinctual respect for grifters like DJT (or antipathy toward unions). That is, they've been fooled.
20 years a mgmt. rep? Kudos! 10 was enuf for me! I agree that management boneheads are the reason a union takes root in any organizing effort...unfortunately, because once the union is voted in, its agenda is what gets negotiated. Decertification is almost impossible under those circumstances, but I achieved that result for several well run companies. No union dues equals a wage increase. And by the way, China has added 300,000,000 to its middle class in the last 50 years, and I don't think unions had much to do with it.
There is always good and bad with organized labor. And have been on both sides of many aspects of this issue. It is important to have a balance so that all sides are represented. And not be unbalanced to the extreme.
Since we have all seen the massive amount of abuse of our tax money. It is important that this be sorted out quickly. And weed out all the good services that have been abused by this fraud. We do not want to support enemies of our nation and promote programs that are questionable. (and that many would not be in line with) I am happy for the work of DOGE to sort through this.
One important thing that stands out is that the Nations failure to ever update and fix out computer systems. They even fail to make sure that it is protected from an EMO!
These updates are needed to update records. (I can remember my brother getting notices for jury duty and he had been dead for over 10 years. This issue is not only at the federal level but also the States. Not removing dead people from records systems.
It is also sad to see that there are so many people that can not seem to stop the craziness. And start working for the people. Hopefully their voters will vote them out in favor of people that put the interest of their electorate before personal feelings.