The Deliberator V1-March 2014v2-final

different approach to the issues,” said
Gail Silva who works for the Town of
Westborough. ”I feel much better
informed now and I’m really glad I
came.”
“It was so wonderful to be involved in
this process,” said Ben Evans a public
defender with the Committee on Public
Counsel Services in the Fall River
District Court. “You could feel the
power of so many union people in the
room. I appreciate having the opportunity to personally ask the candidates a
question.”
Added Evans, “SEIU Local 888 is helping
the public defenders to form a union
and win new state legislation that
would allow us to collectively bargain. I
feel very grateful for the support.”
Attendance was open to all SEIU
members and their immediate families.
The forum was sponsored by the SEIU
State Council, 1199SEIU, SEIU Local 32BJ
District 615, SEIU Local 509, SEIU Local
888, and the SEIU Committee of Interns
and Residents. Nearly 90,000 members
of SEIU in Massachusetts work in the
fields of health care, home care, social
work, property maintenance, security,
janitorial, child care, and a broad range
of public services to help keep our
roadways, schools, airports, office
buildings, and health care facilities safe,
clean, and operational.
Spotlight on
Community Organizing
State-wide campaign for “Jobs, not jails”
gears up for Boston rally on 4/26
For the past eight months, community
organizations throughout Massachusetts have come together to build a
grassroots campaign with one clear and
simple message: “Jobs, not jails”. The
campaign is being led by organizations
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The Deliberator
like Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement
(EPOCA), the Boston Worker's Alliance
(BWA), Black and Pink and Families for
Justice as Healing. Endorsing organizations includes dozens of other advocacy
groups, youth and student organizations, local churches and several labor
unions.
Launched in July, the campaign is
centered as a response to the growing
epidemic of mass incarceration and
unemployment, issues that have
disproportionately hit black and brown
communities throughout the state. In
2013, Massachusetts spent $1.28 billion
on prisons, probation and parole
related costs alone. In a 2012 report
called the “Master Corrections Plan”, the
Governor's office estimated it would
need to spend between $1.3 and $2.3
billion to build over 10,000 new prison
beds, allegedly needed to keep pace
with increasing levels of incarceration
and prison overcrowding. At the same
time the state is dedicating billions in
tax dollars towards jailing poor people,
unemployment and underemployment
continues to plague communities
throughout the Commonwealth. Cuts
to vital services such as food and
nutritional assistance, transportation
and housing are pushing thousands
more into poverty every day.
The “Jobs, not Jails” campaign has
collected tens of thousands of signatures for a petition calling for billions of
dollars, currently allocated for incarceration and prison expansion, be
redirected towards jobs programs and
criminal justice reforms. Several legislative campaigns are already under way,
including a bill addressing automatic
license suspensions following certain
criminal convictions. As most of us
know, the collateral consequences
following a conviction are significant
hurdles and can include losing your
drivers license, financial student aid,
immigration status, housing and your
job. Even getting arrested can shatter
someone's life, especially if you are
unable to afford bail and are detained
pre-trial.
Spring 2014
The right to public counsel isn't
divorced from it's historical context and
exists within the confines of the social
movements of that era. Throughout
the 1950s, 60s and 70s, millions of
people throughout the country mobilized in their neighborhoods and
campuses. Many issues of that time
faced decisions in the courts, from
Brown v. Board of Education to Gideon.
The deciding factor, however, was that
millions of people voted with their feet
in the streets, working together to build
a movement that could stamp out for
good all forms of inequality and injustice. It is in that same spirit that we seek
to build the Mass Defender's, a union
that can not only advocate for all staff
at CPCS, but a union that builds a
relationship with the communities we
serve.
Spring, 2014
Vol.1.2
Free
The Deliberator
Welcome to the Spring Issue of
The Deliberator
This is the second issue of
The Deliberator. This is a newsletter
that is by and for the Service Employees International Union Local 888
Chapter of the Mass Defenders. This
newsletter is intended to build a
stronger community among Mass
Defenders, answer questions about the
organizing campaign, and keep
everyone up to date on the progress of
forming our union.
On Saturday, April 26th, thousands of
people will rally on the Boston
Common under the banner of “jobs, not
jails”. Transportation is being organized
throughout the state, with buses, vans
and car pools set to converge in downtown Boston. We are calling on all staff
to join in this important effort to
redirect our priorities and our tax
dollars towards jobs and education, and
not incarceration. Let's stand with
thousands from across the Commonwealth in voicing loud and clear that we
need jobs, not jails!
