By J.W. Oliver
 |
Damariscotta Oct. 17. (J.W. Oliver photo) |
The new Maine Lobstering Union will enable lobstermen to negotiate better catch prices, union leaders told local lobstermen
at a meeting in Damariscotta Oct. 17.
The union can also effectively represent lobstermen’s interests in Augusta, Jonesport lobsterman and union President Rocky
Alley said.
“The price of lobster influences how much money you spend in your town,” Alley said.
“Your town taxes go up every year, your boat insurance goes up every year, you need a new pickup, your house needs repair,”
he said. “How are you going to pay for it with a cheap lobster?”
The big companies who buy lobster from the co-ops and small dealers along the coast dictate prices to the fishermen, Alley
said.
Last year, the average boat price – the price lobstermen sell their catch at the dock for – was $2.69 per pound, an 18-year
low, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
“But yet they can sell a nice, pound-and-a-half, hardened-up lobster for God knows how much on the market,” Alley said. “We
don’t see that price and we’re not going to see that price until we get the union going.”
The more members the union signs up, the more lobsters it can use to negotiate with the handful of major buyers that
“control the whole industry,” Alley said.
Buyers will have to make a decision, Alley said. “They’re either going to pay us what we feel is a fair price, or we’ll go
on to the next guy that’s willing to pay it.”
The forming of the union, despite “misconceptions” and what leaders call the “scare tactics” of union opponents, does not
mean lobstermen can or will go on strike.
 |
Damariscotta Oct. 17. (J.W. Oliver photo) |
The federal Sherman Antitrust Act makes it illegal for lobstermen to strike, said Joel Pitcher, a Jefferson resident and
former lobsterman who works full-time as the union lobbyist and organizer.
The Maine Lobstering Union, in addition to giving lobstermen leverage to negotiate with buyers, will also give them a voice
in Augusta, Alley said.
The work of the union to change a state law regarding military reservists on the lobster license waiting list “sold me on
the union,” Alley said.
The state requires anyone who wants to obtain a commercial lobster license to participate in its apprentice program for at
least two years to become eligible for a waiting list.
The wait can last for years. The names at the top of the waiting list for Zone D, which includes Bremen, Round Pond and
Waldoboro, have been on the list since 2005.
Apprentices who join the military can remain on the list for up to six years during their service. Apprentices in the
reserves, however, have only a year to renew their waiting-list status.
Alley and his family were not aware of the requirement for reservists. His youngest son joined the reserves during college,
served a 13-month tour in Iraq and returned to find “they wiped his name right off,” Alley said.
“I told Joel at one time, ‘If you can get this changed so it doesn’t affect the other reservists like it did my son, I’ll be
standing right there beside you ’til hell freezes over,’ and I will,” Alley said. “He did exactly what I wanted done.”
Pitcher, with the help of staff attorneys with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, drafted a
bill, lobbied the Legislature and the change “flew through,” Alley said.
The anecdote illustrates the value of the union, Alley said.
The Maine Lobstering Union is organized as Local 207 of The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
The organization has 450,000 members in the U.S. and resources, like lawyers and lobbyists, the lobstermen could not
otherwise afford.
The lobstering union has fought other bills, including a measure to allow draggers to sell by-catch lobsters and another to
allow game wardens to bypass the waiting list and obtain a license after retirement.
Alley had been frustrated in his previous attempts to impact state policy.
“We go to the State House now, man, don’t you think they don’t stand up and pay attention when they see us coming with these
(union) shirts on,” Alley said. “I’m telling you, it’s like throwing a switch. Holy cow! The union’s here. Look out!”
The union unsuccessfully opposed a bill to dramatically boost the annual state marketing budget for lobster, with most of
the $2 million-plus price tag coming from new fees on lobstermen.
With a little more time to organize, “we wouldn’t have allowed that bill to go through,” Alley said.
Alley said they would have fought, “right tooth and nail until the very end, because it’s a waste of money in my eyes and a
lot of fishermen’s.”
“I don’t see how it’s going to help us,” Alley said. “Lobsters have always sold themselves everywhere.” The dealers will
benefit from the campaign at the expense of the lobstermen, he said.
The union did win a small victory. The original bill required lobstermen to bear 75 percent of the cost and lobster dealers
25 percent. The union lobbied for a more even balance, with the final number a 69-31 split.
The ultimate goal of the union is to protect the lobstering way of life, Alley and Pitcher said.
“We have to stand up for ourselves, and this is the only way we’re going to do it, right here,” Alley said.
The union currently has 600 members. Alley places the total number of “active” lobstermen in Maine at 3900 and the number of
license holders at 5640.
Union members pay $52.22 a month every month they have traps in the water. Every zone will send two delegates to a monthly
meeting. The union will also have general membership meetings, where it will decide issues with a vote of all members.
For more information, call Joel Pitcher at 207-380-1883.
