Gov. LePage: Builders Unfairly Deny Jobs to Non-Union Workers

Maine Gov. Paul LePage has slammed the builders of a natural gas pipeline for their plan to use only union contractors for portions of the job, The Bangor Daily News reports.

“This action not only increases the cost of the project, but more importantly, it shuts out Maine’s construction workers and their families from good job opportunities,” LePage, a Republican, said in a statement.

The controversy surrounds the construction of a $100 million, 88-mile pipeline through central Maine.

The Pine Tree’s State’s top lawmaker was joined by two construction trade groups as he tore into Summit Natural Gas of Maine for forcing contractors who bid on the project to abide by collective bargaining labor contracts.

LePage, along with the Associated Builders and Contractors of Maine and the Associated General Contractors of Maine, charge the exclusion of non-union workers discriminates against the majority of construction workers.

But Matt Schlobohm of the Maine AFL-CIO, told the newspaper: “It’s disappointing that a governor who says Maine is open for business would play politics when a company is planning to invest over $100 million in Maine, create hundreds of good-paying jobs for Maine people and lower our energy costs.’’