Adopted by the State Democratic Convention on June 1, 2002
Preamble
The Maine Democratic Party is a party of and for all of the people, inclusive and progressive, seeking opportunity for all, responsibility from all, and community of all. Whether in times of terror and of war or in times of peace and of prosperity, we strive to promote the security of all and the freedom of all. Joined be a history and principles that celebrate the rich diversity of our society and promote the personal, economic, and social growth of all our citizens, we hereby affirm our support for the following principles that guide our platform.
I. WORKING PEOPLE
The Maine Democratic Party is the party of working people. We believe in the right of all people to receive fair compensation for their labor so they are able to feed, house, clothe and nurture themselves and their families adequately. We support the right of workers to engage in collective bargaining, to protect gains made in the past and to improve their status in the future.
The minimum wage should be a living wage. At the very least, we support increasing the federal and state minimum wage above the poverty level and indexing it to the Consumer Price Index.
We also support the following principles affecting Maine workers: 1. Strengthening the federal and state plant closure laws to better protect workers; 2. Providing Maine workers with job training to develop skills that will enable them to grow with their jobs, and with retraining for those who have lost their jobs through export, economic downturn or otherwise; 3. Supporting efforts to make pension systems more responsive to the needs of workers, and supporting restrictions on the use of pension funds by employers for other than intended purposes; 4. Ending discrimination in the workplace based on age, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion or sexual orientation; and 5. Educating on the nature of harassment in the workplace and fighting for stronger enforcement of harassment laws and increased penalties for violation of said laws; and 6. Ending pay discrimination by enforcing laws guaranteeing equal pay for comparable work.
A. WORKERS’ RIGHTS
Maine Democrats seek to eliminate inequalities between the rights of workers and employers. Employers must not be allowed to set up parallel companies to avoid their obligations under union contracts. Employees must be allowed to express their will through successful organizing and bargaining. Employers must be held accountable for upholding labor contracts. We must strengthen the laws that prohibit professional strike breaking and strike-breaking companies; provide unemployment insurance to locked out workers; prevent employers from engaging in tactics intended to incite violence; and pass legislation outlawing the permanent replacement of striking workers.
Taxpayer dollars are not to be spent opposing union organizing activities.
We support the reinstatement of the Clinton Administration Executive Order that disqualifies companies that employ permanent strikebreakers from competing for Federal contracts, and we oppose all efforts to defund enforcement of that Order.
We oppose attempts to legalize company-dominated unions.
We support labor standards legislation, and enforcement of such legislation at the State and Federal levels, to assure a living wage and fringe benefits for workers in publicly funded projects. We strongly oppose all efforts to eliminate, dilute, or defund the federal Davis-Bacon Act, the Service Contract Act, or to interfere with any similar state legislation.
We support improvements in labor law to permit certification of a union upon the agreement of a majority of bargaining unit employees to join. We support the right of workers to organize within their workplace. We also favor expediting the negotiation of first contracts.
We oppose efforts to defund or eliminate the National Labor Relations Board and the Department of Labor.
We oppose allowing legal fees spent to resist organizing to be deducted from taxes as a business expense.
We support the right of part-time and temporary employees to receive the same benefits on a pro-rata basis as are offered to full-time employees.
B. WORKPLACE SAFETY
We support laws with adequate funding that allow workplace health and safety programs to be established and maintained. Such laws should provide for inspections of both public and private work sites. We support the right of employees to refuse to perform duties judged by reasonable people to be a threat to health or safety. We also support restoration of the right to sue in the case of employer negligence.
We support the restoration and expansion of OSHA’s enforcement capabilities and funding. We support increased worker and union involvement in designing and implementing workplace safety programs such as controlling and minimizing the use of toxins in the workplace and in monitoring employer compliance. We support the reinstatement of the OSHA ergonomics regulations.
C. WORKERS’ HEALTH AND WELFARE
We call for the development of affordable and accessible, high quality day care to meet the needs of working families, and federal legislation to provide standards for and assistance with the establishment of day care centers.
