In response to the issue of outdated computers at DCF (and the subsequent delays and barriers to logging on to computers at work), brought to DCF’s attention in part by the SEIU Local 509 DCF Chapter Technology Committee, Commissioner McClain and his staff have successfully advocated for the resources needed for new computers!
Commissioner McClain has informed the Union that there is a plan in place to have 2,000 new computers out in the field by the end of the fiscal year (June 2012). While we would prefer the new computers be on our desks tomorrow, DCF has at least secured the resources needed for the new equipment, barring any unforeseen budget cuts.
Thank you to all who filled out the computer delay forms, which were extremely helpful in advocating for the new computers. As we hear more about the timeframes for the new equipment, we will keep you posted.
Julie Cardoza-Pietruszka - DCF Chapter Technology Committee Chair
Peter MacKinnon - DCF Chapter President
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.
WATERTOWN – Members of SEIU Local 509, the Massachusetts Human Service Workers Union, are proud to announce that State Representative Pat Haddad (D-Somerset) has been recognized as their 2011 Legislator of the Year.
The annual award is presented to a legislator who goes above and beyond in advocating for the welfare of human service workers and the many individuals that they care for across the state. Human service workers look after many of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens, and often provide those individuals with the ability to live an independent and safe life in their communities.
“With over ten years at the State house standing with us and the individuals that we serve, it was an easy decision choosing to recognize Representative Haddad this year,” said SEIU Local 509 President Susan Tousignant, a vocational rehabilitation counselor at the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission.
Representative Haddad was presented the award at the union’s annual meeting on Saturday, October 29th.
SEIU Local 509 is a labor union representing about 13,000 public and private sector human service workers across Massachusetts.
On Nov. 15th, the House and the Senate approved major changes to Massachusetts’ pension laws. Throughout the process, Local 509 worked in coalition with other public employee unions to minimize the impact on current and future members. We were largely successful in preventing cuts in benefits to current members and somewhat successful in stopping deeper cuts to future members.
Here is a brief overview of the bill:
We will continue to keep you updated on any news regarding changes to the state pension system.
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. 99% Sign (letter size)
By Chapter President, Dennis MacDonald
“…it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the Spring of hope, it was the Winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…”
These words from Charles Dickens’ A Tale Of Two Cities, written over 150 years ago, could just as easily have been written by any of our private sector field reps if they were to describe what contract bargaining has been like in 2011. Unlike 2008, when over 92% of the members amongst twenty agencies voted to go on strike, this year, we had thirty-one contracts to negotiate. Progress at many of the agencies is at a standstill; as we go to press, there will have been a dozen or more rallies and pickets aimed at trying to secure more money, better health care plans and other benefits for the lowest paid members of Local 509. At the most difficult negotiations, agencies have frozen step increases, i.e. no raises, and simultaneously tried to force their workers to accept health care plans with drastically higher co-pays and/or high deductibles. For some workers, health insurance will become completely unaffordable, forcing them to apply for Mass Health. Some agencies have offered bonuses instead of raises as a cost-cutting measure or, at best, halved their raises, from 1.5% to 0.75%. When a worker typically earns $11 per hour, that 0.75% totals a whopping $171.60 per year for full time employees. At some of these same agencies, members are expected to use their cars to drive hundreds of miles every month at a reimbursement rate twelve cents or more below the IRS rate; there is no car allowance.
Not all is doom and gloom in the private sector. On May 10, 2011, over 700 human services workers at Bridgewell, based in Lynn and the Merrimack Valley, overwhelmingly won their election to form a union. Back on December 16, 2010, over 500 workers from Sullivan & Associates (now Guidewire), based in Springfield, Pittsfield and Worcester, voted to form a union. We welcome our new Sisters and Brothers.
