Bangor was among many communities around the country to hold a “Workers over Billionaires” rally on Labor Day.
Organizers estimate about 200 people came to chant, sing and listen to speakers.
Among the speakers was Dr. Nirav Shah, the former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention who became a household name for Mainers during the COVID-19 pandemic. He oversaw the state’s COVID-19 response before taking a job with the Biden administration in 2023.
Shah said the Trump administration’s decision to fire Susan Monarez after just weeks on the job as director of the U.S. CDC does nothing to improve the overall health of the country.
“In an era of rising threats to public health, whether it's measles, whether its food borne illnesses, whether it's diseases from other parts of the world. Are we healthier now that senior officials from the CDC are no longer at the watchtower? The answer is, no we are not healthier,” Shah said.
Four other senior officials at the CDC resigned following the announcement from the White House.
When addressing the crowd of current and former workers and union members, Shah said he's concerned the recent restrictions on the COVID-19 vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would raise the number cases this flu season by limiting access to those at higher risk.
"The ultimate aim here is to keep us clueless," he said. "Democracies don't die in darkness, democracies die without data. Without knowing what's happening, we can't resist, we can't push back."
Shah, who lives in Brunswick but is originally from Wisconsin, floated the idea of running for governor earlier this summer but would not confirm if he’s reached a decision.
While Shah's speech focused on public health issues, the "Workers over Billionaires" rallies are intended to celebrate workers unions on Labor Day while also decrying what protesters called, “anti-union decisions” by the Trump administration.
Multiple organizations took credit for organizing rallies around the country including AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest federation of unions, and the 50501 Movement which played a large role in organizing the "No Kings" protests on President's Day. The Bangor rally was organized by the local chapter of the "Indivisible" movement.
Stephanie Hendrix is a public-school teacher and part of the National Education Association. She told the crowd that teachers are often underpaid and are also now dealing with more politicized classrooms.
“Decisions are being made far from our classrooms, decisions that don’t reflect our reality or the needs of our staff — many of whom are at work at our school buildings in our city today,” Hendrix said.