We support an equitable workers’ compensation system that embraces the principle of making workers whole following occupational injury; provides access to retraining and/or employment; places strong emphasis on worker safety; provides just access to administrative and legal review; and is supported by a fully balanced and effective Workers’ Compensation Commission. We oppose any reduction in health or disability benefits.
The Family Leave Act should require continuation of health insurance benefits during leave.
We believe workplace drug testing should provide more adequate protection of employee rights while ensuring public safety and employer interests. Workplace education and employee assistance programs, which protect workers’ confidentiality, must be implemented. Treatment and rehabilitation should be the primary means of addressing substance abuse.
D. PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
We are in favor of collective bargaining rights for all public employees, and those employees whose companies receive a majority of their funding from public sources, including binding arbitration on all issues in contract negotiation.
We oppose the contracting out or the privatization of the jobs of public employees, unless contractors performing privatized government services meet or exceed the wage, benefit, and service delivery standards of the public jobs they replace, offer first choice of employment to the public employees so replaced, and accept the obligations of any union contract in effect with the government agency being privatized.
We support full funding of health insurance for retired school employees and retired state employees.
II. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
We believe in a strong economic development policy that provides opportunity for investment and for high quality jobs with good benefits. This economic development must occur in all of Maine and must include both rural and urban citizens.
We support the development and expansion of infrastructure to encourage investment as follows: 1. Transportation links north to south and east to west; 2. Telecommunications and information processing capability; 3. Transportation alternatives – rail, accessible buses and vans, and other multi-modal transportation; 4. Ports to encourage trade of value-added manufactured products; and 5. Necessary air service, especially in rural areas.
We support financial policy targeted at increasing small business access to capital. We support fair and just taxation that ensures businesses pay a fair and proportionate share of the tax burden.
We advocate “growth parks” and other mechanisms to alleviate high unemployment in particular regions of the state and to encourage better land use planning.
We support economic development efforts that preserve and protect the natural resources of Maine and allow for sustainable resource-based industry such as agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
Tourism is central to the economic health of the entire state and should be aggressively promoted.
We support arts and heritage funding to promote literacy, cultural tourism and downtown revitalization.
III. HUMAN POTENTIAL
Maine Democrats believe in the potential of all individuals to contribute to society. We believe that all Maine people have the right to basic necessities, including food, shelter, medical care, and a good education. Public services must focus on securing these rights through eliminating poverty and helping people realize their potential. Such services must be provided in the least restrictive and most cost-effective manner possible. Providers should emphasize the abilities as well as the needs of individuals and families.
A. HEALTH
We support the establishment of a national single-payer health insurance system that guarantees comprehensive health care coverage for all Americans. Coverage for lifelong medical care including: doctor visits; access to specialists; hospitalizations; prescription drugs; mental health treatment; nursing home and long term care; dental and vision services; occupational health services; wellness; preventive and rehabilitation services; and medical supplies and equipment.
We believe in a continuum of home and community-based healthcare options and we affirm our commitment to providing good healthcare for our veterans in all areas of Maine.
Until a universal health care system is in place, we support a “Patients’ Bill of Rights” that includes the right to receive comprehensive coverage by insurance plans regardless of job status, portability, health status, age, gender or geographical location. We also support the right of the patient to choose one’s own doctor and to seek legal recourse.
We support funding research efforts devoted to discovering cures for diseases and disabilities. Such efforts should include stem cell research.
We support continued funding of programs such as the “Fund for a Healthy Maine” to improve the health and well being of the people of Maine.
We will support efforts to assure a safe environment for all people, both within the home and outside the home, and we strongly support the rights of victims. We encourage the continuation and expansion of programs to end Domestic Violence, including the abuse and neglect of minors and the elderly. We also encourage the development of programs, such as peer mediation to end violence within the schools.
B. EDUCATION
We believe that life-long access to education is critical to the well being of our citizens, to our democracy, and to our economy. Life-long education must begin with early childhood programs such as Head Start and Child Development Services that prepare children to learn. We believe that we should be working towards a system that provides free preschool education for all Maine children.
