Meeting raises concern over international trade

PRESQUE ISLE – Manufacturers are leaving Maine to set up shop in foreign countries, wages are being driven down, and Maine farmers can’t get their product over the Canadian border.

Those are just some of the international trade problems locals are facing, according to a small crowd that attended a public hearing held by Maine’s Citizen Trade Policy Commission on Thursday night in Presque Isle.

The nonpartisan group was established by the Legislature in 2004 to assess and monitor the legal and economic impacts of trade agreements on state and local laws, working conditions and the business environment. The 22-member board provides a mechanism for residents and legislators to voice their concerns and recommendations.

About a dozen people attended the public hearing, which was held specifically to gather comments from residents on how international trade agreements are playing out on the local level.

This is the fifth public hearing the policy commission has held since last year. Board members already have gathered comments from residents in Lewiston, Portland, Bangor and Houlton, and plan to continue holding more hearings as they work toward positive solutions, Lewiston state Sen. Margaret Rotundo, co-chair of the commission, said Thursday night.

Rotundo said that while gathering the information in all forms is of utmost importance, it has been the personal stories during the hearings that have been the most compelling.

“This was great tonight,” Rotundo said after the meeting. “The cross-border issues we know exist were very well articulated tonight.”

Ron McPherson, a city councilor who was born and raised on a local farm, said his issue concerned international agricultural trade. McPherson pointed out that it’s perfectly acceptable for Canadian farmers to ship their products to markets in Boston and New York.

“But we couldn’t even get one peeling or a carrot or a broccoli in the other direction,” McPherson said.

“Somewhere along the line, someone has to take the bull by the horns and make this an even playing field,” he said.

Patricia Boucher, executive director of the Workforce Investment Board for Aroostook and Washington counties, spoke about the jobs Maine has lost because of free trade policies.

Boucher said that in the past three years, the two regions have seen five companies leave, displacing 207 workers, because of imports from or shifts in production to foreign countries. Those who choose to stay in Maine are either forced to retrain or, frequently, take a new job with a pay cut and fewer benefits.

“It’s important to recognize our responsibility in helping underdeveloped countries progress,” Boucher said.

She added that the United States needed to balance that with the needs of workers at home.

Robert Reed, a resident who has worked for the local electric company for almost 30 years, pointed out that there are times when even those with solid jobs lose work to foreigners. He said Canadian electrical company workers can come to Maine and easily get contract work as long as they have a visa, but that it doesn’t work the other way around.

Rotundo explained that the comments gathered at the meeting will affect what happens at the federal level. She said the commission has an open dialogue with the Office of the United States Trade Representative and Maine’s congressional delegation. The commission also has statutory authority to introduce legislation, when appropriate, to address the impacts of trade agreements at the state level.

“We will all work together to make things better,” she said.