Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I I N O. I X M AY 3 , 2 0 2 1 8 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E LOCAL: Unionization makes museum 'stronger and more sustainable' B y W i l l i a m H a l l A fter a contentious battle, workers at the Portland Museum of Art will be unionized for the first time. By a vote of 16–10, eligible employees opted to organize as part of the Technical, Office and Professional Union, Local 2110 of the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America. Some of the PMA's 100 employees last fall petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a union election, cit- ing low pay rates and job security as reasons for organizing. The petition, the first unionizing attempt in the museum's 139-year history, led to a dispute between organizers and the PMA about which employees could be part of the bargaining unit. The two sides disagreed about the inclusion of 29 gallery and security workers. The union also accused the museum of "anti-worker tactics," which the museum denied. The election drew widespread public attention and even pro- voked 40 state legislators to weigh in, calling for the PMA to let the vote go forward without challenge. Ultimately, the NLRB ruled that gallery workers could vote but security guards could not. On April 22, Local 2110 tweeted, "We won! The votes are in and a majority of PMA staff have voted UNION YES! We are grateful for all the support we've received through- out this process, and look forward to working with all of our colleagues to build a stronger and more sustainable PMA!" The museum issued a statement saying it accepted the results of the election and intends to bargain with the union in good faith. "We are dedicated to finding common ground throughout this process and will work with Local 2110 to ensure the museum's vision and values, which are centered in inclusivity, equity, and transparency, are reflected in any agreement. We continue to be dedicated to partnering with our staff as we build a stronger, more equitable museum, together," the museum said. The PMA workers' new representative, the Technical, Office and Professional Union, includes about 3,000 workers in other museums, colleges and offices, primarily in New York. The local is part of the UAW, which has more than 400,000 active members and more than 580,000 retired members in the United States and Canada. Farm & Creamery, a creamery in Monmouth; and South Paw Farm, a diversified vegetable farm in Freedom. All four farms participated in Maine Farmland Trust's Farming for Wholesale program and worked with advisors to develop business plans for doing more wholesale business. Each recipient will use its own funding to match the grant, meaning that the farms will invest a total of $400,000 in new equipment and infrastructure. N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T Redzone Wireless LLC, a broad- band services company in Rockland, announced the addition of a fixed wireless broadband service site in Dedham bringing broadband access to 2,800 new locations in Dedham as well as northern portions of Ellsworth, Orland and Bucksport. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded Midcoast Maine Community Action in Bath $1.5 million for its Head Start and Early Head Start Programs. Machias Savings Bank announced applications for its Community Development Grant, which will award grants totaling $50,000 to fund projects from organizations within the bank's ser- vice area, are available until May 14. Bangor airport adds flights American Airlines said it will begin fly- ing nonstop from Bangor International Airport to hubs at Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami. Saturday service between Bangor and Miami is scheduled to begin at the end of June and run through Labor Day, Sept. 6, accord- ing to a news release. Flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth will begin as Saturday-only service on July 3, and then go daily from mid-August to Nov. 6. American currently pro- vides nonstop service between BGR and three cities: Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and on a seasonal basis, Charlotte, N.C. N O T E W O R T H Y N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor received a grant of $928,706 from FEMA to help reimburse expenses associated with the setup and operation of a COVID-19 community vaccination center at the Cross Insurance Center. Bangor Savings Bank said it donated $1.2 million in combined gifts and grants to Maine and New Hampshire organizations addressing COVID-19 re- lief and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in 2020. Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation in Holden announced a matching grants initiative called "MAC — Masons Assisting Communities" to ex- pand its community-focused matching grants program and provide additional support to eligible organizations and nonprofits statewide. Husson University in Bangor added a bachelor of science program in extend- ed reality for students interested in careers that specialize in the design, programming and technology associ- ated with virtual and augmented reality applications. B I Z M O N E Y P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y P M A Portland Museum of Art management intends to bargain with the union in good faith. Workers at the Portland Museum of Art voted to form a collective bargaining unit, the first union at the museum in its 139-year history. N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

• Cover