Dear Editor:

Maine’s history with labor laws goes back before the thirteenth constitutional amendment. In 1636, on an island off the coast Maine fishermen led the first labor dispute and strike. Maine fishermen are still taking the lead in protecting their labor rights and the state’s need for the revenues they generate.

Ending the American Civil War resulted in three constitutional amendments — the first was the 13th amendment in 1864. Not only did this amendment establish that people could not be forced into slave labor, it also established the right to form a labor union. The first affirming court case occurred in 1842, Commonwealth v. Hunt.

The 14th amendment addressed citizenship and equal protection of the laws. It has formed the basis for many landmark decisions such as Roe v. Wade (1973), and Bush v. Gore (2000). The first section includes the Citizenship Clause, Privileges or Immunities Clause, Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause.

The 15th amendment was adopted in 1870 prohibiting the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

All three of these amendments wove the fabric that aided Americans to innovate and develop products that launched us into the industrial era. They became the essential key that unlocked solutions to massive problems that occurred during the Great Depression. I like to think that Maine’s fishermen gave birth to these solutions that were launched in the New Deal in 1933-36 and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 setting national maximum work week hours, overtime, and a minimum wage.

With Maine leading, our country grew in our standard of living, poverty was reduced, and taxpayers were not subsidizing corporate wealth due to inadequate pay. Today other states are leading the way including California, Oregon and Washington with minimum wages at $9, $9.10, and $9.32. These three and four more have made minimum wage the same whether it is tipped or non-tipped employees. There is a solution to inequality and the wage gap — will Maine lead again?

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb