HAITI RELIEF RESOURCES

Many of the candidates that our Union endorsed won their races in the most recent elections in Cities and Towns across the state. And our Union will hold them accountable once they take office.

But the biggest winners in this election were our Members.

No more executive decisions, back room deals or quids pro quo.

Instead, the Union held a series of candidate forums in municipalities across the state. Candidates for office came to these forums, addressed the Members directly, answered their questions and at the end, the Members decided themselves who the union should endorse. 
  

And the Member's participation helped our Union to make a crucial difference in some important and historic races:

Above Pres. Boccardy meets with Boston City Councilor-Elect (and former SEIU Organizer) Felix Arroyo
On the right Lawrence mayor-elect William Lantigua meets with 888 members. Lantigua is the first Hispanic candidate elected to that office. 

Joshua Levit was hired after an extensive national search process by committee that included Members of the Chapters that he will be representing.  Josh says he chose to come to work for our Union because he is “excited about working for a Union that is trying to give power back to its members.”

Josh earned his law degree from Boston University in 2006. Josh also interned with the former Massachusetts Labor Relations Commission (now the Division of Labor Relations) and has spent the past two years working as a Rep for SEIU 1199 New England in Connecticut.

Josh is now the Regional Rep for the Clerical and Technical Units and Boston Police and City Hall as well the State Lottery Commission, Suffolk County Registry of Deeds and several chapters within Unit 2. 

Sarah originally hails from Northwestern New Jersey and recently graduated from a dual degree program earning her JD from Northeastern School of Law and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Tufts University.

Zane Farr began working for SEIU International in May 2008 as a Regional Logistics Coordinator during the 2008 elections. Following the elections Zane stayed on to work on SEIU’s Change That Works, spearheading the effort for Universal Health Care and employees right to choose a union.

Zane came on board with 888 last month and has been working with Organizing Director Julia Greene arranging meetings with Massachusetts Child Care Providers and their state legislators to convince the legislature to support SEIU’s Kids First Campaign.

SEIU Kids First Campaign
Momentum to pass legislation to allow nearly 5,000 Massachusetts Family Child Care Providers is growing! Recently important leaders in the State Senate and the House Speakers office have expressed their support for the bill and we are now in the final stretch of our legislative fight to pass the Improving Quality in Improving Early Education and Care by Family Child Care Providers Act. (Senate Bill 55 and House Resolution 494.)

Close to 100 legislators have already signed on as supporters of the Act and Governor Patrick has written his own letter of support to the Legislature. The bills are currently in the Legislature's Joint Committee on Children and Families. We hope to have this historic legislation approved before the Legislature adjourns on November 18th and to the Governor for signature before Christmas!

SEIU 888 E-Board Meeting held on October 30th

The Executive Board members enthusiasm for the new direction of our Union is running high!

At the outset of the meeting President Boccardy swore in two new Board Members Dave Reno from the Boston Police Dept and Mike Krasinkiewicz from the Unit 2 Veterans Cemetery in Agawam.

The Board then proceeded to business:
The members voted to change their stipend from $100 per month to $100 per meeting and to hold the meetings bi-monthly. Members who do not attend the meetings will not be eligible for the stipend.

The Board also voted to join hundreds of unions and community organizations across the country and endorse US House Resolution 676 which provides for universal single payer health care for all.

Finally, the Board passed a motion to support SEIU's new National Organizing Corps (NOC). The goal of NOC is for all locals to recruit 0.5 percent of their membership to become active in the National Organizing Corps in the next year. If locals meet this goal, 10,000 SEIU members will become trained and mobilized as part of the National Organizing Corps by next summer. This goal is a critical piece of the standards for member engagement we set at our 2008 International Convention to help achieve monumental change in the lives of workers.

We will be working closely with our sister union SEIU Local 509 to launch the National Organizing Corps here in Massachusetts. We are planning our first meeting  January 9, 2010 and we will send out more information soon.