SEIU 509 Updates

Local 509 Members Head to DC to Take Back the Capitol!

On Monday, December 5th, Local 509 members hit the road to Washington DC to Take Back the Capitol!
We'll be updating live with reports from the team on the ground in Washington as things happen:

9/5 11:00 PM - Julie Pietruszka-Cardoza (DCF) reports - "Today 220 hearty souls from Massachusetts traveled to Washington DC to occupy Washington. Others traveled in their personal vehicles to do the same. Upon arrival in DC we learned that the evening before the police had torn down the tents we were to sleep in for the next few days. Thankfully we were graciously given accommodations by the national Four H club in Maryland. We look forward to tomorrow's events so we can raise our voices to gain the attention and action of Congress."

9/5 10:15 AM - Chris Landry (DOR) sends photos from DC

The Massachusetts delegation in DC

The rally begins to take shape on The Mall in DC

2012 SEIU Scholarships Announced

Fulfill Your College Goals with an SEIU Scholarship

Unions help working families fulfill their dreams in many different ways. At SEIU, this includes yearly college scholarship opportunities.

Through five different scholarship programs, SEIU awards 53 scholarships that enable SEIU members and their children to pursue their educational goals at colleges, universities, labor study programs and technical schools.

Click here to read the details about the different programs that are offered

These scholarships are offered by SEIU nationally. They are not administered by Local 509, and we have no further information beyond what is available at the above link.
Information on the Local 509 Scholarships will be made available in January of 2012.

2011 Holiday Open House

RSVP here, or call 617 924-8509 ext. 0

Stand with the 99%

Following Thursday's March for Good Jobs, SEIU members and other supporters across the country will be showing their solidarity with the Occupy protesters by hanging "We Are the 99%" posters in their homes and offices.

Unite with your union sisters and brothers by printing out a sign for your desk. Download a PDF version of the poster here.

March for Good Jobs, November 17th

99% Poster Action the Following Weekend

It’s clear the Washington politicians just don’t get it. Fixing this economy comes down to one thing: jobs. And with a key budget deadline looming, we need to make our priorities clear.

As human service workers, we know that our programs must be adequately funded to be most effective. Cuts to essential services will leave the most vulnerable members of our society without the support they need.

We need jobs, not cuts - and it’s time to take to the streets and make our voices heard. Join us for a Candlelight March to highlight the need for real investment in good jobs!

March for Good Jobs Thursday, Nov 17 @ 4pm March begins at Dewey Square (across from South Station in Boston)

Thursday, November 17th has been set as a national day of action and we’ll be continuing our fight for quality jobs and public services with a march starting at South Station, join us there and look for our purple shirts and Local 509 banner.

Click here to register for the march

New Alliance Contract Wage Charts

The Wage Charts for the new Alliance Contract are now available, Click here to view them.

SEIU Local 509 Members Take Action & Win First Quality Care Fund!

Last week, the Massachusetts Legislature passed and The Governor signed a Supplemental Budget, which included the creation of the Quality Care Fund.

The Quality Care Fund has been a legislative priority for Local 509 for the last few years, and this budget will see our hard work pay off. This innovative program, which links increased job training to increased wages, will provide a fund of $1million for increased pay for human service workers, who get additional training. Although this wasn't as much money as we wanted, it is a good start, which can be improved on in future years.

With this program in place, turnover would decrease, thus keeping the most experienced caregivers on the job and improving the quality of services in Massachusetts.

Hundreds of Local 509 Members, both state workers and private sector human workers, united to get this passed at the state house. Watch for more information about how your employer can apply for this money.

Stop the Attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

Join SEIU Local 509, MassUniting, and many other groups as we rally to stop potential cuts on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Wednesday, November 9
11am
Wang Theater, Boston
map

Click the image on the left to view it full-sized, or Click here to download the flier

2011 Annual Report Published

Click here to download a copy of the Annual Report

The 2011 Annual Meeting

The 2011 Annual Meeting was a great success. We were joined by SEIU's Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina, as well as a number of elected officials from Springfield to Somerset.