Life-long learning requires a strong public education system in order to provide opportunities for all students throughout the state, including the physically and mentally challenged. We assert that a sense of personal safety and security are a precondition for learning: bullying, harassment, intimidation, and violence must not be tolerated. We urge school districts to acknowledge the problem of bullying within schools and to commit to developing local anti-bullying policies and resources to help teachers and students cope with this issue. We recognize the importance of special education, gifted and talented programs, and multicultural programs and we support the full funding of these programs as mandated by federal and/or state law. We also support increased funding to bring existing schools into compliance with federal and state accessibility mandates.
We recognize the challenge of low college enrollment in Maine and support initiatives that encourage Maine students to pursue higher education, including state funding for the first year of post-high school education.
We support the state university and technical college system and the accessibility and affordability of a full range of programs. We support the efforts of university and technical college administrators to develop a clear policy of admission to, and the transferability of credits among, the various colleges and institutions within the system. We also support increased funding for grants, scholarships and student loans.
We are opposed to defunding of schools based on government-sponsored assessment tests.
We support the coordination of information systems between and among schools and businesses; efforts to promote effective and ongoing employee education and retraining; and initiatives that bolster research and development that identify appropriate uses of available technologies.
We enthusiastically support Maine’s artistic and cultural treasures and public radio and television, and K – 12 arts education.
C. THE PURSUIT of HAPPINESS
Maine Democrats believe that government has the responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in our society and to assure that comprehensive and consistent social support services are delivered effectively to all Maine citizens.
We advocate reform of the welfare system to provide support, including education and training/retraining, affordable child care, child support, family crisis counseling, health care, and transportation access for persons moving toward self-sufficiency. These services should be available regardless of welfare benefit status.
We believe that all family units – traditional and non-traditional, including domestic partnerships – should be entitled to the same rights and benefits as are extended to married couples.
Maine Democrats will work to ensure that all persons have access to safe and affordable housing. We will press for the coordination of programs dealing with housing, health, education, and human services in Maine to confront and eliminate homelessness.
Maine Democrats will advocate for policies that acknowledge the dignity and value of all people. We support the concepts of equal access and reasonable accommodation that will allow for the full participation of all people, regardless of age or disability, in all facets of daily life.
We advocate the passage of legislation to equalize the rights and responsibilities of parents in same-sex families by allowing gay men and lesbians to adopt their partner’s children. We agree with the American Academy of Pediatrics that children who are born to or adopted by one member of a same-sex couple deserve the security of two legally recognized parents.
IV. HUMAN RIGHTS, JUSTICE, GOVERNMENT AND TAXES
A. HUMAN RIGHTS
The Maine Democratic Party declares and affirms its responsibility to promote the full participation of all persons in the full range of human endeavor. We respect the privacy and dignity of all people, and we oppose discrimination against any individual. We hold that government must guarantee basic human rights to all people.
Maine Democrats support the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision and freedom of choice. We support a woman’s right to choose in matters of reproduction and advocate the provision of information and health care services so that responsible choices can be made, regardless of ability to pay.
We continue to support legislation to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in the areas of employment, housing, credit, and public accommodation.
We support full accessibility of employment, education, and health care for people with disabilities. People with disabilities represent a largely untapped potential for positive impact on society.
We are concerned with the protection of individuals’ privacy, including misuse of Social Security Numbers for identification purposes. We urge governmental protection of the right to privacy.
B. JUSTICE
We vigorously condemn the terrorists’ attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001, and support legal, military and civilian law enforcement efforts to apprehend and prosecute foreign and domestic terrorists and thwart further actions. At the same time we believe in the civil liberties of all people and denounce any assault on due process.
Maine Democrats believe government’s most basic duty is to establish law and provide order as the basis of freedom through vigorous law enforcement. To that end, we support community policing and the coordination of local police, state police, federal investigators, and local and federal prosecutors, to promptly arrest, prosecute and sentence the armed criminal.
