United We Stand T-Shirt, 1987. Courtesy of the Maine Paper and Heritage Museum.
United We Stand T-Shirt, 1987. Courtesy of the Maine Paper and Heritage Museum.
Union organizers stressed the "United We Stand" refrain. Peter Kellman, one of the local union leaders, reflected on lessons learned by comparing recent strikes elsewhere in Maine to their own situation. He noted, "Rumford stood alone and we watched, Bucksport stood alone and we watched. Today we stand together with four other mills ... [in] Wisconsin, Mississippi, Alabama, and Pennsylvania. If International Paper won't bargain in good faith with us, we will all go out... Next time Bucksport and Rumford will not stand alone."