Private Sector Human Services Chapter News
7/14/2011
Private Sector Human Services Chapter News
Pictured at the July 7 Private Sector Chapter Board meeting: seated, left to right, Cheryl Mahoney, Family Services of Greater Boston; Private Sector Chapter President, Dennis MacDonald; Linda Pericolo, JEB, Delta Projects; Elaine Mathews, Recording Secretary, Eliot CHS; standing, first row, Local 509 President, Susan Tousignant; Stephen Fadiya, Eliot CHS; Jaynelle Landy, JEB, Eliot CHS; Jen Rosenlund, JEB, Walnut St. Center; Tony Xatse, Community Health Links; Howard Lipkin, Eliot CHS; Marianne Tacas, Lifelinks & Fidelity House; George Teshu, Walnut St. Center; back row, former JEB member Scott Bezzini, now a 509 Field Rep; Gary Floyd, JEB, HEC/CES; Tom Grover, JEB, HEC/CES; Mark Larsen, Edinburg Center; Mark Gallagher, JEB, Eliot CHS; Bob Fitzgerald, JEB, CHS, HSO; Andrew Lawson, Eliot CHS.
Absent from photo: Dominique Iviquel, VP, MSPCC, Boston; Israel Pierre, JEB; Maureen Rooney, JEB, HEC/CES; Sandra Andrade, BCL; Jenny Brodeur and Katelyn Magan, CMHS; Jeannie Demase, HSO; Madeleine Gorman, NELCWIT; Kattia Ira, Central Boston ES; Jacqueline O’Neill, Old Colony ES; Jeanne Voss, HEC/CES; Photo by Communications Director, Aaron Donovan.
Special thanks to President Tousignant for attending our July meeting and bargaining sessions as she is learning more about the diversity of what we do in the Private Sector.
At the July 12 Joint Executive Board meeting, Dennis made a motion, which passed, that reconfigures the Constitution’s Appendix A language regarding the designation of both Private Sector Chapter Board (PSCB) and Joint Executive Board (JEB) seats for the Private sector. Each agency still retains the right to occupy one seat on the PSCB; four Chapter Wide seats elected at-large have been added to the four we already had. The President Chapter, VP and JEB members are automatically entitled to sit on the PSCB without counting against their agency’s seat. Previously, many Private Sector seats on the JEB were assigned to various counties; now those seats will be elected at-large. Each agency with 200 or more members is entitled to one JEB seat; an agency with 400+ members is entitled to two JEB seats; all remaining seats are elected at large. As an example, Eliot CHS has 777 members and CHL has 552 members thereby giving both agencies two JEB seats. Their combined membership total is 1,329, leaving an extra 529 members who can have representation on the JEB, two additional seats that are elected at-large.
So what does this all mean, and how does it affect your agency? The JEB is the governing body of the Local; among its functions, it votes on the annual budget. It is comprised of members from the 13 Public Sector Chapters (State workers) and our chapter, with over 60 board members total. The Constitution provides for one JEB seat for every 200 members so, with over 4,400 Private Sector members, we are entitled to 22 JEB seats.
Currently, there are JEB agency-specific seats open: Brien Center; CHL (2); CSO; Fidelity. Additionally, there are seven Chapter Wide JEB seats. There are currently 35 Private Sector contracts; only twelve agencies have taken seats on the PSCB. The PSCB makes major decisions that can affect all the agencies within our Local, e.g. a coordinated strike, so it is in the best interest of you or someone from your agency to sit on the board. We have our own budget and the officers on the PSCB determine how that money will be spent on a chapter wide basis. There are currently five Chapter Wide seats, elected at-large, and each of the following agencies has a vacant seat on the board: BCL; Berkshire ES; Boston Sr. Home Care; Brien Center; Cape Cod ES; CHS; Coastline ES; Community Servings; CSO; Delta Projects; ETHOS; Family Services of Greater Boston, Professional Unit; Fidelity; HEC/CES; Highland Valley ES; Latham Center; MSPCC, JP; MSPCC West; Mystic Valley ES; N Suffolk MH; South Shore ES; Tapestry; Womanshelter/Companeros.
At our July PSCB meeting, we discussed ideas on how to increase the members’ involvement with their union, to make them feel more connected, to take more ownership. YOU are the union and YOU have a voice in what we do. We have money to spend, to develop unity and camaraderie. We can have various types of trainings, statewide. We can foster union culture through social events; parties; “meet and greets”; picnics; retreats; we want to know what YOU want from YOUR union.
I can be reached at dennismacsteward@gmail.com; my cell is (781) 883-7519. I’d love to have you come to our next PSCB meeting, in Watertown, on Thursday, August 4; we serve dinner at 6:15 and the meeting begins at 7 p.m., typically ending around 8:30. Please RSVP me if you’d like to attend.
If you are having a meeting with some co-workers, invite me and I’ll come, whether it’s on the Cape, in the Berkshires, the Merrimack Valley or any other destination throughout the Commonwealth.
In Solidarity,
Dennis MacDonald, President, Private Sector Human Services Chapter