From the Mill to the Hill

On one wall of Mike Michaud’s Capitol Hill office, the congressman has several photographs of the Great Northern Paper mill where he used to work. Three days into his first term, the Medway native and three-term congressman took a call from a reporter from The New York Times. She was fishing for a story about the millworker who’d just become a congressman, and asked what he was doing that day. Michaud explained he was hanging up a photo of the paper plant.

“She asked, ‘Why would you want that there?’ Michaud recalls, “as if it was something dirty. I told her that mill is a part of me and who I am. My father worked there 43 years, and my grandfather 40, and it’s part of what makes me unique. It’s there because it reminds me every day of why I got elected to Congress, and the people who sent me to represent them.”

Michaud, 52, is the second of six children, all of whom worked at Great Northern at one time or another. The congressman spent 28 years at the mill, which declared bankruptcy just three days after he was sworn into Congress in 2003. Since he arrived in Washington, he’s carried the soul of a millworker as best he can, from his office art—which also includes his duct-taped old lunchbox from his days at the mill—to, he says, his views on issues of importance to the state and the country.

Bangor Metro talked with Representative Michaud about his unique background, his political journey, and his focus as representative for the largest district east of the Mississippi River.

What did you do at Great Northern?

I started out in the paper room, which I really enjoyed. Then I switched over to the finishing department, because the contract allowed people elected to the Maine Legislature a leave of absence, provided we went back and worked a regular shift. So if I was in Augusta Friday, I’d get a midnight shift, work Friday-Saturday-Sunday at the mill, and then come back down to Augusta. That lasted about two years and then they put it back on shift work. But I ended up working in the finishing department, doing various jobs: wrapping paper, working the core room, cutting the core for the paper machines, and trucking paper, using a flat truck.

How did your time at Great Northern come to an end?

I left for Washington, and three days later Great Northern declared bankruptcy. But I’m still on a schedule at the mill, an employee with an unpaid leave of absence. I was actually going to go back to work during the August recess [in 2003], because I didn’t mind the work and I really missed my coworkers. But if I did that they’d have to lay someone off, so I didn’t bother. I did recently have my forklift license renewed. I went up to Camp Keyes [in Augusta] and got it for another five years. You never know when I might need it [smiles].

So you’ve got something to fall back on?

That’s right. Actually, I used my license in D.C. One day I figured I’d try to get from my apartment over to my office using the tunnel system. It’s 6 a.m., and there’s no one around except security and cleaning folks. I came around a corner, and someone had parked a fork truck across the hallway, and the cleaning lady was trying to get by. The keys were in it, so I jumped on it and moved it out of her way. I wish I had a camera, because the look on her face was priceless. She knew I was a member of Congress because we have membership pins. I started laughing, and I said, “Don’t worry. I’ve only been a member of Congress for two months, but I’ve been driving these things for 28 years. You’re safer with me on the truck then you are with me over in Congress.”

Are you the only member of Congress who literally punched a time clock for 20-plus years?

I’m probably the only member that went from the mill to the Hill, so to speak. Steve Lynch (D-Mass.) was an ironworker. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) was an IBEW [International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers] worker, but they didn’t go directly from the job to Congress. [The three are cochairs of the pro-labor Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus.] There are other members of the freshman class now that at one point in their life were union members.

How does your time in the mill affect how you see your role in Congress?

I look at things differently than my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, quite frankly. When I vote, I look at how issues affect the average working person. A good example is trade deals, which I feel strongly about: My colleagues on the Democratic side are offering trade adjustment assistance [such as training programs for workers who lose jobs because of trade]. Well, that’s fine and good, but people want their jobs. And the reality is, particularly in Maine, what are you going to train for? If you look at where I grew up, you’ve got Sherman Lumber Company, closed. You move 30 miles south, you had the mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket, shut down. You move another 30 miles south, you had Lincoln Pulp and Paper, and they were in Chapter 11 at the time [though the mill is running again]. You move another 30 miles south, you had the Georgia Pacific mill in Old Town, which is shut down now, and you move another 30 miles, you had the Eastern Fine Paper mill, which is shut down. You had a real stretch where it was hit dramatically pretty much by unfair trade deals. What are you going to train people for in that area? Don’t get me wrong, training money is important and I support it, but we have to get at the crux of the problem, which is the unfairness of these trade deals.

