Labor unions, grassroots activists fueling Maine protests against ultra-rich takeover

Like a pot boiling over, more than 10,000 Mainers took to the streets last weekend to protest the dismantling of the federal government by President Donald Trump and billionaire advisor Elon Musk. But that day of mass action was fueled by weeks of local demonstrations that have united a diverse coalition of people who say they are energized to take a stand.

Many of these community events have been organized by local activists who are raising alarm at the growing threats to Social Security and other programs that are being dismantled by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Others have been led by local labor unions that are protesting the assault on workers, exemplified by mass firings, dismantling of collective bargaining rights, and efforts to privatize government services. 

The Maine protests echo the national movement to “Fight the Oligarchy” being led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Since March, the progressive duo has traveled to swing districts across the country, drawing historically large crowds to their rallies. At the events, the pair calls out the billionaire take-over of America, galvanizing huge swaths of everyday voters to become “brawlers” for the working class.

Grassroots Maine activists battle against billionaires

In the months since Trump took office, disparate grassroots groups have coalesced into a united movement, holding more than fifteen weekly actions across the state. These efforts led to the sizable “Hands Off” protests, which took place in more than 20 Maine cities and towns on April 5.

Many of the local groups are associated with national organizations including Indivisible, MoveOn and 50501. Despite that, local leaders emphasize a decentralized approach, allowing wide swaths of people to engage in communities closest to their homes.

“The point of having protests all over the place is people can actually get to them, and that resentment and the feelings of protest are everywhere,” said Elizabeth Leonard, who helps organize the weekly Takedown Tesla protest at the electric vehicle charging station in Waterville. “That’s why I want to keep organizing here.”

When Leonard, a retired Colby College history professor, started leading the Tuesday actions in February, only about 10-12 people showed up. Now, more than 50 people regularly attend, which she attributes to word-of-mouth organizing within local churches, colleges and community newsletters, as well as utilizing alternative social media sites like Bluesky.

Leonard said a lot of people are attracted to the action because Musk has blessed them with “a very possible goal” of pushing Tesla’s stock price down, which they hope will reduce the CEO’s influence over American democracy.

“We can chip away at Musk’s credibility as this genius and great businessman who is going to save the country,” Leonard said. “If he can’t hold his company together, then it’s likely he is going to trash the country like he is trashing Tesla.”

Many of the other local protests are similarly focused on the outsized power that Musk, Trump and other wealthy individuals have on the U.S. government.

However, Leonard noted that cuts to Social Security and other programs that many Mainers rely on will likely draw in others, as evidenced by many of the signs at last week’s mass demonstrations.

“I think the attack on Social Security is going to wake a lot of people up who are still sleeping,” Leonard said. “When their Social Security checks don’t come in, that will affect people across ages.”

Labor unions getting the word out

Unions and workers more broadly have been on the receiving end of many of the Trump administration’s actions, which have sparked informational pickets, labor protests and press conferences in several Maine towns. 

Last month, Trump took direct aim at unions with an executive action that rolled back collective bargaining rights with an executive order banning the agreements at government agencies with “national security interests.”

Local labor leaders say such actions are likely to galvanize workers.

“As history has shown, the labor movement can be an extremely powerful force against repressive regimes and totalitarian governments, which is why Musk and the Trump administration are fixated on taking away our rights and attacking our unions,” AFL-CIO President Matt Schlobohm said. “We will not stand by as our democracy is dismantled.”

On March 20, local postal worker unions participated in a national day of action with rallies in Bangor and Portland to inform people about efforts to privatize the U.S. Postal Service.

“We are out here to tell people hands off the Postal Service,” said Robert Perocchi, president of Bangor Area Local 536 of the American Postal Workers Union, who was among roughly 100 people that gathered outside the Bangor post office. He said such actions are important to educate people about how their lives are shaped by decisions made in Washington, D.C.. 

Since the 1970 Postal Reorganization Act, the USPS has been self-funded, relying on revenue from postage and other sales rather than tax-payer money for their operations, despite contrary claims from Musk and the Trump administration. 

“The USPS is a public service we offer. The Trump administration is looking to sell it off to the rich and privatize it,” Perocchi said, noting that rural areas will be most impacted with the likely closure of smaller post offices. “It’s going to be about profits instead of service.”

Other demonstrations organized by local labor groups have drawn similarly robust support. In mid-March, the Maine State Nurses Association organized a protest against cuts to Medicaid that they said would “deteriorate services in the region.” More than 100 nurses, caregivers and patients gathered outside U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ Portland office to present a $4.1 billion check made out to the “billionaire class” paid for by “working people.” 

The check represented the amount of Maine Medicaid funding that could be at risk if Congress passes Republicans’ tax and spending plan, which would extend the president’s 2017 tax cuts and calls for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the Medicaid and Medicare health programs, to find at least $880 billion in cost savings.

Social Security workers have also organized events to call attention to efforts led by Musk to cut the agency, including plans to reduce phone services, fire staff and close field offices, including in Maine.

“We are greatly concerned that the DOGE team is pressuring the administration to make deep cuts in staff,” Christine Lizotte, a claims specialist and secretary treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1164, said at a recent press event in Hallowell. “That will delay payments, cause more errors and could even crash the whole system within months.”

Schlobohm with the Maine AFL-CIO said Maine’s labor movement will continue to lead efforts pushing back on the Trump administration.

“Hundreds of Maine union workers and our allies have taken to the streets to fight against the illegal and unconstitutional attacks on our democratic institutions and public services by billionaire Elon Musk,” Schlobohm said. “We are united in our resolve to protect Social Security, rural health care and nursing homes, the U.S. Postal Service and services for our veterans.”