Skip to main content

Weekly Labor Reader, August 30, 2019

Rachael Running
Social share icons

To receive these updates in your inbox, click here!

 

Teamsters Strike Republic: Join the Line!

Thursday morning at 1:00am, members of Teamsters Local 25 who work at Republic Services in Marshfield went on strike. After six months of negotiating for their first contract, the company has stopped bargaining in good faith and talks have stalled.  

Republic has posted record profits, but they refuse to provide the employees creating those profits with good pay and decent benefits. The Marshfield office serves the towns of Rockland, Abington, and Marshfield.

Members of Teamsters Local 25 and their allies will be picketing at the Marshfield location (965 Plain Street) 24/7 until a deal is reached. Join fellow union and community members and show solidarity on the picket line! Follow Teamsters 25 on Facebook or Twitter for frequent updates.

Vote For Labor's Endorsed Candidates

Labor Day is almost here and that means the start of the political season.

Please click here for a list of municipal preliminary dates and to see the current list of AFL-CIO endorsed candidates. The first preliminary is September 3rd!

September 3: Lynn
September 10: Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Springfield, Worcester, Newton
September 17: Braintree, Brockton, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Framingham, Malden, Melrose, Methuen, Salem
September 24: Boston, Chelsea, Fitchburg, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Taunton

Don't forget to check with your city on polling locations and remember to cast a ballot for strong, union candidates this September!

 

Buy Union Made This Labor Day!


Happy Labor Day! We at the Massachusetts AFL-CIO hope you enjoy your long weekend and celebration of working people. If you’re having a cookout, check out this shopping list to buy union!

Convention Hotel Booking Deadline Mon, Sep. 9, 2019On September 25th - 27th, 2019, over 200 delegates and guests will gather for the Biennial Constitutional Convention of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.


***Hotel Rooms in the MA AFL-CIO block are available from the MGM through Monday, September 9, 2019. After that date the rooms will be released for a higher rate. Please book now.***

For early access to the agenda and for the most up-to-date notifications, please download the Massachusetts AFL-CIO app before the convention! Download from the Apple Store here and from Google Play here.

The Convention theme of unity will be reflected throughout the proceedings, from resolutions, to keynote speakers, to panels.The convention will feature keynote speakers, David Webber and Steven Greenhouse. Webber is the author of "The Rise of the Working Class Shareholder: Labor's Last Best Weapon," and will sign copies of his books for attendees. Greenhouse is a New York Times Reporter and author and will be speaking and signing copies of, “Beaten Down, Worked Up - The Past, Present and Future of American Labor Movement."

The Convention is not open to the public and is closed to the press. Affiliated unions in good standing should have received their credentials by mail. Registration is due by September 10th. For more information and to download the delegate and guest registrations, click here.

                Western MA ALF's Launch            

Thank you to all who made it to last week’s Western Mass Area Labor Federation launch. Nearly 150 union leaders, rank and file members, and non-union workers from over 35 different unions and community groups came out strong to support this new labor body. It’s clear that solidarity is building and on the move in Western Mass!Our WMALF is committed to working together to build grassroots power and coordination across unions to win fights for all workers. Together we can rebalance the scales in favor of working people of Western Mass! To stay up to date with the Western MA ALF, follow them on Facebook or sign up for email updates at their website.Part-Time Health and Safety Trainer

The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) is a nonprofit organization that works to ensure that all workers are treated with respect and dignity, earn a fair wage, and return home to their families alive and well. They educate and mobilize workers, unions, and community activists to advocate for and promote a healthy and safe workplace.

 

MassCOSH Is hiring a part-time trainer to develop and deliver health and safety trainings.

Click here to learn more.

Register for Union Member Candidate School

Support for union members running for elected office is a top priority for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and our affiliates. We know that when our members run on a platform of working people’s values and receive unified support from the labor movement, we will win. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO and its Executive Board are establishing a union candidate school to train our members to run for elected office from the local/municipal level all the way up to statewide/federal office.Our first session will be held on Saturday December 7th, 9am-2pm. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. The training will be free of charge and participants will be given materials to use as a reference for campaign purposes. 

Learn more and register here.




September 2: Greater Boston Labor Council Labor Day Breakfast

September 2: Central MA Labor Day Breakfast

September 2: Boston Labor Day March

September 2: Bread and Roses Heritage Festival in Lawrence

September 4:Health, Wellness,& Recovery, Boston

September 6: Western MA Area Labor Federation's Labor Day Breakfast, Chicopee

September 14 : Helmets to Hardhats Motorcycle Run

September 19: Building Pathways Awards Benefit, Boston

September 25-September 27: MA AFL-CIO Convention, Springfield

October 3: UMass Lowell Labor Education Presents Automation and You

October 15: Tradeswomen Tuesday Worcester

October 23: BTU Union Blood Drive

For a full list of events, visit the calendar on our website. If you have any events that you would like to be included, contact Rachael Running at rrunning@massaflcio.org


@UNITEHERE26: So many Boston Marriott Strikers out in support for Battery Wharf Hotel workers! When we fight together, we win! #1u #BatteryWharfStrikeAlert

@1199mass: The PCA bargaining committee joined with @MassGovernor Charlie Baker & the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to celebrate ratification of their new contract. The new contract raises wages, expands paid time off, and much more. Congrats on a job well done! #WeCareForMA