SEIU Local 888 Spark, March 2013

7/29/2019 SEIU Local 888 Spark, March 2013

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March 2013

Career Service workers win new contract

Sometimes winning a new contract takes a lot

more than just negotiating with management.

Local 888 members at the Valley Works

Career Center in Lawrence were frustrated after two

tentative agreements were turned down by the Mayor

and the Citys Financial Overseer, appointed by the

Governor. Meanwhile other city employees began

getting raises.

We went four years without a raise, said Mariah

Germosen, a Career Service Advisor. When thatmany years go by, you dont feel appreciated or val-

ued. Youre not keeping up with the cost of living.

We needed to step up the pressure and start

making some noise, said Cardel Bennett who also

works as a Career Service Advisor.

Thats why a group from the negotiating commit-

tee and Local 888 Field Service Director Jen Springer

went to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce

Development. A good part of our funding is from the

state. We told Secretary Joanne Goldsteins office and

the Governors office just how frustrated we were and

that something had to be done, said Springer.

After that meeting the ball got rolling with the

city! said Marco Ruiz who in addition to being a Ca-

March 2013

Local 888 members at the Valley Works

Career Center in Lawrence. After going

four years without a raise, the group

decided it was time for some tactics that

went beyond the bargaining table.

reer Service Advisor is also the union steward at Valley

Works. This was a tough battle and Im happy with

the outcome.

Members won some significant improvements

over the previous tentative agreement. Instead of a 3

percent bonus, they got a 3 percent increase in base

pay going back to July 1, 2011. Members also won

2.5 percent increase in wages each year for 2013 and

2014 for a total of 5 percent, instead of the original 0

percent with only a promise of a reopener.

SEIU Local 888 members and staff were aggres-

sive and we didnt let up until we won. Our political

strategy complimented the bargaining strategy, said

Springer. It was great to see the leaders at Valley

Works step up to make it happen and finally get a

contract.Chapter chair Barbara Begin reported that the

contract was ratified 18- 0 on February 12.

We needed to step up the pressure

and start making some noise.

Cardel Bennet, career service advisor

DontmissSEIUsU.S.SenateCandi-dateForum! Thisisagreatoppor-tunitytofindout

wherethecan-didatesstandontheissuesthatyoucareabout,saidLocal888HeadStartmemberCarlaElder. Imgoingtotalkwithmyco-workers andurgethemtoat-tend. Youshouldtoo!

SEIUsU.S.SENATECANDIDATEFORUM

JoinmeattheU.S.Senate

CandidateForumonSaturday,March9!


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The Spark March 2013 www.seiu888.org

Ask SparkyDear Sparky: We just had our

big membership meeting and

maybe five people showed up.

And there wasnt even a snow

storm to blame it on! We have

a small group of people who

volunteer for everything, but

beyond that, forget about it. Is there anything we can

do to get more folks involved or is it just a lost cause?

Signed,Despondent in Dracut

Dear Despondent: Did you know that there are

people who love going to meetings? While Ive never

come upon a member of this elusive species, they are

said to exist... However, there are a few things you cando that might boost attendence at your next meeting,

say up to 8 (hey, youve got to start somewhere).

Keep it short

Often what your colleagues are trying to avoid isnt

a meetingbut a reallyLONGmeeting, with a lot of

droning committee reports. (Did I actually fall asleep

while typing that???) Instead of one big meeting

where you address every topic under the sun, try

some mini-meetings where you take up specific issues.

Small is beautiful

When a new member does show up, it can be tempt-ing to try to corner him or her into taking on some big

tasklike running for chapter chair or heading up the

bargaining committee. Avoid that temptation at any

cost! Instead, start by identifying what your members

are good at or like to do and see if you can translate

that into something the chapter needs.

Speak like a human person

For new members, even the way union leaders talk

can seem off-putting. Acronyms and alphabet soup

can sound like a foreign language to the uninitiated.

So be sure to provide translation and speak like a hu-man person whenever possible.

Food and fun

Bottom line: meetings just arent fun no matter what

kind of topping is on the pizza. So why not try bring-

ing your members together for something that is fun?

And if all goes well, you can corner the new guy and

try to talk him into being a shop steward...

Do you have a question for Sparky? Send it to

[email protected].

WhatDoYouThink?Morethan 25Local 888membersattended

thechapterleadershiptraininginDe-cember.AnothertrainingsessionisbeingplannedforApril.Wheredoyouthinkitshouldbeheld?Local 888officersandstaffwanttohearfrom memberswheretheythinkthebestplaceistohaveit. WesternMass? Worces-ter? TheCape? MerrimackValley? SendyoursuggestionstoBrendaRodriguesat:[email protected]

The Bulletin BoardLabor Guild CoursesLooking to learn more about the

labor movement? A course at

the Labor Guild is a great placeto start. Current courses include

The Stewards Job, Collective

Bargaining, and Coalitions 2.0,

taught by Local 888 communications and policy

director Rand Wilson. Coalitions 2.0 explores effective

approaches to coalitions to support collective bar-

gaining, recruiting new members and supporting the

fight for a just economy. See the entire list of classes

and sign up online at: http://laborguild.com/

product/spring-2013-school-of-labor-manage-

ment/Note: chapter funds may be used to pay for

Labor Guild classes.

Share the SparkThe Spark comes out monthly and is full of interest-

ing stories and useful tips to help make your union

stronger. If youd like extra copies, contact Orvine

Ramos, Local 888 administrative coordinator at ora-

[email protected] or by calling the union office.