We recognize the constitutional right of Maine citizens to keep and bear firearms and the important role which firearms have had in Maine’s cultural heritage and hunting tradition. We favor firearm safety and education and urge responsible use of firearms by all.
We oppose the death penalty.
We propose a preventive strategy that attacks the underlying causes of crime, a strategy that includes education, job training and law enforcement. We support well-planned and well-supervised youth programs to provide young people with an alternative to crime. We support rehabilitation services, including substance abuse treatment, job training and education, in correctional facilities. We also support follow-up services and alternative sentencing for non-violent offenders.
C. GOVERNMENT
We support real campaign finance reform to limit the influence of special interests and to equalize the influence of all people. We support efforts to reduce the cost of campaigns, particularly television, radio, and direct mail. Believing that strong party identification helps lessen the campaign expenditures by individual candidates, Maine Democrats support efforts to strengthen political parties.
We support statehood for the District of Columbia and we support self-determination for Puerto Rico.
D. TAXES
We support efforts to reform the State or Federal tax systems to improve their progressive elements. Taxes should be based on a person’s or a corporation’s income and ability to pay.
We support a periodic review of all tax exemptions.
We support the repeal of the estate tax revisions recently approved by Congress.
We seek the right kind of tax relief – tax cuts which are specifically targeted to help those who need them the most; tax cuts which help families save for college, invest in their job skills and lifelong learning, pay for health insurance, affordable childcare, care for the elderly and disabled, and build additional security for retirement.
We oppose any change in the tax code, which would diminish or eliminate the Alternative Minimum Tax.
E. RETIREMENT SECURITY/ SOCIAL SECURITY
Maine Democrats believe in making the strength and solvency of Social Security a major national priority. To that end we support the use of all current and future Social Security surpluses to maintain the future solvency of the program.
We support the adoption of a progressive system of Social Security taxes on all income, both earned and unearned.
We support maintaining the current status of the retirement age.
We oppose privatization of Social Security, as it will be destructive of the financial stability of the system.
We support a similar commitment to both Social Security and the Maine Retirement System.
We support legislation to strengthen protection of workers’ private pension plans.
V. THE ENVIRONMENT
Democrats believe that good jobs and a healthy economy require clean air and water and the wise use of land. Democrats recognize that tourism, recreation, agriculture, commercial fishing, and forestry require renewable resources. Responsible protection of our resources and promotion of Maine’s quality of life offers the greatest opportunity for attracting the businesses and industries needed to assure economic prosperity.
A. WATER RESOURCES
Democrats believe the people of the State of Maine have the right to clean water and safe drinking water. The health of the tourism industry and the jobs it provides are directly linked to clean water.
Democrats support efforts, both State and Federal, to reduce airborne mercury pollution. In-state point sources of pollution should be vigorously remedied. Cleaning up non-point sources such as run-off from streets, parking lots, logging and farms will need to take place over many years and rely on continuous State support. Democrats pledge support for the clean-up of polluted lakes.
Democrats support monitoring of coastal waters to identify and reduce levels of dioxin, mercury and PCBs.
B. AIR RESOURCES
Democrats support efforts to make and keep our air clean. We believe Maine should reduce Maine-generated emissions that contribute to pollution. We urge strict and impartial enforcement of State and federal air quality laws to ensure that all regions of the country and all producers of air pollution are treated equally.
Democrats urge stronger actions by the Federal Government to prevent air pollution from traveling to Maine. We encourage State Government to explore opportunities to reduce our reliance on automobiles, and to stem the increase in vehicular miles traveled, because we realize that automobiles are a significant source of air pollution. We encourage the development and testing of alternative fuel vehicles in Maine. We encourage our legislature and governor to implement legislation requiring manufacturers of pickup trucks and vans not only to meet the same emission standards as passenger cars, but also to meet maximum fuel efficiency standards.
