Sisters and Brothers,

Your Bargaining Team continues to work hard to negotiate for a fair and just contract. We must stay strong and united as OPEIU Local 6 members. Please know that we are not alone in this struggle. We are also working with our sisters and brothers at other public-sector local unions to present a united front to the Baker Administration who controls the economic parameters at the bargaining table for all of us.

That’s why I enthusiastically signed on to a letter to Governor Baker urging him to reconsider his unacceptable economic proposal. Joining me on the letter are union leaders representing over 30,000 state employees here in the Commonwealth. Some of you may have read stories in the Salem News and other news outlets reporting on the letter given to the Governor.

In spite of budget cuts and severe under staffing, OPEIU Local 6 members have continued to provide high quality services for citizens across the Commonwealth who use the court system. We hope that the Trial Court and the Baker Administration share our goal of continuing to ensure that everyone who seeks justice in the Massachusetts Trial Court System receive the service that they deserve.

Yet if our contract does not keep up with the cost of living, staff turnover will only worsen, which will ultimately hurt all who use the Courts. The cost of living and cost of health insurance continue to rise, and the administration’s current proposal of two raises of 0.5% each in FY18 does not keep pace.

The letter was hand-delivered to Governor Baker’s office, and you have my word that we will continue to make sure he knows where we stand. We have bargaining sessions scheduled for early November. Stay tuned and stand strong.

In solidarity,

George Noel

Business Manager

Read the letter to Governor Baker

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

The Officers and Staff of OPEIU Local 6 wish you and your families a happy and safe Labor Day. While many view Labor Day as a holiday to celebrate the end of summer, get a year-end deal on a car or to finish back to school shopping, we know this holiday commemorates our continuing struggle as a labor movement to stand together in union to strive for better standards of living, to have a good life and to create a better workplace.

As we enjoy our holiday weekend, please remember our sisters and brothers in Texas who desperately need our help. Hurricane Harvey is probably the largest natural disaster ever faced in Texas. The resulting downpours have caused untold damage in Houston, Galveston Island, Corpus Christi, Beaumont-Port Arthur, parts of central Texas and many areas in between. Even though the rains have subsided, conditions continue to deteriorate for them.

We are heartened by the courage and tenacity shown by the Texans who are enduring this terrible tragedy and by the compassion and generosity displayed by the people of our great nation to help them in their hour of need.

Many of our OPEIU sisters and brothers in Texas need our help. If you can make a small contribution to the OPEIU Relief Fund, we know that your generosity will be appreciated by our sisters and brothers. Please be as generous as you can.

OPEIU Local 6 is pleased to report that we have reached an agreement with the Trial Court to pay down part of our members’ current accrued comp time. All OPEIU Local 6 members who have accrued more than 75 hours of comp time as of the pay period ending May 27, 2017 are eligible to be paid for 25% of that accrued comp time.

For example, if an OPEIU Local 6 member has 100 comp hours, that member will receive compensation for 25% of that 100 hours- 25 hours pay. We hope that this comp time payout will help out our eligible members who could use the extra money during the vacation season.

This is a strictly voluntary program. If you DO NOT WANT TO PARTICIPATE in the comp time pay down, please email Business Manager George Noel by July 15, 2017.

In solidarity,

George Noel

Business Manager

OPEIU is pleased to introduce the newest union benefit for all OPEIU members – the OPEIU Free College Benefit. Just as the name implies, OPEIU members and their families can now earn an associate degree completely free of charge.

Download the Free College Benefit flyer

With all the expenses working families have to deal with these days, it’s good to know that meeting the costs of rising tuition and textbooks doesn’t have to be one of them. If you have children graduating from high school and planning to attend college or you are looking for a way to advance your own career, the OPEIU Free College Benefit is here to help. Beginning this summer, every member or retired member, as well as spouses, children, grandchildren and dependents of OPEIU members, can earn a two-year degree online for free. You read that right – free college just for being an OPEIU member in good standing.

The leadership of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 6 are proud of our members who serve as Official Court Reporters (OCR) in the criminal courtrooms in the Massachusetts Superior Court. Their responsibility in that courtroom is to assure that every motion or trial is being preserved in the most reliable way possible. They have been memorializing the spoken word in our courts since 1888.

Almost two years ago, the Court Reporters were informed that they were no longer needed by the Trial Court and were to be replaced by machines no later than June 30, 2016. Under our contract and Massachusetts labor laws, the Trial Court was obligated to bargain over the impact of these changes.

Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father.

Lydia Maria Child

The Officers and Staff of OPEIU Local 6 want to wish our members who are fortunate to be fathers a happy and safe Father’s Day.

Bargaining Underway!
With our current contract set to expire at the end of June, the Local 6 Bargaining Committee has been hard at work negotiating with Trial Court management to craft a new agreement to cover our members across the state of Massachusetts.  To date the parties have met four times since April 6—with more dates scheduled through the month of June.

Two more OPEIU Local 6 members who utilized the OPEIU towing/service calls benefit, administered through Nation Safe Drivers, in the month of April 2017 saved 176.40.

Each member is entitled to up to two tows per year, valued at up to $100 each, for the member and family living in the same household.

Local 6 is happy to share with you the announcement of the OPEIU Student Debt Reduction Program.  Please find the rules and regulations for the OPEIU Student Debt Reduction Program on our website opeiulocal6.org. This program provides five awards of $2,500 each year to a member who has completed an associate or undergraduate degree and who can demonstrate they have at least $10,000 in student debt and their account is current.

The application deadline is June 30^th.  All applications must be signed by the Local Union President, Secretary Treasurer or authorized officer before submission to the International Union.

This is a great benefit for OPEIU members.

Download the application

Download the eligibility requirements

Due to expected inclement weather, the general membership meeting is being changed to Tue 3/28, at 6:00 p.m.

The date of our Executive Board meeting is remaining the same, 3/28, but the time is changed to 5:00 p.m.