Cynthia Phinney is the president of the Maine AFL-CIO, a federation of over 200 unions representing 42,000 working people and retirees in Maine.

As we celebrate the many contributions working people have made to our country this Labor Day, it has become abundantly clear that we live in a new Gilded Age run by an oligarchy of extremely wealthy families and corporations.

President Donald Trump, congressional Republicans and their billionaire backers have taken all the brakes off making the rich richer at the expense of the working class. Meanwhile, the costs of housing, health care, higher education, child care and other basic necessities are soaring, putting what we once called a “middle class lifestyle” out of reach for millions more Americans.

The grossly misnamed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed this summer, slashes food assistance for 22.3 million low-income households and cuts nearly $1 trillion in health care funding. It deprives working class people of desperately needed Medicaid coverage and puts our struggling rural hospitals in economic peril.

Studies show that the Medicaid cuts could cause 477,000 health care jobs to be lost in 2026 alone while raising health care costs for everyone, including 179 million people with employment-based insurance. All of the money saved from these cuts is going straight into the pockets of the wealthiest Americans in the form of deficit-ballooning tax cuts.

The deceitfully named Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has axed 67,000 federal public servants who performed critical roles in public education, Medicaid and Medicare, parks and lands, food safety, agriculture, affordable housing, Social Security, public health and health care for veterans. The president’s reckless trade war has harmed businesses, stalled construction projects and caused costs to rise even higher for everyday Americans.

In the coming year, we have an opportunity to put a check on these gross abuses of power by electing a new Congress, Legislature and governor who will work to stop this rapid transfer of wealth from working people to the rich.

As the largest federation of unions in the state, we believe that former Senate President Troy Jackson is the best candidate to lead our state as governor during these trying times.

Troy understands the struggles of working Mainers because he has lived it. As a fifth-generation logger from Allagash, he has put in 80-hour weeks working in the woods, away from his family for long periods of time. He didn’t jump into politics for the power or prestige. He got involved because he wanted to improve the lives of his fellow loggers in the North Woods after years of organizing and fighting against corporate exploitation.

During his 20 years in the Legislature, Troy Jackson has fought for fair wages, safer working conditions, workers’ rights and policies to lower the cost of living. He has been a leader in working to lower the cost of health care, prescription drugs, child care and housing.

Troy believes all people deserve dignity and respect and is a strong supporter of LGBTQ+ rights. He doesn’t believe it is the government’s place to make medical decisions for Maine people, which is why he staunchly supports a woman’s right to choose. Troy sponsored legislation that created our universal free school lunch program to ensure all children learn on full bellies without the stigma of receiving free or reduced lunch.

From Kittery to Madawaska and Calais to Bangor and Lewiston, union workers know and love Troy because he has always been there for them. A proud union member himself, Troy has stood on picket lines throughout the state and urged multinational companies to settle fair contracts with workers.

Troy knows from firsthand experience that the most effective answer to organized greed is organized labor. That’s why he has spent so many years supporting policies to make it easier for workers to exercise their right to form unions.

There’s a reason why he has raised the most small-dollar and individual contributions of any of the Democratic candidates so far — average working people trust Troy to stand up for them.

For decades, American workers have been beaten down and exploited to fatten the bottom line of corporations and their shareholders. Cynical politicians have exploited these anxieties by using racism, sexism and xenophobia to divide the working class.

Troy Jackson has a record of uniting people across ideologies and political affiliations, repeatedly winning his northern Aroostook County Senate District that voted for President Trump by 10 points.

At a time when working class voters are up for grabs for both political parties, Troy can build a working class coalition with the best shot to win the general election. We invite you to join us in supporting a true working class hero for governor.