C. LAND RESOURCES
Democrats believe that responsible land use laws help avoid expensive urban sprawl, which wastes land and destroys the economic base of our communities. We know that good land-use planning is a process not an event. Municipal and regional planning must be a continuing process that allows cities and towns to meet ever-changing needs and conditions. We support incentives for cities and towns to adopt and update comprehensive plans continually.
Democrats recognize that the world contains a finite amount of fossil fuels. Eventually, the world must rely on sustainable energy sources. We urge public education programs that explain the importance of conservation and the value of renewable sources of energy. We strongly oppose the use of federally reserved land for the extraction of fossil fuels and other resources.
Democrats support research efforts into safe recycling and disposal of all wastes including nuclear waste. We also support enforcement of environmental regulations and stiff penalties for those who illegally dump waste.
Democrats urge a national returnable container law. We support educational efforts and seek incentives for towns and cities to increase recycling. We urge greater efforts to develop markets for recycled products, especially those manufactured by Maine businesses. We support increased research into substitutes for materials that cannot be recycled.
Maine Democrats oppose any policies that tend to depress agricultural commodity prices to levels below the cost of production. We support policies that aid farmers in managing production to maintain fair prices. We support the labeling of genetically modified foodstuffs.
Forests must be managed and harvested in ways that protect jobs, wildlife, wetlands, biodiversity and natural beauty. Democrats support the forest’s viability for logging, paper and saw mills, and other wood-based industries. The forests should be managed for the long-term economic health of the forest products industry.
Democrats applaud the Maine forest industry for continuing its traditional policies of allowing broad public use of its lands for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, sightseeing and other recreational uses.
Democrats will work to ensure that Maine’s public lands are managed to high multiple use standards.
Democrats also believe that Maine’s public land holdings need to be expanded to protect unique parcels for future generations. We endorse proposals to increase the acquisition of lands with scenic, recreational, or other values by the State and private organizations.
VI. WORLD RELATIONS
The Maine Democratic Party believes that the primary objective of United States foreign policy must always be the security of our people. Our security depends on a strong national defense establishment, on dependable alliances, and increasingly on a stable world community that is working toward freedom, justice, human rights, democracy, and the preservation of our mutual environment.
Our armed forces must have up-to-date equipment, training, and support, and they must be able to counter any direct threat to the United States. At the same time, we must eliminate profligate spending on weapons systems.
Maine Democrats believe that the best hope of avoiding war is through cooperation among nations. To this end we and our NATO allies and other partners must work through the United Nations to end aggression and genocide, using diplomatic and economic means whenever possible.
We regard the spread of democracy and commitment to human rights as essential ingredients of a stable world. As leaders in this movement, we must scrupulously oppose any attempts to undermine or overthrow the legitimate governments of other countries. The human rights records of countries, which receive American aid, should be considered an important factor in determining the continuation or level of that aid.
The United Nations is an essential vehicle for achieving a stable world system.
We support an active American involvement in the quest for Israeli-Palestinian peace and coexistence. American interests are not served by passivity, and active and creative American mediation is essential to end the cycle of violence and resume political negotiations, which are also a vital interest for both peoples.
We support the Mitchell Proposals for confidence building measures between the two sides.
We support a settlement based on mutual recognition of self determination for Israelis and Palestinians, in two states with mutually agreed upon borders.
We support a Marshall Plan in cooperation with the European Union for economic development in the Middle East.
Maine Democrats urge the United States to support reforming the United Nations to reflect changes in the world since its creation in 1945 and to improve the UN’s ability to carry out the collective will of its member nations. Steps must be taken to increase the UN’s ability to act more quickly when crises occur to prevent massive loss of life or displacement of vulnerable populations.
We will insist that the United States pay its agreed-upon share of the operating expenses of those international organizations to which it belongs.
We will actively press for the US to ratify and conscientiously abide by the United Nations convention on human rights to which our government is a signatory.
For Americans to be truly safe today, we must deal forthrightly with non-military threats, such as poverty on a global scale, an ever-expanding world population, recurrent famine in various countries, and the rapidly deteriorating ecology of our planet.