Computers Available for MembersNeed to use a computer or access the Internet?

Both are available free of charge at the SEIU Local888 union hall in Charlestown. The hall is open

Monday-Friday from 9AM to 5PM. Members can

also make arrangements to come in after hours. For

more information call 617-241-3300.


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Lobby Day for State

Revenue: March 12thJoin the Campaign for Our Communities Lobby Dayon March 12. Tell legislators we need to increase state

revenue in order to invest in public education, health,

safety, transportation and other crucial services. We need

a strong economy that provides good jobs if we want

Massachusetts to be a great place to live, work and raise

a family. One of Local 888s top legislative priorities is the

passage of An Act to Invest in Our Communities that

would increase revenues for cities and towns.

Local 888 member Carla Elder has signed upand

has been talking to her colleagues at Head Start about thelobby day. We provide the essential services that make

our communities strong, says Elder. Our elected officials

need to hear from us that now is the time to increase

investment in our communities.

Elders own agency, Head Start, is reeling from federal

budget cuts, the result of the so-called sequestration. This

obscure term will likely cause real harm to the children

served by the 38 Head Start agencies in Massachusetts.

The 15 percent budget cut will result in teacher layoffs and

the closure of at least one center, say Head Start officials.

Elder will be sharing her story with state lawmakers

on March 12th. To join her and other Local 888 members,

contact Dan Hoffer at [email protected].

Local 888 Political Action: Your Voice!

Jorge Vargas, member of the Committee on Political

Action or COPA. Vargas is working to get more

members involved in Local 888 political campaigns.Our members are very concerned about how public

policy affects them and their children. The union is a

vehicle to affect change and fight for a better future.

Stay in the loop and

up-to-date by liking

Local 888 on Facebook.

Find us at:

www.facebook.com/

SEIULocal888

Political CalendarU.S. Senate Candidate Forum

Saturday, March 9, 10AMnoon

150 Mt. Vernon street, Dorchester, MA

Lobby Day for State Revenue

Tuesday, March 12, 11AM-1PM

Gardner Auditorium, Statehouse

COPA Meeting

Tuesday, March 26, 6PM

Local 888 union hall, Charlestown

Statewide Primary Election

Tuesday, April 30

Senate Special Election

Tuesday, June 25

2013 Legislative Priorities

An Act to Invest in Our Communities

(HD 2261/ SD 1012)Raising revenue to maintain the services we need

and value.

Earned Sick Time Act (SD861/HD504)A bill allowing private sector employees to earn sick

time for hours worked.

Act to Provide Safe Workspace for

Employees of the Commonwealth

Executive Order and Legislation

(HB 1871/SB 710)

A bill to provide OSHA protections to state employees.

For a complete list of this years legislative priorities,

visit http://www.seiu888.org/copa/2013-legislative-

priorities/


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Chapter ReportsBrockton Library Contract Settled

Congratulations to Local 888 members at the Brock-

ton Public Libraryfor settling their contract.Thethree year agreement includes several provisions that

members fought hard for, including the extension of

recall rights from two years to three, a wage differen-

tial for library staff who work at night or on the week-

ends, vacation buy back, an increase in longevity for

both full-time and part-time employees and an annual

increase in money that can be used to help staff obtain

degrees. Chapter chair Sue McCormick credits a

bargaining team that worked well together. This was

the first contract Id ever negotiated so having a team

of great people around me and assistance from our

local was really important, says McCormick. When ne-gotiations are scheduled to begin again this summer

(the new agreement covers the period July 2010-July

2013), McCormick says that shes hoping to see some

new faces on the bargaining team. Its good to have

new sets of eyes on each contract.

Local 888 Welcomes New Staff

Members

Local 888 is pleased to welcome three new field

representatives. MaureenMedeiros, Peter Bala and

Mari Cooney. Also joining the

team: Karen Rudy Ren-

aud, who will serve as the new

external organizing director.

The new staff will be working

directly with chapters: provid-

ing assistance with bargaining,

helping to strengthen chapters

and recruit new members.

Each brings a wealth of experience to Local 888.Maureen previously worked

at AFSCME Council 93, where

she served as the chief nego-

tiator for more than 40 collec-

tive bargaining agreements.

Peter recently completed law

school and has worked on

issues of fair housing, discrimi-

nation and employment law.

Mari spent many years in the

Concerns Shared in Brockton

Local 888 members who work at the BrocktonHousing Authoritymet recently with officersMark DelloRusso and Brenda Rodrigues. Themembers expressed frustration with working out

of title at higher level jobs without commensuratecompensation. Apparently repeated attemptsover the years to get management to considerreclassification have been stymied. But after themeeting, word got back to management and thenext day they proposed setting up a committeeto study job descriptionswhich could lead toreclassification! Got issues or problems where youwork? Call your rep and set up a meeting for Mark

or Brenda to attend!

Officers Mark DelloRusso and BrendaRodrigues attend a meeting with Local 888

members at the Brockton Housing Authority.

Rudy Renaud

Maureen Medeiros

private sector before joining the staff of State Repre-

sentative Brian Dempsey, chairman of the Way and

Means committee. Rudy comes

to Local 888 after more than

a decade as a field organizer,

lead organizer and staff repre-

sentative with AFSCME Council93 and

SEIU

Locals

1199,

285 and

284.

Rudy is also a member of the

Greenfield City Council.

Welcome aboard!

Peter Bala

Mari Cooney

Documents

SEIU Local 888 Spark, March 2013