In the past two years, Local 509’s Organizing Department has been a bonfire of activity, also leading successful organizing campaigns for the Brien Center (the Berkshires), HEC/CES (statewide) and Delta Projects (mostly south central MA), increasing our ranks by close to 800 members. Once our Sisters and Brothers at Guidewire and Bridgewell ratify contracts, the private sector will have grown by over 2,000 members since 2009
| Local Wide Office | ||
| SEIU 509 President | Susan | Tousignant |
| SEIU 509 Treasurer | Stephen | Lewis |
| Recording Secretary | Derek | Goodwin |
| Trustee | Patrick | Barry |
| Bruce | Callahan | |
| Michael | Grunko | |
| Srgt at Arms | Joao | DeCosta |
| Dept. of Children and Families | ||
| Chapter President | Peter | MacKinnon |
| Recording Secretary | Robert | Delger |
| Regional VP/Western Region | Ethel | Everett |
| Regional VP/Central Region | Joseph | Manna |
| Regional VP/Northeast Region | Anthony | Labo |
| Regional VP/Metro Boston Region | Brett | Antul-Cabral |
| Regional VP/ Southeast Region | Julie | Cardoza-Pietruszka |
| Regional VP/ Boston Region | Gregory | Sanford |
| JEB member/ Western Region | Priscilla | Lynch |
| JEB member/ Central Region | Christine | Crean |
| JEB member/Northeast Region | Girard | Murphy |
| JEB member/Southeast Boston | Laurie | Wesman |
| JEB member/Greater Boston | Owen | Bailey |
| Dept. of Children and Families | ||
| Chapter President | Stu | Dickson |
| JEB members at-large Seat | Christine | MacLaughlin |
| Gerard | Villani | |
| Ernest | Tarquino | |
| Joseph | Kott III | |
| Dept. of Early Education and Care Chapter | ||
| Chapter President | Maria | Torres |
| JEB member | Mimi | Gordon |
| Mass Health Chapter | ||
| Chapter President | Adrianne | Weiss |
| Regional VP/Northwest | Carol | Mellberg |
| Mental Health Chapter | ||
| Chapter President | John | Labaki |
| Jane | Malkiewich | |
| Brian | Morrison | |
| Chapter of Public Safety | ||
| Chapter President | Kenneth | Gorman |
| JEB/Chapter Wide Seat | Jennifer | Boyts |
| John | Cunningham | |
| Professional Education and Librarians Chapter | ||
| Chapter President | Peter | Cirioni |
| JEB member | Ellen | Convisser |
| Department of Revenue/ Child Support Enforcement Chapter | ||
| Chapter President | John | Tortelli |
| JEB member / At- Large | Chris | Landry |
| Public Health Chapter | ||
| Chapter President | Taiye | Anjorin |
| Dept for Public Welfare Chapter (DTA) | ||
| Chapter President | Arthur | Casey |
| Regional VP/Region 1 Boston | Al | Pierce |
| Regional VP/Region 2 North Shore | Joesph | Malone |
| Regional VP/Region 3 South Shore | Jamie | Robitaille |
| Regional VP/Region 4 Merrimack Valley | Mark | Williams |
| Regional VP/Region 5 Worcester | Kevin | McKenna |
| Regional VP/Region 6 Springfield | Kirsten | Myallaked |
| IST Chapter | ||
| Chapter President | Susan | Southey |
| JEB member | Robert | O’Haver |
| Mass. Commission for the Blind Chapter | ||
| Chapter President | Cheryl | Rivers |
| JEB member | Gerriann | Butler |
| Mass. Rehab Chapter Board | ||
| Chapter President | Judith | Costello |
| JEB member/Voc Rehab | Patricia | Chabot |
| JEB member/Disability Determination | Richard | Hanauer |
| Private Sector Human Services Chapter | ||
| Chapter President | Dennis | MacDonald |
| Chapter Vice-President | Dominique | Iviquel |
| JEB/Chapter Wide Seat | Israel | Pierre |
| JEB/Senior Home Care | Sara | Keough |
| JEB/Metro Boston | John | Broderick |
| JEB/Metro North | Scott | Bezzini |
| Robert | Fitzgerald | |
| JEB/Eliot Seat | Mark | Gallagher |
| JEB/Eliot | Jaynelle | Landy |
| JEB/HEC | Gary | Floyd |
| JEB/Walnut Street | Jennifer | Rosenlund |
Judy Costello - Chapter President
It’s hard to believe that it has already been a year since my last report. (Whoa, that sounds like I’m about to make a confession… don’t worry, I’m not.)
