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AUGUSTA (WGME) -- Hundreds of state workers are demanding better pay. They delivered more than 1,100 letters to Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday, asking her to close the state employee pay gap.
Union leaders say reports in 2020 and 2009 show Maine state workers are underpaid by 15 percent on average, saying workers in other public and private jobs doing similar work are making way more than they are.
The employees say they're now going on five months under expired contracts with the Mills administration.
“We cannot continue working at this pace, especially when so many people are facing hard decisions. They're facing homelessness. They're facing making decisions between paying heating bills, paying food costs. And right now, of course, childcare is overwhelming for anyone with young families,” said Morgan Dunton, with the Maine Department of Education and union steward.
The union says the Mills administration and lawmakers have acknowledged something needs to happen.
The workers were told the governor was unavailable on Thursday when they delivered the letters.
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The governor's office issued the following statement:
"Under the Mills Administration, the State of Maine has increased wages for MSEA employees by nearly 14 percent. This increase over four years amounts to 40 percent more...
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