Members of the Local 509 Solidarity Committee joined with labor and community activists on January 14th for a rally to save the Post Office at Grove Hall in Roxbury.
As talks of cutbacks in the US Postal Service continue, the importance of neighborhood post offices often goes overlooked.
Photos from the rally:
Jen Rosenlund (Walnut Street) and Elaine Matthews (Eliot CHS) at the Verizon Store on Route 16
The company’s campaign of intimidation has continued relentlessly since the strike ended. Recently, the company retaliated against workplace leaders by firing 10 Massachusetts workers for “strike related activity.”
This greed and intimidation cannot stand.
On Saturday, December 10, International Human Rights Day, community delegations delivered letters (Letter of Support) to Verizon stores asking them to bargain fairly and respect their workers. Local 509 members Jen Rosenlund (Walnut Street Center) and Elaine Mathews (Eliot CHS), along with Field Rep Jon Grossman, went to the Verizon store on Route 16 in Everett to voice their concern to the company.
To keep up with the fight for a fair contract at Verizon and find out what you can do to support our union sisters and brothers there, visit Jobs With Justice’s page for the campaign.
At our union’s Joint Executive Board meeting in August, we began the process of forming a Solidarity Committee for our union so that we can be more effective in supporting our union sisters and brothers at other locals.
We will be holding the first Solidarity Committee meeting on Thursday, December 8, 2011, in the conference room of Local 509′s offices at 100 Talcott Ave. in Watertown. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and teleconference is available. Please dial in around 6:55 so that you are on the line when the meeting commences.
Following is the motion passed by the Joint Executive Board, 8/9/11: “(motion) that SEIU Local 509 form a Solidarity Committee, to work collaboratively with other Labor Unions, Jobs With Justice, Labor Councils and other labor-friendly groups, with the purpose of defending the principles of trade unionism, working towards social justice, and uniting our own members to help our Sisters and Brothers in times of action, such as walking picket lines and attending pro-worker rallies.”
If you have any questions or want anything placed on the agenda, please e-mail me or call me on my cell, (781) 883-7519.
On behalf of the Solidarity Committee,
Dennis MacDonald, Member, Local 509
Other Solidarity Committee members:
Jon Grossman, Staff, Local 509
Pricilla Lynch, Member, Local 509
Brian Morrison, Member, Local 509
Jennifer Rosenlund, Member, Local 509
