Gov. John Baldacci today introduced emergency legislation to repeal a law that prompted Irving Woodlands to stop work on the more than 1 million acres it owns in northern Maine and consider laying off 300 of its workers.
The New Brunswick logging company, a subsidiary of J.D. Irving Ltd., has protested a state law that allows independent forest workers to enter into a collective bargaining agreement, arguing it hurts the company’s competitiveness. The bill was enacted in 2004, but was suspended until it went into effect June 1. Baldacci’s bill would repeal that law. In a nod to workers, the bill outlines Maine and federal labor department actions that ensure Maine workers are treated fairly and that rules pertaining to visas for foreign workers are strictly followed.
“Getting people back to work has to be our top priority,” Baldacci said in a statement. “While concerns about the wages and the concentration of land ownership in northern Maine remain, the current law is actually preventing people from working. That’s not acceptable.”
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