Labor Celebrates Return of Maine Labor Mural
January 17, 2013
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Labor advocates in Maine are proud to announce that after two years of hiding, an 11-panel, 36-foot mural depicting the state’s labor history will once again see the light of day. The mural, created by artist Judy Taylor, is back on public display after the state Department of Labor and Maine State Museum reached an agreement to display the piece for three years at the Augusta Museum.
The labor mural once greeted visitors to the state’s Department of Labor headquarters, but in 2011, “right-to-work (for less)” Republican Governor Paul LePage ordered the piece be taken down.
The mural, commissioned by former Gov. John Baldacci (D), depicts the state’s 1986 paper mill strike, “Rosie the Riveter” at the Bath Iron Works, the enactment of child labor laws, the first Labor Day and Frances Perkins, the first female secretary of labor and promoter of New Deal policies that improved workers’ rights on the job.
“At last the labor mural will see the light of day,” said Matt Schlobohm, Executive Director of the Maine AFL-CIO, to the Augusta Morning Sentinel. “The governor’s actions disrespected generations of hard-working Maine people. It’s unfortunate the mural was put in hiding for two years.”
Click here for a closer look at the re-unveiled artwork.
