Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening and Happy Labor Day Weekend! I hope you're enjoying a good barbecue and time with friends and family.

You know, 134 years ago, Maine became the ninth state in the country to recognize Labor Day. But as labor historian Charles Scontras wrote, our belief in the dignity and value of labor reaches far deeper into our history.

The very first labor strike in the country was led by six fishermen on Richmond Island in 1636. In 1841, the "Great Turn Out", so-called, was led by 500 factory workers in Saco. In 1937, shoe workers in Lewiston-Auburn led a strike for better pay and working conditions, one of many strikes in the textile and shoe industries in the history of our state. Throughout our history, Maine people have stood up and stood together to improve the lives of working men and women.

As we observe Labor Day 2025, it's important to celebrate the progress we've made on behalf of working people. I'm proud to say that my administration, with the support of the legislature, has done more to preserve safety and fairness in the workplace than anyone at any other time in recent history.

We required a prevailing wage be paid in public construction projects. We protected state workers from threats to privatize their jobs. We created apprenticeships for large-scale energy projects. We allowed project labor agreements on publicly funded projects. And we enacted measures to promote pay equality.

We defended the right to collective bargaining by banning mandatory attendance at anti-union meetings. We made Maine the first state in the nation to establish earned paid leave, and we're creating a self-funded Paid Family Medical Leave program so people don't have to quit their job in order to have a child or take care of a sick family member. And, after listening to farmers and workers across the state, I signed the bill establishing the minimum wage for farm workers.

My administration also created apprenticeship programs for good paying jobs for thousands of workers. And last year, I signed an Executive Order to get more women working in construction. Thanks to our efforts, an additional 240 women in Maine are working jobs in the trades. We all know we need more plumbers, electricians, welders, carpenters, and mechanics, and I want to see more women take these good-paying jobs.

We've made historic investments in child care, education, training, housing and health care – all the things that working families need – and we made community college free. In the most recent budget, we extended that program for this year's high school grads, and I'm going to continue to advocate for that as long as I'm governor.

More than 180 years ago, people who worked with their hands, who were called "mechanics," carried banners bearing symbols of their craft down the streets of Portland to show that they were more than just "units of energy" as the historian Charles Scontras wrote. As we celebrate Labor Day this year, we remember those champions and we reflect on the many contributions of working men and women in Maine, and we recommit to the soul of the labor movement by doing everything we can to make our state the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Happy Labor Day weekend, and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, libraries across the State of Maine are essential to education, imagination, and opportunity, providing early literacy programs, digital learning tools, and lifelong pathways to knowledge and growth; and

WHEREAS, Maine's libraries welcome all people, serving as inclusive and accessible community spaces that connect individuals across cultures, generations, and life experiences, and foster a strong sense of belonging; and

WHEREAS, thousands of adults in Maine need assistance to qualify for better-paying or more fulfilling jobs, to achieve a post-secondary education, or to improve their English language skills; and

WHEREAS, success in these endeavors leads to these adults becoming more effective family members, citizens, and workers; and

WHEREAS, Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) are the primary providers of community-based long-term support services for thousands of individuals with disabilities in Maine; and

WHEREAS, DSPs are valued for their work in building respectful and trusted relationships with individuals to assist them with their most intimate needs; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all those living in and visiting our state; and

WHEREAS, a sufficient blood supply is a public health issue both locally and nationally, and our hospitals and medical centers need a readily available supply for our residents and visitors; and

WHEREAS, one blood donation can help save more than one life, and although most of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, only about 3 percent actually do; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine is proud to commemorate the 34th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence Day on August 24, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Ukraine has shown resilience, determination, and a steadfast commitment to freedom and democracy throughout its history; and

WHEREAS, it is imperative to recognize the ongoing struggles faced by the people of Ukraine, as Russia has prosecuted a war against Ukraine for over nine years, resulting in immense human suffering, loss of life, and displacement of innocent civilians; and

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

Well, earlier this week, I was proud to sign a proclamation officially commemorating the 90th Anniversary of Social Security in our country. You know, the Social Security Act was based on a simple promise: working people who paid into the program would receive their wages back in the form of retirement benefits. Congress has amended the Social Security Act time and again to honor that promise, including the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act.

For years, I've been proud to stand by your side in calling for Congress to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset —  those laws, which prevented public service employees from receiving their full Social Security benefits — and the need to right this wrong.

For decades, bipartisan members of Maine's Congressional Delegation have pushed strongly to get this legislation across the finish line. Finally, on January 5 of this year, President Biden signed it into law — the law restoring full benefits to about 25,000 public service workers in the State of Maine and their survivors.

One retired state employee named Penny estimated that she and her husband, who was a firefighter, were losing about $1,200 dollars a month in Social Security benefits before the Social Security Fairness Act was passed. It's not fair, and I'm glad that it's finally been fixed.

There are many people like Penny in our state who rely on Social Security for financial stability in their retirement. Maine is the oldest and most rural state in the nation. Nearly 370,000 people in our state collect Social Security benefits of one sort or another. That includes seniors, and people with disabilities, and families who are navigating the loss of a loved one. Many of them are in rural communities: 43 percent of households in Aroostook, 45 percent of households in Washington County, 43 percent of households in Piscataquis, and 35 percent of households in Androscoggin County have someone in the household who's receiving Social Security benefits.

The financial stability of many people in Maine depends on Social Security. But the current administration in Washington, D.C., has created deep uncertainty about its future.

For months, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or "DOGE," was given free reign over sensitive government agencies, including Social Security. They threatened to slash Social Security staff by the thousands, reduce services available over the phone, and close field offices that serve our rural areas.

Adding to that chaos, there have been five different people heading up the Social Security Administration just over the last ten months, including some people who recklessly rolled out and then rolled back administrative changes that left citizens confused and waiting for help.

Maine people frustrated with waiting on the phone might choose to drive for hours to a Social Security office in person, only to wind up waiting in line for hours there anyway. One claims representative recently said that the wait time at her office in Auburn has gone from 16 minutes to an hour and a half.

Older people in Maine should not be afraid of losing their Social Security benefits or be in the dark about changes. They also shouldn't have to worry about their Medicare benefits, but I'll tell you, the reconciliation bill recently passed by Congress and signed by President Trump, creates a huge deficit in the federal budget that may well require across the board cuts in the federal budget, including Medicare, unless Congress acts. It's a completely unnecessary scare that older people relying on Social Security and Medicare shouldn't have to face.

Maine people have earned these benefits. The federal government should stand by its commitment to them.

So, as we reflect on the 90th Anniversary of the Social Security Act – and think about our heroine, Frances Perkins, who helped FDR draft and enact this important measure – I urge the administration in Washington, D.C., to restore stability to the Social Security Administration and to recommit to the promise of Social Security for the everlasting benefit of all Americans.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, disasters and emergencies can strike at any time, posing significant risks to the safety, health, and welfare of all those living in Maine; and

WHEREAS, emergency preparedness in Maine is a coordinated effort among multiple levels of government and non-profit organizations, including the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), County Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs), local emergency managers, and community stakeholders who all work together through a collaborative approach to prioritize preparedness across the state; and

WHEREAS, August 14, 2025, marks the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act, signed into law in 1935, establishing one of the most enduring institutions in American history; and

WHEREAS, Social Security has become the foundation of economic security for generations of Maine people, helping individuals live better, more secure and enjoyable lives in retirement with dignity and independence in their later years; and

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

My grandparents on my mother's side were born and raised in Ashland, up in the County. They raised their three children there, and they lived their entire lives in that small town. They were potato farmers during some of the most difficult times of the last century, during the Great Depression, and at a time when government mandated surpluses drove prices down and many potato farms failed.

I spent nearly all my summers and school vacations in Ashland as a youngster, hanging out with my grandparents. On Sundays after church, we would take a drive up to Portage Lake to fish or swim, or drive up the Realty Road to Garfield Plantation, where the older folks would listen to Guy Lombardo on the car radio and look down at the wide, fertile fields below. So, it was a privilege to be in the County recently, and remember my roots, and march in the parade of the Potato Blossom Festival, and to recognize the people who have continued farming potatoes there, who have made it into a $1.3 billion industry in Maine.

I'm so proud of the work we've done these past six-and-a-half years to sustain and strengthen the industry for these families, and for generations to come. In my first year in office, for instance, with the support of the Legislature, we created a major tax credit to encourage Maine-based food processing facilities to expand and to generate economic growth. This year, again with the support of the Legislature, I was proud to sign into law L.D. 1951, which expands those tax credits for the benefit of several businesses in the County, in particular. This more generous tax incentive program will certainly benefit the McCrum processing facility in Washburn, Maine, which currently employs 145 people.

Our first tax incentive program helped the McCrums hire about 90 more employees based in the State of Maine. Our expanded bill will also benefit the Taste of Maine Potato Chip Company, which is building a new factory at the Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone – the largest economic investment at Loring in more than a decade. When that project is completed in 2026, it is expected to create 100 good-paying jobs. I'm proud to support the continued success of the McCrum family, which represents six generations of potato farmers and other companies and families who are truly the cornerstones of the potato industry in Maine.

While in the County, I was also proud to attend a ribbon cutting on the newly renovated Aroostook Farm in Presque Isle, which is run by the University of Maine. With $3 million in federal funds from my Jobs and Recovery Plan, the university has transformed an old storage facility into an advanced research lab with tools like drones that fly over the farm collecting detailed data. Agriculture students now can better determine which potato varieties are the most resistant to weather, and pests, and disease.

Boy, my grandparents would be excited to learn of the progress being made in the County. The tools we have today are building on the legacy and the labor of our past. The legacy of hard working families like the Flewellings, the McCrums, the Smiths, whose innovation and ingenuity built the potato industry from the ground up. By combining the grit of previous generations with tax incentives and research technology, and the dogged persistence and patience of potato farmers in the county, we're going to make sure that that iconic industry and the families who are at its very heart, will endure for years to come.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.