How do you balance your role, between being a representative of Maine and doing what’s best for the country?

What’s good for Maine is good for the country. Maine is very similar to a lot of states. We’re a rural state, we’re a state with concerns—jobs, the economy, health care—that are the same as other states. We’re the oldest state per capita, and we have to make sure that we look at the ruralness of our state, on everything from health care to transportation to taking care of our veterans. I try to take whatever we’re dealing with at the federal level and make it applicable to rural Maine, make sure it’d work here.

You came from an unconventional background to be a member of the House. Were you a “political animal”?

No, no, no. If you asked me in high school if I was ever going to run for office, I’d have said you were crazy. I had no interest at all in doing that. I got started because where I grew up in Medway, there’s a little cove on the Penobscot that was filled with sludge from the very mill I worked at. I decided, rather than sit back and complain about it, to run for the legislature. I was only 23 years old at the time, and I didn’t expect to be there as long as I was. I knew there had to be a balance between economic development, jobs and the economy, and environmental regulations, and it’s just grown from that.

Is there a part of you—the little kid from Medway—that still finds it amazing that you’re a member of Congress?

Absolutely. Every day I walk to work. I live on the Hill, and I’m just amazed that I am there. When I look at my colleagues in Congress, they’re attorneys, they’re multimillionaires. They definitely come from a different background than what I came from. I have to remember who put me there and why I’m there, which is why I brought my lunch bucket and hung those pictures. But it is amazing.

What issues do you focus on in Washington?

I focus on trade, economic development, and veterans issues, among other things. This year, I’m trying to get the Northern Border Economic Development Commission bill passed. It would funnel $40 million on an ongoing basis to help rural Maine and similar areas in New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. We’re hoping to get it on the floor before the summer recess. It focuses on forestry, manufacturing, and natural resources-based industry. It’s flexible, not narrow like a lot of programs. It takes into consideration that in the 2nd District, there are pockets of poorer regions. A lot of times when you look for federal funding, you need state or local funds to match, and these poorer regions cannot come up with matching funds. Under this legislation, you can use federal dollars to match federal dollars. I think that will allow those regions to better compete for funds. I’m very pleased with the legislation and very excited to get it on the president’s desk.

What about trade deals? You often point to that as an issue for Maine.

Unfair trade deals are the crux of the problem, and affect Maine’s economy dramatically. Over the last six years, we’ve lost over 23% of our manufacturing base, almost all because of trade deals. We’ve lost more than 3 million jobs nationwide, and right now, we have the largest trade deficit in our history. It’s over $750 billion, and more than $232 billion with China. When you take the trade deficit and combine that with the largest budget deficit in our history, the debt load has increased to $9 trillion. Almost half of that debt is owned by foreigners, China being one of them. We’re heading for a perfect storm. We really have to start focusing on bringing both of those numbers down if we’re going to maintain our superpower status as a nation.

I’d also like to address the fact that when you are unemployed, your unemployment benefits are taxed. It shouldn’t be. That’s one area where we definitely ought to give a tax break. But the other problem that we faced, at Great Northern and other mills, is whether you change the way we treat pensions. Most companies have gone to 401(k)s, and when you’re laid off, you’re trying to get back to work, but at the same time, you’re dipping into your savings. And a lot of people up in my neck of the woods and in other regions that have been hit hard have been dipping into their 401(k). There’s a penalty when you dip into your 401(k), and I think, particularly when you’re affected because of trade, there should not be that penalty. I’ll be talking to my colleagues about these things as we look at the whole trade debate.

Some of your views seem in line with traditional Democrat positions, but others don’t. Where do you see yourself on the political spectrum?

