Senate President Troy Jackson’s Bill Would Allow Loggers To Unionize

The president of the Maine Senate, who works in the woods of northern Maine as a logger, has introduced a bill that he says is aimed at giving loggers the power to seek fair wages and working conditions — but representatives of the forest products industry say they can’t afford any more increased costs.

Senate President Troy Jackson, a Democrat from Allagash, says he got into politics because of what he saw as unfair treatment of his fellow loggers. He has long criticized landowners and harvesters who turn wood into products ranging from paper to furniture for “getting rich,” as he puts it, while loggers barely make ends meet.

Jackson says loggers take major risks as they perform a highly dangerous job. He says they also bear the financial risk, as independent contractors who must buy specialized logging equipment that can cost more than $100,000.

As he made a case for his bill, Jackson quoted from an industry newsletter attacking the measure.

“’This arrangement won’t recognize the difference between hardworking and productive contractors and those that feel entitled.’ That right there is the mindset of the industry,” he said.

Jackson says loggers are only seeking fair wages and safe working conditions. But opponents argue that the wood products industry is struggling now and can’t handle any increased costs.

“We all need to work together during these tough times as a united industry and create more opportunities for the state as a whole. This bill would set the industry backwards,” says Alex Ingraham, who works for one of Maine’s largest landowners, Pingree Associates.

Dana Duran of the Professional Loggers Association says the issue at hand is not the right to organize, but making sure that all in the industry are equally protected.

“The fact is that employees of contractors already have the right to join labor unions under Maine law. And the legislation before you today is not about collective bargaining on behalf of unionized labor. With that said, we feel strongly that the question of equal protection under the law is indeed a question that must be decided in respect to the legislation,” he says.

Duran says his group supports some provisions of Jackson’s legislation, but opposes others. He urged the Labor and Housing Committee to take the time to thoroughly research the issues and craft specific legislation that will assure fair treatment of those involved in all sectors of the logging industry.