Maine Nurses Protest Palantir Contract at May Day Press Conference

Press Conference to Spotlight Palantir's Impact on Workers Globally

On Friday, May 1, Maine Medical Center's registered nurses will host a press conference in Portland, urging Maine Health to terminate its partnership with Palantir Technologies. Accompanied by members of the Purge Palantir campaign, the nurses will elucidate why officials from public and healthcare institutions in Maine should discontinue collaborations with the surveillance technology giant. Despite repeated requests, Maine Health has not disclosed specifics about its agreement with Palantir. Previously, in March, nurses and community supporters demonstrated outside Senator Susan Collins’ office, demanding she return contributions from the company.

Event Details:

What: Maine State Nurses Association May Day press conference

Who: Maine Medical Center RNs, Purge Palantir coalition members, community allies

When: Friday, May 1 at 2:00 pm

Where: Western Promenade, Portland (across from 265 Western Prom)

The event will feature opportunities for interviews with spokespersons and provide visuals for photos and videos.

The nurses, part of the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC), are using this May Day press conference with their Purge Palantir campaign partners to emphasize the risks Palantir poses to workers globally.

Palantir, founded by Peter Thiel and headed by Alex Karp, offers data solutions that centralize and organize vast amounts of data collected by the federal government, including Medicaid data. This enables ICE to monitor, track, detain, and deport immigrants. Additionally, Palantir has collaborated with Israel’s Ministry of Defense in its human rights violations against Palestinians.

Nurses oppose the future envisioned by Karp and Palantir. The company’s manifesto outlines its aim to heavily militarize U.S. society, while the government has already reduced healthcare funding to support militarized immigration enforcement and international warfare.

Efforts to diminish Palantir’s influence have seen success. Purge Palantir effectively advocated for New York City’s public healthcare agency to end its Palantir contract. Increasing numbers of Congressional members have publicly declined Palantir’s campaign donations, including U.S. representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, Jason Crow, Pat Ryan, and U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper.

May Day is internationally known as a day of resistance to corporate exploitation, harking back to the 1886 Chicago fight for the eight-hour workday. The NNU encourages all workers to avoid shopping or attending school and instead participate in creative disruptions. To find a May Day Strong event near you, visit www.mobilize.us/mayday.

The Maine State Nurses Association is part of the National Nurses Organizing Committee, representing 4,000 nurses and other caregivers from Portland to Fort Kent. NNOC is affiliated with National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing labor union for registered nurses in the U.S., with over 225,000 members nationwide.

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