Solidarity, Forever

Workers Transform Maine Union Hall into Center of Labor Community

In 1987, Linda Deane was a paper worker on strike alongside 1,200 union siblings at International Paper's flagship mill in Jay, Maine.

The workers, members of the United Paperworkers International Union (UPIU), launched the strike after the company refused to back down from its demands for wage cuts, increased health care costs, and the elimination of paid holidays, among other drastic concessions.

Hub of Activity

During the work stoppage, which stretched from June 1987 to October 1988, the Local 14 union hall in Jay became a 24-hour hub of activity for Deane and other striking workers, their families, and supporters throughout the community.

"For 16 months, this place was booming," Deane said. "When the strike came, we all had important jobs to do. There were no cell phones, so getting the word out meant phone banks and mailings to keep people updated on what was going on."

Nearly 40 years after the strike, the union hall - now known as the Local 14 Solidarity Center - remains a vital part of the Maine labor community, serving as the home to the Western Maine Central Labor Council, of which Deane is the president.

National Attention

Deane was at the International Paper mill for 10 years before the strike began. She was the first woman there to work on a paper machine.

The IP strike included more than 1,100 other union workers at mills in De Pere, Wis., Lock Haven, Pa., and Mobile, Ala. Deane and some of her fellow striking workers traveled through the northeastern United States, raising awareness and seeking help for their cause.

"We had long days," Deane said. "We'd come home from setting up some major rally and just wash our clothes and repack them because we knew we would be sent to Rhode Island or Massachusetts at another local the next day."

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Baptist minister and civil rights activist who sought the Democratic nomination in the 1988 presidential election, visited Jay and drew a crowd of 4,000 in a town where the population barely exceeded 5,000.

In a fiery address met with numerous ovations, Jackson called for unwavering solidarity among all workers in the face of corporate greed.

"We must build our democracy from the bottom up, not the top down," he declared. "And we must pay the American worker."

"The things he said then," Deane noted, "are still so true today."

Lifelong Bonds

Although International Paper ultimately replaced the striking workers with scabs, the union members never lost touch with the solidarity and fellowship they built during the lengthy work stoppage.

"People still wanted to come here," Deane said. "If you went by the union hall during the day, there would be 40 or 50 people here."

Some of the workers were recalled to the Jay mill, some retired, and some went to work at other union jobs in the area. Deane took a job at another union paper facility in nearby Rumford.

In 1999, the UPIU merged with the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union to form PACE, which became part of the USW six years later. Deane emerged as a proud Woman of Steel and went on to coordinate the program for the USW in the state of Maine.

"Through all of the changes that our union has gone through, and all of the changes in the paper industry and the labor movement, the one constant has been a steadfast commitment from Linda and the other USW members in Maine," said District 4 Director David Wasiura. "That unwavering solidarity has provided an example to others throughout our district and our union."

Strike Aftermath

Even after the strike ended and the local union was decertified, workers continued to congregate at the union hall, meeting there regularly to play pool or cribbage or watch television and discuss current events.

The former strikers also regularly pitched in to make sure they could keep the lights on and pay the bills at the building.

"These guys, they paid what they called union dues," Deane said. "Some of them still do. That's what kept us going."

Over the years, as more factories closed and more workers retired, paying the bills became more difficult. Deane and others eventually conceived the idea of converting the old union hall into a home for labor throughout the region.

The Western Maine Central Labor Council bought the building in 2023 and began the process of converting it into a center for solidarity, labor history and learning, with the agreement that former strikers could keep coming by to hang out.

"You kept this place going, it's your place," Deane recalled telling the group.

Living History

When they started cleaning out and restoring the building, reminders of the strike were everywhere. "It was like it had just ended," Deane said.

Volunteers sifted through boxes of documents and photos, deciding what should be kept and what could be discarded. Much of the material went to the library at the University of Maine.

Yet much of the history remained. A hand-painted mural depicting the stories of Local 14, which had graced the entrance of the building, was carefully restored and moved inside. The recall list from the 1987 work stoppage was carefully preserved and remains on the wall today.

"We're preserving a lot of the history that's in this building," Deane said. "Everyone still has that feeling of solidarity here. And when they come here, you can feel it."

For her part, Deane hasn't stopped working to inspire future labor leaders. Since she retired from working at the Rumford mill, she went to work at the Scontras Center for Labor and Community Education at the University of Southern Maine, and hopes to work with the university to bring labor history classes to the former union hall in Jay.

"We're hoping it will be a place to educate and inspire future generations," she said. "We want it to be a place where they can learn their rights."

Last fall, the Maine AFL-CIO presented Deane with the federation's "Working Class Hero Award" for her organizing work during the strike and her vision for what became the Local 14 Solidarity Center.

"Our strike was more than a strike, it was a movement," Deane said. "There's still a vibe here, it's a solidarity vibe. We never gave up. The mill is gone, but we're still here."