Tag Archives: Maine Lobster Union
Maine Lobster Union Points the Way for Organizing Gig Economy Workers
Lobstering is an inherently individualistic pursuit. Most boats are crewed by just two or three people, and some captains go it alone. They leave harbor before dawn, spend the day hauling traps up from the seafloor, then motor back to the dock to sell the creatures for the best price they can get. It’s hard work that draws rugged, self-reliant people, in other words, not your typical union members. That’s what makes Local 207, the only lobstering union in the US so unusual. The decade-old group in Maine represents about 200 lobstermen. The union more often referred to as “Lobster 207”, got its start after a crash in prices 10 years ago. >Video, click to read< 11:05
Iconic sardine carrier Pauline to be restored for group’s educational mission
Built in Thomaston in 1948, the “pretty Pauline” was the queen of the fleet, carrying sardines from the coves of Vinalhaven and the waters around remote offshore islands at the mouth of Penobscot Bay such as Wooden Ball and Seal to the North Lubec Canning Co.’s plant in Rockland. For the past decade or so, the boat has sat unused alongside the breakwater at the Billings Diesel & Marine shipyard in Stonington. Harlan Billings, late owner of the shipyard, kept Pauline afloat and the yard did some work on the boat’s hull to keep it tight. A few years ago, he donated the boat to OceansWide Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Newcastle that, among other educational projects, has organized the Traps to Treasure program in Gouldsboro. >click to read< 15:23
Lobster union fires co-op CEO
The Maine Lobster Union, Lobster 207, has fired longtime lobster dealer Warren Pettegrow as chief executive officer of its wholesale lobster co-op.
The firing was announced in an April 13 letter,,, According to the letter, Pettegrow’s employment as chief executive officer was “terminated” after “an internal investigation prompted by red flags reported by the company’s auditing team.” Reached for comment, Pettegrow emailed the following statement: “Lobster 207 circulated an announcement on April 13 that contains numerous false and defamatory statements about me and my conduct and loyalty to the lobstermen that I have worked with for many years. >click to read<