We will advocate that the US work with other nations to halt massive deforestation, extinction of endangered species, depletion of natural resources and food supplies, and practices that tend to reduce the ozone layer, contribute to global warming, or cause acid rain. We must not allow the export or import of environmentally damaging products or dangerous consumer items. We will actively oppose the import of goods produced by processes more damaging to the environment or human health than domestic standards allow.
We urge cooperation with other nations toward stabilization of the world’s population, consistent with human rights standards.
We will continue to support the work of international organizations, which address the spread of AIDS and other devastating diseases.
We will support a reduction of nuclear weapons and a worldwide ban on all chemical and biological weapons and land mines and on facilities for their production.
We will oppose US sales of arms, which are likely to be used in aggression or for the repression of defenseless citizens.
We believe the use of embargoes is rarely effective as a foreign policy tool and is one that runs the risk of causing more harm to the ordinary citizens who are the victims of dictators than to the dictatorial governments themselves. The withholding of medicine and food should never be used as a weapon. Where sanctions have proven ineffective or destructive, we call for them to be lifted.
We believe the following principles must apply worldwide: 1. To support and assist nations and peoples who are striving to establish democratic futures for themselves; 2. To support and assist nations and peoples who are striving to negotiate solutions to long-standing regional disputes or to overcome internal divisions among their various ethnic or other groups; 3. To seek improvement in human rights and to ensure that no goods produced by political prison inmates or other forced labor reach US markets; 4. To support the rights and well-being of minorities and indigenous peoples everywhere and to cooperate with the appropriate international agencies to oppose ethnic persecution and genocide; 5. To accept legitimate political refugees without regard to race, nationality, disability, or ideology, and never force such refugees to return to areas where they could be in danger.
A. INTERNATIONAL TRADE
We support a system of certification to assure that goods and services purchased with public funds are not produced under sweatshop conditions.
In negotiating international trade agreements, the United States government must always work for the protection of human rights, the rights and economic well-being of workers and consumers, and the global environment.
Maine Democrats support the concept of a global trade system that ensures fair commercial dealings among nations and the opportunity for all to participate. The United States must insist that the World Trade Organization (WTO), in its regulations and decision-making, focus primarily on the rights and welfare of working people and consumers, rather than on profits for multi-national corporations, their officers, or their stockholders, and that human rights and the environment always be protected. In particular, the WTO must ban child labor, slave labor, and discrimination and must protect the rights of workers to form or join unions.
In carrying out its work, the World Trade Organization must be open to the public and the press. Advocates for human rights, labor, consumers, and the environment must be party to the proceedings.
The WTO must not be given the power to override provisions of international treaties that deal with human rights, labor rights, or the environment. The parties must agree that they will submit all WTO challenges to the provisions of such treaties to the World Court, and that they will accept the Court’s findings in such cases. Similarly, the WTO must not have the authority to override national, state, or local laws or regulations that are designed to protect the public health or environment within their territory. Any jurisdictional dispute must be decided by the World Court. Penalties for failure to abide by fair trade principles should be commensurate with the magnitude of the offense, with special consideration given to the effect of unfair trading practices upon United States and other workers.
All international trade agreements to which the United States is a party must include these same principles. They must be regularly reviewed and renegotiated to assure that they include the highest standards of human rights, labor rights, environmental protection, and democratic participation. Congress must not relinquish its authority over trade agreements by granting “fast track” negotiating authority to the executive branch.
Nations, which enjoy free access to the US market, must give the US equal access to their markets.
CONCLUSION
We expect Democratic candidates and officials to support and work to implement our platform so it may become the law of the land. We favor strengthening the role of the state party convention.
As Americans we have the responsibility to participate in the life of our state, our nation, our world. We can vote, we can volunteer, and we can give something back. We can serve with a variety of state and local public or private groups. We can join the Peace Corps or we can opt for National Service. We can choose pragmatism over cynicism. We can even choose idealism, and we can practice openness, integrity and independence. We can make a difference!
Source: Maine Democratic Internet web site, November 14, 2002 (Not accessible August 16, 2011)