Throughout the day, members participated in a number of group exercises to help determine the direction that SEIU will take out of the 2012 International Convention, a trip to which was won by MassHealth member Valerie Copeland. We were asked to prioritize a number of issues that our members feel strongly about in addition to discussing what role public services should play in a just society

At the end of the day, a series of awards were handed out to members that went above and beyond to organize their coworkers and neighbors over the course of the year's campaigns.

Thanks to all that attended! You can see the photo's from the day here: 2011 Annual Meeting Photos on Flickr

SEIU Local 509 Stands with #OccupyBoston

On Friday, SEIU Local 509's Executive Board voted to stand in solidarity with the #OccupyBoston movement that has been active in Dewey Square. We will be working with them to continue to bring attention to the need to invest in our communities instead of our country's financial institutions.

We invite all members to join us, MassUniting, and #OccupyBoston for Monday's march for good jobs.

(Click image to enlarge)

Bridgewell Workers Honored

Photo by Phil Wachsler (DTA-Malden)

Last week Local 509 members from Bridgewell received the Union Organizing Award from The North Shore Labor Council for their great work in organizing over 700 employees into our union.

Thanks again to the North Shore Labor Council for all of their help in that campaign!

State Worker Contract Ratified Overwhelmingly!

Today, state workers voted overwhelmingly to ratify their contract!

Voting Results:
	Unit 8    3252 - YES    212 - NO    8 - blank		Unit 10    237 - YES    4 - NO

Thanks to all of the poll captains and volunteers who staffed the 26 balloting sites across the state. Your hard work was instrumental in making today's vote a smooth process.

To see the details of the newly ratified settlement, click here to read the Memorandum of Understanding

Pension Reform Bill Introduced in Legislature

On Monday, the details were released for a pension reform bill that was just released by the Ways and Means committee. The bill is entitled "An Act providing for additional pension reform and benefits modernization" and a you can read a summary here.

We will continue to post updates on the bill as more details become available.

Support the Quality Care Fund

Pass the Supplemental Budget

Last week the Governor’s office released the details of a Supplemental Budget, and included in the bill are a number of great victories for human service workers in Massachusetts!

Thanks to the many of you who took action last week and told your legislators to support the Quality Care Fund in the supplemental budget!

However, in order to ensure that the budget passes with the Quality Care Fund in place, we need many more people to contact their representatives and senators and tell them how important this is to human service workers in Massachusetts.

The creation of the Quality Care Fund has been a legislative priority for Local 509 for the last few years, and this budget would see our hard work pay off in a big way for many of our members. This innovative program that links increased job training to increased wages would provide $3.8 million for private sector human service workers that complete job-related training.

With this program in place, turnover would decrease, thus keeping the most experienced caregivers on the job and improving the quality of services in Massachusetts

Very shortly, your legislators will start debating the bill, and we need to make it clear to them that this bill is an important step toward improving services for some of our Commonwealth's most vulnerable citizens.

Click here in order to contact your legislators and let them know that you support passing the budget.

State Contract Ratification Update

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which outlines the changes in the contract is now available for viewing. You can download it here: 2011 MOU

The ratification vote has tentatively been scheduled for Thursday, September 15th. Specific dates and times for the vote will be announced as soon as they have been determined

 

Summer 2011 Issue of 509 News Now Available

Click here to download

Springfield Candidate Forum a Great Success

509 joins 1199SEIU and Neighbor-to-Neighbor to hear from City Council Candidates

Over two hundred SEIU members and community activists packed an auditorium at the Basketball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, July 27th. They were there to hear from candidates running in this year's city council election in Springfield.

Those attending the forum had a chance not only to hear what the candidates had to say, but also to ask them about issues that they felt were important to the city of Springfield. Candidates were asked about keeping jobs in Springfield, improving the city's schools, ending youth violence, and many other pressing issues.

The event was run by a team of great Member Political Organizers (MPOs) from Local 509 and 1199SEIU, including 509 members at Guidewire: Wiliesha West and Kim Rivera (seen above). This team consists of union members who have taken time out of their jobs to hit the streets, knock on doors, and work with their neighbors to build strength in their community.

