AUGUSTA — A small group gathered at the Department of Labor this morning to reflect on the struggles of workers.

The event was prompted by Gov. Paul LePage’s decision to remove paintings depicting labor history from the department’s waiting room.

The event also comemorated the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. Participants placed red carnations on a table by a panel depicting a 1937 strike at the Lewiston-Auburn shoe mills.

Carol Sanborn of Dresden, one of 14 adults in the group, said it would be an insult to remove the faces of workers from the Department of Labor.

“Maine is about workers. Workers built Maine. Workers built the companies – the companies LePage is treating as a special interest gourp. It’s not fair to take (workers’) personal experiences out of the picture.”

The group was organized by three women who reached out to their friends through Facebook.
 


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