News

Weekly Labor Reader, November 15 2019

jasmine.lestrade
Social share icons

Action Alert: Make Corporations Pay Their Fair Share

 

Big business lobbyists have been pushing legislators to pass regressive taxes and fees that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income people, in order to fund investments in our roads, bridges, and public transportation. The updated numbers from the IRS just came out and MA has seen a surge in residents who make over $1 million!

According to reporting by the Boston Business Journal, not only did members of the millionaires club soar, so did their concentration of our state’s wealth - hitting a total of $66.8 billion in 2017. This is further evidence that our economy is working extremely well for those at the top while low- and middle-income families continue to struggle.

We need major investments in transportation, but we cannot balance our budgets on the backs of working people! Rather than only asking working people to pay more, it is long overdue and absolutely necessary that our elected officials ask corporations to pay their fair share. Large, profitable corporations have continually exploited loopholes, tax breaks, and offshore tax havens to only pay the bare minimum of taxes in our commonwealth.

It’s time for large, profitable corporations pay their fair share! Voice your concern to your elected officials about regressive revenue and voice your support for corporate fair share. Please take 2 minutes to support the campaign, click or copy and paste this link to call or email your legislator: https://raiseupma.cp.bsd.net/co/CorpFairShare
 
 
 
 
The entire Massachusetts AFL-CIO community mourns the loss of Worcester Firefighter, Lieutenant Jason Menard, who died heroically in the line of duty last night, saving residents trapped in a three-family home. One of Lt. Menard's final acts on earth was selflessly saving his crew before he became trapped. We send our deepest condolences and prayers to Lt. Menard's family, especially his wife, Tina and their three young children. Our hearts go out to the Worcester Firefighters and members of Ladder 5 who must continue to bravely fight for our safety even as this tragedy weighs so heavily on their hearts.
 
– Steven A. Tolman, President MA AFL-CIO
 

For wake and funeral service information, click here.

For information about how to give to the Menard family during this time of tragedy, click here.

Verdict stresses importance of adequate worker safety measures   

   

   

           

 

       

 

       

Construction worker Steven Smith searches for the hook atop a steel road plate so he can connect the hooked shackle-tether he is holding, to hoist a road plate up so officials might be able to reach two trapped workers in a watery trench collapse drama. Staff photo by Mark Garfinkel

       

 
 
"According to the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH), 69 workers in Massachusetts died of documented occupational injuries or disease sustained on the job in 2018, that last full year of available statistics.

Last Thursday, the judicial system did the right thing, convicting a drain pipe company owner of manslaughter in connection with the tragic drowning of two workers in a South End trench collapse in 2016.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Mitchell Kaplan found Kevin Otto, 45, of Blackstone, and his company, Atlantic Drain Service, guilty of two counts each of manslaughter and one count of witness intimidation in the work-site cave-in that killed Kelvin “Chuck” Mattocks, a 53-year-old Brockton father of six, and 47-year-old Robert Higgins of Warren, R.I. Mattocks and Higgins were killed on Oct. 21, 2016, when underground materials supporting a hydrant in the allegedly unshored hole they were digging below Dartmouth Street gave way, partially burying the men up to their waists. A fire hydrant collapsed into the hole, flooding the trench within seconds."
 
 

 

 


The Annual AFL-CIO Scholarship and Labor Education Program is in its 62nd year. Through the program, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and affiliated unions are proud to award financial resources to high school students pursuing trade union programs or college/university study. ­The Massachusetts AFL-CIO administers half a million dollars of scholarship awards on behalf of unions and labor councils throughout the state. Individual awards range from $500 to $16,000. All high school seniors in Massachusetts are eligible to compete for an award.

Applications must be received by December 20th at 5pm. The exam will be administered on February 10,2020.

To learn more and apply, click here:

 
 

Congratulations To Our Newly Elected Union Members and Endorsed Candidates!

 
 

This election season saw a surge of union member and pro-working family candidates for municipal office. The Massachusetts Central Labor Councils and Assemblies endorsed in many races to help create a government where working people have a voice.

To learn more about jumping into the political process and to continue the momentum heading into 2020, join our first ever union member candidate school this December 7th.

Read the Huffington Post article, Unions Are Pushing Members To Run For Office ― And It’s Paying Off.

To see the National AFL-CIO's new platform for union member candidates, click here.

Thank you for voting and participating in our democracy!

Action Alert: Preserve Maternity Care at Tobey Hospital

 
 
Sign the Petition to Preserve Maternity Services at Tobey Hospital
 

“It’s our hope that Southcoast will take these findings seriously and will opt to keep the unit open and intact,” added Sharon Miksch, a Tobey RN and chairperson of the Massachusetts Nurses Association bargaining unit at the hospital. “It’s an irreplaceable service, and instead of closing it Southcoast should showcase it as a model for other hospitals.”

