Maine Democrat and U.S. Senate nominee Troy Jackson visited People’s Inclusive Welding (PIW) in South Portland over Labor Day weekend, praising its inclusion-focused training and pledging support for apprenticeship programs, according to WGME’s coverage of the stop.
Labor Day stop and pledges
WGME reported that Jackson toured the hands-on welding facility on Saturday as part of a Labor Day weekend swing to meet working Mainers. “Making people feel included is how we are going to do a lot better across this state and country,” Jackson told the outlet. He added, “Apprenticeship programs like this is something I’ve always supported. I am certainly going to support more money and support into this if I am lucky enough to pull this off,” per WGME.
Owner cites funding concerns tied to ‘inclusive’ name
Shop owner Jo Remillard told WGME, “A lot of funding has been pulled for workforce training, especially because our school has ‘inclusive’ in the name, that can disqualify us from federal funding, and you know, we are creating skilled trades workers who are going to work on Maine’s infrastructure.”
What the handbook says
PIW states its mission is to provide “a safe and supportive environment for underserved and underrepresented communities” to complete welding training and receive workers’ rights education for entry into “a high paying career within the blue collar industry,” according to the school’s materials.
PIW’s handbook describes a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment, and violence, listing “racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, islamophobia, fatphobia, antisemitism, or any other form of discrimination.” The handbook says the policy is “as outlined under Maine Law.” The source article notes that the Maine Human Rights Commission’s list of protected classes does not separately include “fatphobia” or weight as a protected status.
The handbook also states, “Under no circumstances will the police be called or be allowed into the shop space.” It adds that PIW “is committed to anti-racism” and that both “over-expressions and microaggressions will be taken seriously.”
How PIW frames inclusion
On PIW’s website, Remillard writes that being the only “femme” in many workplaces spurred questions about representation in the trades and later becoming “a student of anti-racism” after the murder of George Floyd. Remillard states, “the position I held in my career was given to me through the inequitable advantages and privilege every white person is granted via systemic white supremacy.”
PIW board member Arlo Hennessey, who identifies as “a black trans man with mixed heritage,” states, “I know the trades have a racism and inclusion issue,” asserting that “safe and good paying union jobs are prohibited through gate keeping,” which keeps “otherwise qualified black, indigenous, immigrants, poc, and lgbtqia+ people from ever making it in the door.” Hennessey adds that those who do make it “have to work twice as hard with twice the harassment just to prove themselves.”
Campaign context and scrutiny
Jackson’s visit occurred as he campaigns for the U.S. Senate; the source article states he is running against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and that he has been endorsed by former vice president Kamala Harris.
After becoming Maine Democrats’ U.S. Senate nominee at the party’s July 25 convention—replacing Graham Platner, who withdrew following an allegation of sexual assault he denied—the source article says Jackson has faced scrutiny over a Washington Post report alleging he repeatedly yelled and cursed at fellow lawmakers, including during a 2021 dispute in which he threw a water bottle. The source also references a 1988 assault case in which Jackson has acknowledged punching a man. A police report from the incident states that Jackson’s longtime partner, Lana Pelletier, told an officer Jackson had “pushed her around,” though both now deny that he was violent toward her, according to the source.
The source article also states that Jackson and Pelletier have been reported to be second cousins who share two children.
Legislative record, per the source
According to the source article’s summary of his legislative record, in 2023 Jackson voted for legislation allowing some 16- and 17-year-olds to obtain nonsurgical gender-affirming hormone therapy without parental consent under specified conditions, supported taxpayer funding for transgender surgeries involving minors, and voted against several measures described as intended to protect girls’ sports. The source also states he helped advance legislation that made Maine the first state to decriminalize selling sex. After Sen. Susan Collins reportedly said he had become “essentially a democratic socialist,” the source says Jackson described himself as “working class.”