Our Chapter Executive Board members are, along with me: Pat Chabot and Rick Hanauer who also are our Joint Executive Board representatives; Corey Durham, Mike Tomasko, Dawn Davis, Dick Gates, Nancy Donovan, Lynne McDonald, Jamie Leader, Jen Cornette and John Agboola from the VR Division; Liz Mahoney from AO; and Matt Dichard, Aja James, Paul Davenport, Alan Dennen and Gary Small from DDS and Jerry Levinsky our Local 509 Field Rep. In addition to the work that they perform daily as the leaders in our Chapter some of them also serve on committees. Lynne and Rick are both representatives on an agency wide Governor’s Advisory Committee on Employee Safety and Health. Rick and Mike are both on the Committee for Joint Technology. We are all kept very busy but I hope anyone reading this knows that all of us try to get answers to your questions and work on your behalf to make MRC a better, fairer workplace.
Some of the things which we have accomplished this year are securing additional supervisor positions in VR, preventing layoffs when programs were downsized in the Administrative offices, convincing the EOHHS Administration to consider the downside of cubicles and EHS centers, and encouraging promotional opportunities in both VR and DDS. We continue to work with management towards mutual respect in the workplace. MRC has begun to backfill SES positions with QVRC’s rather than PC’s. This is a first step in getting the positions correctly classified. Recently, we were able to get a year’s extension for the members on ARRA positions who had not been able to transfer to vacant positions. These are a few of the things that are resolved or heading towards resolution. We still have a number of grievances both individual and class actions which are making their way through the grievance procedure. We appreciate all of the support of the members and are proud to represent you.
Adrianne Weiss - Chapter President
As I look back at the previous annual reports, one thing comes to mind: the more things change the more they remain the same. The MassHealth chapter has fewer members than we did at this time last year and many more clients. There is too much work and not enough workers to do it. Although the overtime we have received is welcome, it is not a solution to the problem. Management seems to believe that technology will solve all of our problems. We, as frontline workers, know that this is not the case.
During the past year, two major technological changes have occurred. The first change was the VOIP (voice over internet protocol) telephone system. The second and most drastic was the implementation of EDM (electronic document management). We have yet to see the full implications of EDM. One of the things I will be addressing is the health and safety issues that have and will result from EDM: the ramifications of sitting in front of a computer screen all day long and the ergonomics involved with that. Over the next year, I will be counting on you, the membership, to keep the Union leadership informed of any and all issues regarding EDM or anything else.
Communication is important. If the Union doesn’t know about something then we cannot take the concerns to management. Union stewards and officers play a major role in information gathering. If you see something, then say something to someone.
I would like to thank three stewards who have retired this year. Brenda Cyr, from Taunton, Joyce Harvey from CPU and Viola Tomm, from Tewksbury, all provided valuable information to the union and were not afraid to stand up for their rights and the rights of their members. Good luck in your retirement. Thank you to the Labor Management committee consisting of the two vice presidents, Carol Mellberg and Michael Vaillancourt, and the recording secretary, Erica Cormican, for your help, insight, and guidance during these meetings. Thanks to the Chapter Board members, Patrick Barry, David Cummings, Diana Hunter, Glenn Woloski and Patricia Young who have made the effort to attend and contribute to the monthly meetings. A special thanks to the stewards in every office, including the new stewards who have not been trained yet, for keeping me up to date. Mary Burke, Ahsaki Hardy, Maria Luna, Helene Marcum, Olga Nizamova, Russ Olivera, Yamilka Ramos, Antonio Rodrigues, Alicia Rodriguez, Timothy Travis, Denise Vernaglia and Rosa Volmar. Also thanks to two members who are involved in SEIU’s Fight For A Fair Economy initiative Valerie Copeland and Ester Orellana.
I am looking forward to working with and for all of you. Get involved in the Union it can be fun and rewarding.