The Tobey maternity unit is essential to the community, welcoming nearly 400 new babies annually. It has some of the best birth outcomes in the state of Massachusetts due to its low intervention philosophy and approach and it provides moms, babies, and families with exceptional, unique care that is built around the “Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative,” which emphasizes rooming in, immediate skin-to-skin contact, and supporting a mother's personal feeding choice with education and instruction. Sign the petition now!

National Apprenticeship Week

Speak up for Registered Apprenticeship programs during Registered Apprenticeship Week.
 
 
EVERY Building Trades apprentice is registered with either U.S. Department of Labor or State Apprenticeship Agencies.
 
That's why 87 percent of apprentices in MA are in unions. Union training programs have the budget, the capabilities and the history to make sure each of our apprentices meet state and federal standards.
 
Programs like IRAPs want to water-down these standards and threaten to undermine the protections and regulations we fight to uphold. Tweet and update your Facebook with the hashtag #SaveApprenticeshipWeek.

Massachusetts Teachers in Action!

 

 

 

 

 
This week teachers in Swampscott protested the suspension of their president. The Swampscott teachers believe their president is being targeted for her work as a union leader during difficult contract negotiations. Read more on Facebook here and Patch news coverage here.
 
Earlier this week, teachers in Gloucester came out to spread the word about their fight for a fair contract. Stay up to date on their open bargaining here.
 
 

Newton teachers stood out this week to build pressure around their contract fight.

 

Teachers in Salem are organizing for the #SalemStudentsDeserve by organizing community forums and actions. Learn more here.
 
Lexington Education Association members braved cold temperatures on Tuesday to stand with their union brothers and sisters in the Lexington DPW, AFSCME Council 93. The DPW workers are fighting for a fair contract and received powerful support from their fellow public sector union members: Lexington teachers and firefighters.
 
Greenfield teachers rallied on election day, against the city's failure to implement a new contract with classroom paraprofessionals.

Stay up to date with these struggles and more by following the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts on Facebook.

As gig economy expands into temporary staffing, worker protections retreat

 

 

 

 

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has reached what her office is hailing as a landmark settlement with a Boston gig economy company: As of Jan. 1, health care workers who use the digital platform Stynt to find shifts will become employees instead of independent contractors — an agreement Healey believes could serve as a model as gig opportunities expand in a more professional direction.

But it could also stifle some of this flexibility — and potentially drive employers out of business, gig economy advocates say.

So far, the debate over gig work has largely been focused on the employment status of those in lower-skilled jobs: driving passengers, delivering packages, and shopping for groceries. But the gig economy is multiplying rapidly, infiltrating the realm of staffing agencies and placing all kinds of workers — from cooks and cleaners to nurses and financial analysts — in temporary jobs.

 

Battery Wharf Strike Solidarity Visit with Senator Nina Tuner

 

 

 

 

This Saturday at 10 AM, Senator Nina Turner will be joining Battery Wharf Hotel Strikers on the picket line. They have been on strike for ten weeks and we are still prepared to stay out as long as it takes to win affordable health care, job security, and sexual harassment protections like every other union hotel worker in Boston!
 
 
UNITE HERE Local 26 has been negotiating with the Battery Wharf Hotel since March 2018. The hotel owners are set on taking away all that members need: the right to a fair schedule, job security, affordable family healthcare, yearly wage increases, and a pension. With no choice but to take action, on September 5th, 75 workers went on strike.

The Battery Wharf has not agreed to language protecting women from sexual harassment and assault. They refuse to include standard immigration language that upholds the security and safety of immigrant union members. And finally, they refuse to keep language in the hotel contract that seeks to correct the historical discrimination of African-American workers in the hotel industry.
 
 
 

           

 

 

 

 

 

Harvard Graduate Students Are Preparing to Strike

 
For the last 18 months the university with the largest endowment in the world, Harvard University, has been refusing to budge with its graduate employees, represented by UAW, over critical issues like fair pay, expanded health care and protections against discrimination and harassment.  That’s why the Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU-UAW) voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, which will happen on December 3 unless an agreement is reached.
 
 
Click here to read more from Harvard Magazine and stayed tuned for how to support these workers!
 

Hear Ye! The Freedom Trail’s Tour Guides Have Had Enough

 
Would you want a sick tour guide taking you through the exciting history of Boston? Of course not! That's why the Freedom Trail Foundation Tour Guides have formed a union with UNITE HERE Local 26 and they are now fighting for their first union contract.
 
 

Click here to follow the Freedom Trail tour guides on Twitter.

