LePage's Order to Remove Labor Mural Sparks Outrage [Maine's New Republican Governor "Rocks"]

A decision by Gov. Paul LePage to remove a mural at the Department of Labor and to rename several conference rooms that honor national and local labor leaders has outraged everyone from union activists and the Maine Democratic Party to the director of the Francis Perkins Center in Newcastle. A spokesman for the governor says the decision is intended to make everyone feel welcome when they walk through the door. But the artist who planned the mural says it only depicts historical facts.

The 11-panels depict scenes from Maine's labor history: Rosie the Riveter, child laborers, textile and woods workers and two strikes--one at a Lewiston shoe factory in 1937 and the other at the International Paper Mill in Jay in 1986.

The $60,000 work was commissioned by the DOL, paid for by private donations and hung in 2008.

Adrienne Bennett, a spokeswoman for Gov. LePage, says several unnamed people have come into both the Department of Labor and the governor's office and complained that they felt the mural is inappropriate for the setting--that it takes the union side in the ongoing struggle between management and labor.

"So we need to convey the image that we are receptive to both," Bennett says. "And the Department of Labor cannot appear to be on one side or the other."

Bennett says the DOL is also launching a contest to rename eight conference rooms that are currently named after icons, activists and historical figures in the labor movement--people such as farm worker, labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, and Frances Perkins, a former U.S. Secretary of Labor who helped establish Social Security and helped pass laws against child labor.

Carr keeps claiming he cannot wait to leave...had lypo, teeth done, now hair plugs [from his advertisers]..am only thinking he might be going on another network—it is said you need 7 inches or is it 12 inches to run for anything or go on tv.. part that is [hair]

HAHAHA! It doesn't get any better than this.

The Governor had the mural removed this weekend.

Oh, and the New York Times wrote an editorial attacking LePage, as an added bonus.

I love this guy.

Mural removed over weekend from Department of Labor offices

Emailed a letter to the governor's office this weekend in regard to reaching out a business hand to CAT which has threatening to pull out of Illinois. I got a letter back today saying our business tax was higher than Illinois’ prediction of 7% which is why CAT wanted to leave. CAT does have interests in Indiana which it is most likely pursuing; but other states have put out the welcome mat like Texas and other now republican run states.. etc.

The Governor's office said the governor had all intent and purposes to fix this very issue of how business is taxed[rate]. Then immediately following the first letter, received another letter from the governors office saying they had contacted another department to make contact directly with CAT.

I had also stressed there is much more to Maine than what Indiana can offer when it comes to other perks in choosing a new location with a ready and able work force.

So we should be hearing about that soon—the attempt to draw a big company to ME which was all I wanted..then one can see how something CAN be made to happen and not give up because of other negative factors which we can fix facing the Business Community in Maine, especially if a company as big as CAT looked out way with interst as aware of Maine's future business climate.

I need to get that letter retrieved from my accidental delete.

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