Eliot Contract Ratified!

On Friday, July 22, workers at Eliot voted to ratify a new contract with the agency!

Great work by all of the bargaining team members, stewards, and workplace leaders who worked hard to get to this point.

For more information about the new contract, contact your steward or field rep.

Springfield Rally to Support NLRB Rule Changes

With the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) holding a public hearing on proposed rule changes in Washington DC, Local 509 members took to the streets to voice their support for the board's proposals. Joined by members of UFCW, MNA, and other community groups, 509 members spoke about how the current rules are outdated and allow management to break the law without adequate punishment.

Currently, the process governing the formation of a union at one's workplace is fraught with delays and loopholes. In an effort to improve this process, the proposals that the NLRB has put forth include:

• Any appeals during the election process would be heard after the election is held. This prevents management from filing frivolous appeals that push union elections from 42 days after filing to an average of 124 days.
• Modernizing the process of providing employee contacts after 44 years of no changes. Currently, employers can submit information by fax or on paper, and there's very little standard for legibility. This change would require a list to be sent via email with full contact information.

While these rules help to level the playing field between unions and employers, there's still a long way to go. Employers continue to face little more than a slap on the wrist for breaking the law, and employees can still be forced to sit through anti-union meetings against their will.

See coverage of our rally here: Channel 22 - Union members hold rally in Springfield

Town Hall Meeting Postponed

To be rescheduled in September

The Congressional Town Hall meeting that was scheduled for July 20th has been postponed because members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the organizers of the event, have to return to Washington for important votes. The rescheduled event will likely be held at some point in September, and we will send out information on the event when we have a specific date and time.

In the meantime, smaller local events will be held around that date:

• On July 20th, we will be joining with other organizations in Boston for a rally focusing on the issue of foreclosures in our communities.
• On July 18th, there will be a rally in Springfield supporting recommendations from the National Labor Relations Board that would make the process of forming a union fairer for workers.

If you are interested in attending either of these events, please contact your Field Rep.

Western Mass Tornado Relief

With many of our union brothers and sisters living in Western Massachusetts, SEIU Local 509 encourages our members statewide to assist in aiding those affected by the recent tornadoes and thunderstorms that hit the region. We would like to thank the many members who have already taken time out of work to assist in the relief efforts.

For those who are located elsewhere in the state, and unable to give their time, here are links to two organizations that are doing good work to assist those impacted by these storms:

• The Pioneer Valley Labor Council's Union Community Fund
• The American Red Cross of Central and Western Massachusetts

509 Members Rally at Eliot

On Friday, June 10, caregivers at Eliot rallied and picketed at five locations throughout eastern and central Massachusetts. Joined by politicians and community allies, we sent a strong message to management at Eliot that we're not going to back down in our fight for a fair and just contract.

Many thanks go out to the 509 members from other chapters and agencies who came together with their union brothers and sisters at Eliot.

Click here for more pictures. Stay tuned for press coverage from the rallies.

MSPCC Members Rally in Holyoke

Joined by community allies and other Local 509 members, employees at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) rallied in front of the agency's Holyoke office to show management that they're not backing down in their fight for a new contract.

After weeks of negotiations, MSPCC continues to threaten our health insurance if we don't make productivity standards. "You have been held to productivity standards that are unattainable," said SEIU Local 509 President Susan Tousignant, addressing the rally. "Management has threatened to take away health insurance benefits by increasing co-pays and has created a toxic work environment."

Click here to send a message to MSPCC CEO Marylou Sudders telling her that you stand with MSPCC workers.

State Mileage Reimbursement Rate Increased

On May 23, SEIU Local 509 reached an agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to increase the private mileage reimbursement rate set forth in the Alliance Contract.

Effective May 22, 2011 the rate will increase from $0.40/mile to $0.45/mile.

You can download a copy of the agreement here:    Mileage Reimbursement -- Memorandum of Understanding