Published: October 6, 2025
The town of Jay, Maine holds a proud place in history. It is the site of the 1987-1988 International Paper Strike at the Androscoggin Mill, and the home of the Western Maine Labor Council’s Local 14 Solidarity Center Union Hall. This hall represents the solidarity that lasted well after the year-long strike, still a symbol of the love, strength, and loyalty for many in the town over the past 37 years. On September 27th, the Scontras Center for Labor and Community Education held an event in partnership with the Western Maine Labor Council (WMLC) commemorating the strike and the workers’ community. Speakers included several Scontras Center employees: director Matthew Emmick, labor historian, author, and ’87 strike leader Peter Kellman, and Scontras Center worker and president of the WMLC Linda Deane. Also speaking was Andrea Kantowitz, the original mural artist for the hall and witness during the strike, and Janna Ahrndt, a professor of art at USM.
Arriving Saturday morning, participants were greeted with coffee and baked goods provided by organizers. Those attending included USM students, AFL-CIO members, and the remaining Local 14 Union Hall members that participated in the strike. After introductions, speakers took turns discussing their roles in the strike and the broader context, calling on the original striking workers in attendance to add their personal insight. The recurring theme in each speaker’s story was the true feeling of solidarity that permeated the very walls – figuratively and literally. The strike was notable for the lack of outside influence, with Peter Kellman drawing on his experience in the civil rights movement to inform the strike’s methods and direction. Also notable was the hall’s place in the movement: as the site of much of the mutual aid given to sustain the striking workers in need (such as food, shelter, clothing, and a place to gather), it inspired a sense of pride and community still apparent to this day.
Purchased by the WMLC in 2023 after a push led by Linda Deane, the building is now the primary hall for the organization, with the now-indoors mural and other pieces of art representing the reverberating impact the striking workers went on to have across the region. Andrea Kantowitz, the mural’s original artist, spoke about the power of public art like murals and their role in social movements – art was her opportunity to get involved with the strike, as she observed events and eventually painted the mural that commemorated the workers supporting each other. Having been featured prominently outside, the mural was recently brought inside the building and was restored and mounted indoors for preservation. Kantowitz described her career’s journey after this experience, drawn to public art and art education rather than pursuing a place in more “formal,” “professional,” or “exclusive” art spaces.
Portraying the striking workers hand-in-hand and surrounding depictions of mutual aid during the strike, the mural’s message is clear: this was a moment in the town’s history that forged incredibly strong bonds between these workers. The Local 14 Solidarity Center Hall remains a landmark for the town and a reminder of these bonds. Though the strike’s demands were not met and the workers were eventually replaced, it is difficult to ever view the strike’s legacy as one of “failure.” Instead, the solidarity that lives on in this hall and its example of art as a part of social movements will continue to live on, inspiring generations of workers ahead to stand with their hands raised alongside their community.