Mass Defenders is a newly formed
chapter within SEIU Local 888 that is
made up of all the staff working for
CPCS. This includes, but is not limited
to, administrative assistants, social
workers, investigators, and staff attorneys. We have been working with Local
888 over the last year to help us have a
voice in our working lives. The efforts
of organizing our union have brought
us from Hyannis to Pittsfield, where we
have begun to build the networks of a
strong union and met with legislators
on behalf of our legislation (House Bill
2389).
Rally to End
Mass Incarceration
and Fund Job Creation
Founded in 2003, Local 888 is the
Massachusetts Public Services Division
of SEIU, which unites more than 8,500
public service workers. Our future
brothers and sisters provide vital
support and services working for the
state, in cities, towns, school districts
and places of higher education
throughout the Commonwealth. The
Mass Defenders will be part of a
diverse, powerful and progressive
union that stands for winning
contracts that improve working
conditions for its members—both in
economic and non-economic ways.
Local 888 takes seriously the task of
building public, community and
legislative power to maintain and
improve the lives of its members, their
families and the communities
they serve.
The Boston Common, 1-4pm
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Upcoming Statewide
Organizing Meeting:
10:00 am Sat. April 12
@ the Worcester Office
330 Southwest Cutoff
Worcester, MA 01604
Ben Evans from the Committee on Public Counsel Services asks the candidates a question at
the Governors forum (See story on Page 3).
Ask Frankie:
In this column
Frankie, our resident
union cat, will
address any concerns
you may have. If you
have any inquires,
just email Frankie’s
mom at
[email protected]. She isn’t
allowed on the computer but her mom
will pass along the question.
Frankie, with all this talk of us
getting a raise, does this mean
forming our own union isn’t
necessary after all?
Au contraire, mon frère. For one, look at
it this way, if just starting the process of
getting organized gets you a raise,
imagine what you might gain if you
actually had the power of being a real,
recognized union.
And it’s common for non-union workers to get a raise during the course of
an organizing campaign. The reasons
are varied. Sometimes it’s coincidence.
Other times management figures that
if they give their workers a raise, they’ll
stop the union talk. Sometimes, it
makes management realize how
underpaid their workers are. Yes, cést
vrai, mon amis, sometimes management does the right thing, without it
necessarily being a veiled union
avoidance strategy on their part.
Also, money is just part of the reason
the Mass Defenders are organizing.
There are a whole lot of other issues to
deal with at the bargaining table, many
that aren’t even economic. Though
more money does buy more anchovies.
So let’s hope the raises happen, and at
the same time, keep our eye on the
canary! Ahem, I mean eyes on the
prize!
Continued on p. a2 -->
Mass Defenders:
Our Bill is HB 2389,
We need the House to pass it for
Fairness, Certainty & Savings
at CPCS.
Don’t forget and call your Rep.
617-722-2000
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Speaking of issues for the bargaining table, what other types of
things do we bargain over?
Having a Voice Matters
By: Lily Lockhart
All your work conditions are subjects of
bargaining. Besides pay, that includes
benefits, time off, discipline and
discharge, seniority, continuing education and training, extended leave,
layoffs and career ladders. Anything
else I can’t remember. I did just have
some catnip.
Frankie, what makes you so
knowledgeable about unions?
I’m glad you asked that question. Some
years ago, I was a founding member of
the International Union of Barn Cats
(IUBC) Local 1. It was a particularly
cold winter, and the farm girl kept
forgetting to give us milk. The barns
were dealing with an infestation of big
city rats, who’d traveled north on the
freight trains. A group of us got
together and decided we wanted a
voice on the job. Our jobs of course
were to keep those sharp toothed rats
and all other pests from the barns and
fields. All we wanted in return was fair
compensation: fresh milk, a trout or
two, organic catnip from the fields and
warm barn beds. It took a lot of work
but eventually we accomplished our
goals. We stuck together, stayed
focused, and the farmers ultimately
recognized our union. IUBC Local 1 is a
great local, and it really taught us what
it means to be part of organized labor.
Once I hit two years old, had a couple
of kits, and negotiated our first
contract, I got an offer I could not
refuse – head cat in Rudy’s household.
So I retired and made way for the next
wave of IUBC leaders. I’m currently
working on organizing Rudy’s other
cats and dogs. They are a rough
bunch, but we have shared goals. So
far, our requests for midnight meals
and a cat condo in every room are
going unanswered. We might have to
march on the the Boss.
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The Deliberator
Lily Lockhart
In 2011, I joined CPCS with the CAFL
Unit in Lowell. I love the work I do, the
clients I work with, and the opportunity I have to effect change in the lives
of young people, parents and families.
