October, 2021
Congratulations, Joseph Abboud!
Congratulations to Union members at Joseph Abboud Mfg. in New Bedford! The UMass Dartmouth Labor Education Center has chosen them to receive the Unsung Hero Award at this year’s Arnold M. Dubin Awards. Workers at Joseph Abboud – who typically are making suits and jackets – switched to making face masks early in the pandemic. The City of New Bedford gave these masks away for free to residents to keep them safe, and to keep the local economy afloat.
We spoke with Local 377C leaders Jason Bergeron and Ana Pacheco to learn more about the experience. Primarily, they and their co-workers felt proud to see their masks being worn by fellow community members both near and far. Local President Jason Bergeron noted the national importance of their work. New Bedford was the first city in America to offer masks. Without their work, the city’s ports and essential services may have been shut down.
Local Vice President Ana Pacheco later commented on the importance of local production. Shops like theirs make it easier to care for the community and provide what’s needed. By producing locally, New Bedford was able to contain the spread of COVID-19 faster than elsewhere.
Contact Updates:
We’re updating all of our contacts so we can keep in touch! This will help with:
- Pandemic updates
- Contract negotiations
- Mobilizing for actions
- Hearing your feedback
- And more!
If you haven’t already, Please click the link below to fill out our contact update form:
Vaccine Reminder:
We’ve all been through a difficult year. We truly hope that everyone remains safe and healthy into the future.
As a reminder, everyone is eligible to receive their vaccine – you too! COVID-19 vaccines are free with no insurance needed. The process is quick, painless, and brings us closer to returning to normal. Please protect yourself, your family, and your community as soon as you can.
Click below to find a vaccine clinic near you.
UNION WINS
MASSACHUSETTS – Crown Uniform Linen
CONGRATULATIONS! Members at Crown Uniform Linen have ratified their new collective bargaining agreement which includes big wins.
- Yearly raises over the life of the contract
- Differential and longevity pay
- Retirement benefits
- No increases to the cost of health insurance over the life of the contract
The New England Joint Board Podcast:
This month’s episode of the New England Joint Board Podcast features a conversation with union member Otto Herrera. Otto works as a saute chef with Sodexo at Curry College.
We want to be using the platform of this podcast to highlight the work that our members are doing. Otto has been an active Union member for six years now, and he’s become a strong voice for the Union. We’ll hear from him what it’s like to work in food service on a college campus, what the pandemic was like at his workplace, and the importance of solidarity in the Union.
If you would like to have your work featured in a future episode, please reach out and let me know!
News Clips:
Employees at Harvard Square coffee chains Pavement Coffeehouse and Darwin’s Ltd. have moved to unionize in recent months as the stores seek to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Workers at both Pavement and Darwin’s declared their intentions to unionize after delivering a letter to their companies in June and September, respectively.
New England Joint Board UNITE HERE, which represents both unions, said that the union at Darwin’s has been voluntarily recognized by the company and will now move to formulate the intended aims of the union.
“In one small corner of the food service and drinking places sector, cafes and coffee shops have recently emerged as a bright spot for unionism.” “Employees at Colectivo Coffee narrowly won representation this August for roughly 400 colleagues at the chain’s Wisconsin and Chicago locations, following a long and drawn-out campaign that workers accused management of attempting to upend. And that success came on the heels of voluntary recognition for the eight-unit coffee chain Pavement in Massachusetts, which organized in June with UNITE HERE’s New England Joint Board.”
“Annina Kennedy-Yoon, a self-identified Generation Z barista and member of the organizing committee at the four-unit chain Darwin’s Ltd. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, recounted complaining with her friends and co-workers that she probably will ‘work until I die to just barely afford an apartment,’ adding, ‘I think a lot of younger people are realizing that and saying, ‘No, I don’t want to do that anymore.’’”
“In the last month before the Boston mayoral general election, candidates Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George are vying for key endorsements to solidify their respective campaigns. As of Oct. 7, Wu received more than 50 endorsements mostly from elected officials, advocacy organizations and unions. Essaibi George has 14 endorsements listed on her campaign website, mostly from unions.”
“The union UNITE HERE New England Joint Board chose to endorse Wu in June based on how her progressive policy matched their needs for protections, looking especially at working conditions for immigrants, women and people of color, said communications and political director for NEJB, Mitchell Fallon. ‘We really look to Michelle as someone who isn’t just thinking so specifically about the City of Boston but the impacts that the City of Boston has on the region and on the Commonwealth and on a national stage,’ Fallon said. ‘[Boston] can be a powerhouse in creating solutions on these issues as well, and that’s what Michelle Wu really brings to the table.'”
It’s Voting Time – Tuesday, November 2nd!
After winning in neighborhoods all across the city of Boston, New England Joint Board UNITE HERE’s endorsed candidate for Mayor, Michelle Wu, will be advancing to the general election on November 2nd.
Please watch this video of Michelle Wu speaking about our union’s legacy and future. Your place in the union and in the labor movement is being recognized at all levels. Please consider supporting Michelle Wu in the final election for the Mayor of Boston, either by your vote or financial contribution.
ANYTHING TO ADD?
If you have anything that you want to see included in next month’s newsletter, please let us know! We want this to be a bulletin for all members to find value in.
