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Welcome to the 52nd Annual Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship Program.  We are excited for another year of awarding scholarships to deserving high school seniors.  Our program is one of the best in the country and we are proud of that achievement.  Please take a moment to read the FAQ section and hopefully it will answer any questions you may have about our great program.  This year's Labor History Exam will be given on Wednesday, February 3, 2010. Please contact your guidence counselor at your high school and let them know you wish to participate in our program for this year.  Also, please fill out an application and return it to the Massachusetts AFL-CIO no later than Wednesday, December 16, 2009. Once you have filled out an application and submitted it to the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and notified your guidance counselor, you are "registered" for the Labor History exam.

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Press Release from the 2008-2009 51st Annual Scholarship Program:

2009 Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship WinnersCelebrating the 51st anniversary of an incredible program, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO is proud to announce that over 500 scholarships totaling $1,085,835 were awarded by the labor organization’s best-in-the-nation Scholarship Program this year. Students graduating high school this year are faced with the most severe economic crisis in this country since the Great Depression. Even in better times, families are often forced to make impossible choices as a higher education has now become a necessity in today’s job market. Yet college tuitions continue to skyrocket at the same time as parents are losing economic stability at a historic pace. These union-sponsored scholarships can make all the difference in enabling young men and women to further their education, and drastically improve their chances of finding a family-sustaining career. This is the second year in a row that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship Program awarded over $1 million to students. The total amount of money awarded by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship Program since 1999 is now over $8 million.

Click here to view the press release in its' entirety. Click here to view photos of the event.

In 2008, President Robert J. Haynes was invited to speak about the success of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship Program on WRKO with radio host Tom Finneran. Click here to listen to a podcast of that interview.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who gives scholarships?

The Massachusetts AFL-CIO, along with our affiliated local unions and labor/non-labor organizations, offer a scholarship program providing hundreds of scholarships totaling over one million dollars to union members, their children/step children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and non-union Massachusetts high school seniors.  Please note that for union scholarships, each scholarship that is offered has its own criteria set by the donor.  Students must meet the criteria in order to be eligible for that scholarship.

For example, IBEW Local 103 offers four scholarships.  The criteria states that the student must be the son/daughter of a member of Local 103 to be eligible for their scholarships.  So, if a student has a mom or dad that is a member in good standing with IBEW Local 103 then he or she would be eligible for the scholarships they offer.  If a student has NO affiliation with IBEW Local 103 or is not the son/daughter of a member then he/she would NOT be eligible for the IBEW Local 103 scholarships.

Most scholarships follow these guidelines but some do extend out to grandchildren, nieces and nephews.  It is important to check on each scholarship to make sure that you are eligible for them.

Who is Eligible?
Every year the Massachusetts AFL-CIO publishes a scholarship brochure describing the eligibility criteria for each award. Students with a union affiliation are eligible for both the Massachusetts AFL-CIO awards and those awards listed under their specific local union/central labor council. Massachusetts students that do not have union affiliation are eligible for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO scholarships ONLY - NO EXCEPTIONS. Students from other states are only eligible for scholarships offered by their affiliated local union that meet the union's criteria. If you are unsure as to the specific criteria of your affiliated local union, click on the Scholarship Book link below and view that information.

Remember, regardless of your affiliations, any high school senior can take the exam in February and will be competing for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO scholarships, of which there are 14.  The only exceptions are that students with union affiliations will also be competing for their individual local union scholarships against other students with the same affiliations if they meet the criteria set forth by the local union they are affiliated with.

SCHOLARSHIP BOOK

Stop here and take a look at the Scholarship Book from last year to see the different scholarships that are offered by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, as well as other local unions and non-profit organizations and the amount and criteria for each scholarship set forth by the local union:Scholarship Book.

What are Type I and Type II Scholarships?
The brochure is divided into 2 sections describing the two types of scholarship programs. Section 1 (Type I) lists those scholarships requiring the student to take the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Labor History Exam in February.

Section 2 (Type II) lists those scholarships offered by local unions/central labor councils that select their own winners either through a lottery or exam of their own (to qualify for these scholarships students do not need to take the Labor History Exam in February). Please contact your local union for more information.

How do I sign up for the Labor History Exam?
Participation in the Scholarship Program of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO is voluntary. Students desiring to take the Labor History Exam apply directly to their Guidance Office, Social Studies Teacher, or Principal by December 16, 2009. A packet including one labor history study guide and one application is sent to each high school in MA in November.

After the deadline, the school then forwards the number of seniors desiring to take the examination in February to the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Exams will be mailed out toward the end of January to the participating high schools.

Each exam must be complete and bear the signature of the Principal, Department Head, or Examination Coordinator, and returned to the Massachusetts AFL-CIO the following day. Remember, just because you may have sent in an application to the Mass AFL-CIO, does NOT mean that an exam has been ordered for you.   You must notify the contact at your high school so that they can request an exam for you to be given on Wednesday, February 3, 2010. Once those two steps are completed, you are "registered" for the exam.

What is the scope of the Labor History Exam?
The labor history exam is divided into two parts. Part 1 consists of 40 multiple-choice questions covering the history and structure of the labor movement in America, legislation affecting American workers, child labor laws, minimum wages, civil rights, safety in the workplace, retirement and health insurance, unemployment compensation, worker's compensation and past and current labor events.

Part 2 is an essay of between 250 and 500 words and is based on a topic selected by the Scholarship Committee each year (usually a current event or issue).

How are winners selected?
All Massachusetts AFL-CIO scholarships and local union/central labor council scholarships listed in Section 1 of the scholarship brochure are awarded solely on the basis of the multiple-choice exam and essay score. Awardees are selected by the Scholarship Committee, which reviews and scores the essay question, and combines this score with the multiple-choice exam. Students that comply with the guidelines and rate highest on the exam shall be judged the winner of local union/central labor council awards. Students sponsored by a local union are eligible to receive no more than two (2) scholarships for this program.

When will I be notified if I have won an award?

Students will be notified by mail in April if they have or have not won a scholarship award. Every student is notified. Also, letters will be sent to local unions as well as high schools announcing winners. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Meghann Connolly at the MA AFL-CIO.

How do I apply for scholarships offered by my local union or central labor council?
After reviewing the scholarship brochure, students who believe they are eligible for local union/central labor council scholarships listed in Part 2 of the scholarship brochure should contact their local union/central labor council for application information and further eligibility requirements.  Some unions have their own applications that have to be submitted to the individual local.  Make sure that you send the MA AFL-CIO an application as well as fill out any necessary paperwork for the individual local union for which you are competing for scholarships.  Most local unions an CLC's use our application found on this webpage.

Central Labor Council Websites:

http://www.gsmlaborcouncil.org/ Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Central Labor Council

http://gbclc.com/ Greater Boston Central Labor Council

http://centralmassaflcio.org Central Massachusetts Central Labor Council

Please note:

Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Central Labor Council coordinates their own scholarship program. Please refer to http://www.gsmlaborcouncil.org/ for more information.

For more information regarding the program or if you have any questions or concerns, contact Meghann Connolly, Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship Coordinator at (781) 324-8230 or by e-mail at mconnolly@massaflcio.org.

You can mail (389 Main Street Malden, MA 02148) or fax your completed application to (781)324-8225 - Attn: Meghann Connolly

Deadline for submitting applications for eligibility is DECEMBER 16, 2009.