 
 

Support Teamsters Local 25 on Strike Against Republic

Truck drivers and trash collectors for Republic Services in Marshfield, members of Teamsters Local 25, have been on strike since 1:00 a.m. Thursday, August 29. They are demanding adequate and affordable healthcare, comparable pay to other Republic Services drivers in towns as close as Quincy, and a union contract. Since the strike began, the Teamsters Local 25 members have walked the picket lines 24 hours a day, with solidarity from local unions and residents.
 
Please add your support to the picket line. Members of Teamsters Local 25 and their allies are picketing at the Marshfield location (965 Plain Street) 24/7 until a deal is reached. Join fellow union and community members and show solidarity on the picket line! Follow Teamsters 25 on Facebook or Twitter for frequent updates.

 

 

 

 

Massachusetts AFL-CIO Young Workers Movement



The Young Workers Movement meets monthly to share strategies for young organizers, activists, and leaders in engaging their peers to build strength in the workplace and tackle the issues facing young workers today. Young leaders support each other in taking on more responsibility in their workplace, creating groups and initiatives within their union, and building up organizing skills.

Any young worker interested in learning more about the labor movement or their place in it is encouraged to attend. Click here for the latest updates on Facebook.

The next meeting will be November 19th, from 4:30-6:30, location TBD. Food and drink provided. Questions? email Brian Dunn at bdunn@massaflcio.org.

 

 
 
 

 

 
 
                                   

Get A Degree In Labor Studies From UMass Boston

The Labor Studies Major/Minor prepares students to understand the big issues facing society – growing inequality, low wages, discrimination, violence, etc. – while providing students with the practical and analytical skills necessary for not only finding jobs of their own but also advancing social and economic justice. The interdisciplinary program examines the diversity of work and working-class experience, the changing nature of the workplace, and the past, present, and future of labor organizations, social movements, and conflicts.

  •  

    How do changes in the global economy affect work, the lives of working people, and the capacity of workers to effectively organize around the world?

  •  

    How and why have workers’ rights changed across time and place? What is the relationship between workers’ rights and human rights?

  •  

    What opportunities and challenges do workers face as the composition of the labor force changes in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, and nationality?

  •  

    What are effective methods of organizing by unions, labor organizations, and working people?
     
    Details of the requirements for the major and minor and contact info can be found at www.umb.edu/lrc.
                               
               
               

               
               

Job Opportunity with MassCOSH                

               

                                                       

               
The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) and The Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplaceand (CPH-NEW) seek up to four (4) Trainers for a series of opioid-awareness trainings that will be offered as part of the Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) refresher courses in January and February 2020. The training participants are workers in Massachusetts’ sand, stone, and gravel mining sector.
 
Learn more here.


   

   

   

Building Trades Union Career Fair

 

   

Please join representatives from our Local Unions to learn about family- supporting career opportunities in the union construction industry.

       

 
 

Almost Full: Register NOW for Union Member Candidate School


With just a few weeks to go, there are only a handful of spots left for union member candidate school. Reserve yours before it's too late.

Support for union members running for elected office is a top priority for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and our affiliates. We know that when our members run on a platform of working people’s values and receive unified support from the labor movement, we will win. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO and its Executive Board are establishing a union candidate school to train our members to run for elected office from the local/municipal level all the way up to statewide/federal office.
 
Our first session will be held on Saturday December 7th, 9am-2pm. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. The training will be free of charge and participants will be given materials to use as a reference for campaign purposes.
 

Learn more and register here.

 

 

Now-December 2: The Art of Labor, A Labor of Art Exhibit, Cambridge College
November 15: The Northeast Undergraduate Worker Convention, Amherst
November 16: Battery Wharf Strike Solidarity Visit with Senator Nina Turner, Boston
November 17: Patriots Tailgate reception by Friends of Tom McGee, Lynn

November 18: Black, Red, and Queer: History of the LGBTQ Labor Movement 1934-1994” with professor Gerry Scoppettuolo, Cambridge
November 20: Building Trades Union Career Fair, Boston
December 6: The Labor Guild CGA Awards Dinner
December 7: Union Member Candidate School, Boston
 

For a full list of events, visit the calendar on our website. If you have any events that you would like to be included, contact Rachael Running at rrunning@massaflcio.org

@THE_PFFM: #OurPFFM members from #Worcester continue to protect their community from another multiple alarm fire only hours after losing our Brother LT Jason Menard. #LODD @WorcesterFD1009 @IAFFNewsDesk

@SEIU Our democracy works best when everyone can fully participate, no matter who they are or what their race or color. That’s why we’re calling on Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by passing #HR4 – the Voting Rights Advancement Act. #RestoreTheVOTE