An Act to Ban Strikebreakers
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0071
Committee: Labor
Sponsors: PINEAU, CATHCART, BLANCHETTE, GERZOFSKY, JENNINGS, NORTON, O'BRIEN, PATRICK, WATSON
Amends: 26 MRSA §595, 26 MRSA §595-A

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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121stMAINE LEGISLATURE 
Legislative Document 
No. 71 
H.P.79 
House of Representatives, January 16, 2003 
An Act to Ban Strikebreakers 
Reference to the Committee on Labor suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative PINEAU of Jay. 
Cosponsored by Senator CATHCART of Penobscot and 
!rl~ 
/J1.1ll~~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: BLANCHETTE of Bangor, GERZOFSKY of Brunswick, JENNINGS of 
Leeds, NORTON of Bangor, O'BRIEN of Lewiston, PATRICK of Rumford, WATSON of 
Bath. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §595, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 558, §l, is 
amended to read: 
§595. 
Deterrence of violence during a labor dispute 
1. 
Legislative findings. 
The Legislature finds that: 
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The presence of persons carrying dangerous weapons near 
sites where 
applications 
for positions with 
an 
employer 
involved in a 
labor dispute are being accepted or where 
interviews of those job applicants are being conducted or 
medical examinations of those applicants are being performed 
creates an unacceptable risk of violence; and 
C. 
The 
public 
safety requires 
the 
regulation of 
these 
practices to reduce the likelihood of violence. 
2. 
Purpose. 
The purpose of this 
potential 
for 
violence 
during 
labor 
certain provocative acts and imposing 
obey this section. 
section is 
disputes 
penalties 
to reduce the 
by 
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5. 
Dangerous weapons prohibited. 
It is a Class D crime for 
any person, including, but not limited to, security guards and 
persons involved in a labor dispute, strike or lockout, to be 
armed with a dangerous weapon, as defined in Title l7-A, section 
2, subsection 9, at a site where applications for employment with 
an employer involved in a labor dispute, strike or lockout are 
being received or where interviews of those job applicants are 
being 
conducted 
or 
where 
medical 
examinations 
of 
those 
job 
applicants are being performed. 
A. 
A person holding a valid permit to carry a concealed 
firearm is not exempt from this subsection. 
B. 
A security guard is exempt from this subsection to the 
extent that federal 
laws or rules required the security 
guard to be armed with a dangerous weapon at such a site. 
C. 
A public law enforcement officer is exempt from this 
sUbsection while on active duty in the public service. 
D. 
A security guard employed by an employer involved in a 
labor dispute, 
strike or lockout may be present at the 
location where applications for employment with the employer 
will be accepted, interviews of those applicants conducted 
or medical examinations of those applicants performed to the 
extent permitted under Title 32, 
chapter 93. 
Nothing in 
this section may be construed to extend or limit in any way 
the 
restrictions 
placed 
upon 
the 
location 
of 
private 
security guards under Title 32, chapter 93. 
Sec. 2. 26 MRSA §595-A is enac ted to read:. 
§595-A. 
Contracts between employers and replacement workers 
If any business operating in this State enters into an 
agreement with individuals or groups of employees by which they 
are to replace lawfully striking employees who regularly perform 
the majority of their work in this State, the agreement must 
provide that when the strike is settled or if the striking 
employees 
offer 
unconditionally 
to 
return 
to 
work, 
those 
replacement workers will not be retained by the business in 
preference to the strikers. 
The replacement workers may be given 
only post-strike rights that do not detract from the claims of 
the striking employees to return to their previous positions. 
Any agreement, written or oral, express or implied, inconsistent 
with this section is not binding to the extent that it differs 
from this section. 
SUMMARY 
This bill repeals the provisions in current law that attempt 
to restrict an employer's 
right to hire 
replacement workers 
during a labor dispute. 
Superior Court Chief Justice Morton A. 
Brody declared those provisions were preempted by the National 
Labor 
Relations 
Act 
in 
1989. 
The bill retains 
only 
those 
provisions that relate directly to deterrence of violence during 
a labor dispute. 
The bill also requires that a contract between an employer 
and replacement workers must provide that when the strike is 
settled or if the employees offer unconditionally to return to 
work the replacement workers will not be retained in preference 
to the strikers.