I also love being part of CPCS. Here I
have the opportunity to work along
side YAD, District and Superior Court
attorneys, as well as having the input
and support of social workers, investigators, and an administrative staff. It’s
great to be doing this challenging
work, while knowing that I have a
support system back at the office, and
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Before law school, I was part of a
union as a public high school teacher
in New York City, and later I was a
member of SEIU as a personal care
attendant in Massachusetts. I enjoyed
being part of these unions because it
is important to me to have a voice
within my community, whether it is at
work or elsewhere. As a union
teacher, I attended meetings at my
work to discuss any changes in
schedule, pay, curriculum, etc. It gave
me the opportunity to ask questions,
give input, and have a vote in the final
decision. I had a real voice at work.
Spring 2014
I started working at CPCS
because I believe in the
work this agency does, and
I want to be part of the
conversation about how
we are doing that work.
By having a seat at
the table, we can be
part of solving our
collective problems,
rather then being told
what the solutions
will be.
I started working at CPCS because I
believe in the work this agency does,
and I want to be part of the conversation about how we are doing that
work. By having a seat at the table,
we can be part of solving our collective problems, rather then being told
what the solutions will be. This is
especially important now that we are
a larger agency, and it is often impossible to have a face-to-face conversation with those who are making the
decisions.
I am also at the beginning of my
career, and I want to feel that I can
plan ahead and have a sense of where
my career is going. As it is now, there
is little sense of where I could advance
to within the agency, or when I could
expect a salary increase, or even that I
have basic job security. While I don’t
need a large salary, I do want to be
able to plan for the future, and have
some knowledge and control over
where my career and compensation
are going.
The Struggle Continues
Yet There’s Hope
By: Filipa Melendez
Filipa Melendez with her children
Maritza and Marcello.
I have been with CPCS for almost
seven years. I started in 2007 as an
investigator with the Bristol County
District Court Public Defenders Office.
During my years as an investigator in
the New Bedford/Fall River area I
learned the ins and outs of investigating along with every corner of Bristol
County. During these years I worked
on hundreds of cases in District as well
as Superior Court.
Candidate forum gives members a strong
voice in who will be next Governor
With our union, we will
have a collective voice
regarding matters that
affect our clients and
ourselve.
Two years ago, I switched gears and
became an Administrative Assistant
for the Fall River YAD office. During
this time I became a mother of twins,
a boy and a girl. These times have not
been easy for my family and me
financially. With our union, we will
have a collective voice regarding
matters that affect our clients and
ourselves. My husband and I have a
mortgage, student loans, 15-month
old twins, and other expenses. I know
first-hand how harmful it is to the
agency that we have to constantly
retain investigators and administration staff due to high turn over. Over
the years, I have seen too many of my
colleagues leave for the same reasons
we are now organizing. I don’t want
to be one of them. Unfortunately
though, our low wages cannot
compete with today’s standard of
living. But despite those facts I have
hope that through gaining the right
to collectively bargain all of our hard
work will be compensated fairly and
our voices will be heard.
Upcoming Statewide
Organizing Meeting:
10:00 am Sat. April 12
@ the Worcester Office
330 Southwest Cutoff
Worcester, MA 01604
Annette Edler and Anita Christon from the City of Boston Dept. of Neighborhood Development
Members of Local 888 were joined by
nearly 400 other members of SEIU from
across Massachusetts at a forum with
five candidates for governor in the
election set for this November.
All of the announced candidates for
governor were invited to participate,
but only five Democrats agreed to
attend the event. The five candidates
were: Joe Avellone, Don Berwick,
Martha Coakley, Steve Grossman and
Juliette Kayyem.
After opening statements, each of the
candidates responded to questions
from the membership. Members asked
questions on key issues, including
immigrant justice, promoting the right
to organize, ensuring quality health
care for all, and helping to raise lowwage workers out of poverty.
While they answered, SEIU members
ranked the candidates on score cards
which will be factored into the decision
about who, if anyone, the union representing approximately 95,000 people in
Massachusetts will endorse.
“We had an excellent process that
members can use to decide whether to
endorse a candidate for Governor, and
if so, which candidate will receive that
endorsement,” said Mark DelloRusso,
President of SEIU Local 888.
“Members completed scorecards
expressing their views on the candidates. Everything will be tallied and
reviewed by the state council and that
will be the driving factor in who SEIU
endorses.” said Mark DelloRusso.
The entire forum was streamed live and
can be viewed on masslive.com.
“I feel like I got to really hear where the
candidates stand on the issues that
impact not just union members but all
workers in Massachusetts,” said Anita
Christon from the City of Boston Dept.
of Neighborhood Development (DND).
”Now I feel like I know who they are and
where they stand.”
“It was a really good forum,” said
Annette Edler, also from Boston’s DND.
“I didn’t know who was running or what
they stood for. This has helped me a
great deal.”
“Each candidate seemed to take a
Spring 2014
Continued on p. a4 -->
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