I tend to shy away from labels, because I really don’t agree with the labels. If I have to describe myself, I’d describe myself as someone who represents the people of the 2nd District. When you look at Mainers, they tend to be fiscally responsible individuals, and I would say that I’m fiscally responsible. I’m a member of the Blue Dog Caucus [a group often labeled as conservative Democrats], and our primary goal is to make sure that we hold both Democrats and Republicans accountable when you deal with budgets. If you’re going to spend on programs or cut taxes, you’ve got to pay for them. That’s extremely important. We need to bring our financial house in order. I can remember growing up in a large family; my dad made good money and they provided for us, but I can remember Mom trying to make ends meet and live within the budget.

You travel home just about every weekend. Why is that?

As soon as we’re done voting, I’m back in the district as soon as I can, just getting around different parts of the district talking to folks, meeting with them. I don’t want to lose that down-to-earth type of feeling people have in Maine by spending all my time in Washington.

What do you look forward to when you’re coming home?

Seeing what’s on people’s minds, and being able to help them. One of the things that’s definitely rewarding is that people feel comfortable talking to me about issues, and they’re not afraid to let me know how they feel about things. Sometimes if I have a free moment in Washington, I just pick up the phone and randomly call folks in the district. It’s funny, because sometimes they don’t believe it’s me. But they’ll tell me what they think.

What else do you do in your free time?

Sleep [laughs]. What free time I have—I bought my grandmother’s house [in East Millinocket] a few years ago—and I’ve been renovating that. I’m almost done.

What kind of projects are you working on?

I totally remodeled it. Stripped her right down to nothing but the studs and started from the ground up. The house is right in town, and it was built in 1905. It’s an old house, and the work’s enjoyable. I’ve always liked working in the yard, mowing the lawn, doing the garden work, trees.

Do you get a chance to fish?

No. I haven’t fished in a long time. I always loved going fishing. We had Salmon Stream near us growing up, and I remember my older brother would have to take me fishing with him and his buddy. I had to lug all the food and the fishing gear, being the youngest one there. But it was always enjoyable.

A member of your staff told me that out of 19 people in your office, you still work the hardest. Are you a workaholic?

The staff thinks so [laughs]. When we had our first retreat, our facilitator did tell me that when talking to the staff individually, they made comments that even though they really enjoyed working with me and I didn’t push them too hard, they felt they had to do more just to keep up with me.

What’s your typical day like in Washington?

I usually get up between 4:30 and 5 a.m., and get to work over at the office. It’s usually quiet that time of morning and you’re able to get a lot done. It’s similar to home, when I was in the Maine Legislature: I’d get up at 4:30, get over to the gym at quarter of five, work out, and then would eat breakfast over at the State House. I work pretty long hours.

How have you changed since going to Washington?

I’ve gotten grayer. I don’t think there has been much change other than the fact that when I look at issues, I have to take into consideration the diversity of us as a nation. Dealing with foreign policy in different areas has broadened my viewpoint and how I look at different issues, and how what we do here in this country might affect other countries. But as far as how I have changed as an individual, I don’t think I have. The fact of the matter is, I’m pretty much the same person. My staff even lets me drive my car every now and then [laughs].

How long do you see yourself in Congress, and what do you see yourself doing afterwards?

I really haven’t focused on that. I love what I’m doing now. I never planned on running for anything. I did. I spent 22 years in the State legislature. When I ran for the state senate, I never envisioned running for president, but I did. Likewise, when term limits brought an end to my time in the Senate, I planned on going right back to the mill. I never planned on running for Congress, even though some of my colleagues—[Oxford County Senator] Bruce Bryant and [Secretary of State] Matt Dunlap [of Old Town]—kept asking me to. I started coming up with reasons why I shouldn’t: no college degree, not that much money, I’m not an attorney. But then I figured, why not? I figured I could have a greater impact at the federal level.

What did you find inside yourself that made you a good politician?

Being able to connect with people and never forget where you came from. That’s one of the things when you look at that [2002] primary, with the six of us in one primary. I was motivated by going to the mill gate early in the morning, and seeing all these hardworking men and women, with families, struggle to make ends meet. I realized that, compared to the other candidates, I’d be able to represent them, and really fight for them. During that primary, the fact that I received 60, 70, 80 percent of the vote in the mill towns definitely spoke volumes as far as the working people really wanting one of their own in Congress to represent them. That’s the driving force for me.