Dear Sisters and Brothers,

As we prepare to observe Veterans Day, the Officers and Staff of OPEIU Local 6 want to express our gratitude to our sisters and brothers who served and to all veterans across our great nation. We want to wish our members and their families a happy and safe Veterans Day. Thank you for your service.

In solidarity,

Mary Mahoney, President
Patricia Pelletier, Secretary Treasurer
Lois Ciuffredo, Vice President
Deborah Puopolo, Recording Secretary
George Noel, Business Manager

The next general membership meeting will be held on Wednesday, 12/4/19 at 6 pm at our office at 150 Wood Road, suite 400, Braintree, MA 02184.

The next general membership meeting will be held on Tuesday, 9/10/19 at 6 pm at our office at 150 Wood Road, suite 400, Braintree, MA 02184.

Trial Court Members:

Please see digital copies of the new contracts for both the Clerical and Professional Units.

Thank you!

New TC Contract Clerical

New TC Contract Professional

The next general membership meeting will be held on Tuesday, 5/14/19 at 6 pm at our office at 150 Wood Road, suite 400, Braintree, MA 02184.

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

We would like to give you a brief update regarding the Office of Court Management (OCM) Fiscal & Facilities reckless reorganization.

Business Manager George Noel, Special Assistant to the President Dick Martin and Business Agent Phil Basile met with Chief Justice Paula Carey, Court Administrator Jon Williams and Director of Labor Relation Mark Conlon to voice our strenuous objection to the OCM Fiscal and Facilities reckless reorganization and the manner in which it was announced to our members in those departments. We informed them that this type of activity taking place on the heels of the Classification and Compensation Study where the Trial Court committed to our members that “there would be no layoff or reduction in pay” has shaken the confidence and credibility of the entire Trial Court Leadership in the eyes of OPEIU Local 6 and our members. We further advised them to stop this ill-conceived reorganization plan immediately.

Chief Justice Carey and Court Administrator Williams listened to our concerns and asked for some time to consider our comments and suggestions.

As reported yesterday, we sent a Cease and Desist Letter to the Trial Court as well as an Information Request. Our attorney will be filing a prohibited practice charge with the Department of Labor Relations today. Copies of these documents can be found on our website.

We have received a response to our Cease and Desist letter in which the Trial Court stated that it, “… does not intend to take any steps to implement these plans without engaging in collective bargaining.” Part of the Cease and Desist Letter and the Trial Court’s response prohibits Trial Court managers from negotiating or discussing this issue with you. If a manager approaches you to discuss this reorganization, bring it to our attention immediately.

We will keep you informed of any recent events that may occur or actions that we suggest you take regarding this matter.

In Solidarity,

George Noel, Business Manager

4.24.19 Signed Prohibited Practice Charge Direct Dealing

04.24.19 RJB to Judge Carey and Judge Gants

04.24.19 RJB to Conlon [Inforamtion Request re Fiscal and Faciliies FY 2019]

Response to Cease & Desist Local 6 ltr 04.25.19

The next General Membership meeting will be held on Tuesday, 3/12/19 at 6 p.m. at our office at 150 Wood Rd, Suite 400, Braintree, MA 02184.

The following list of legislation is for informational purposes only, since this legislation affects the terms and conditions of employment for our public sector members.

SD. 1241: An Act Relative to Collective Bargaining Dues (Senator Boncore)

HD. 302: An Act Relative to Collective Bargaining Dues (Rep. Chan)

This bill represents the consensus public sector response to the Janus Supreme Court ruling, and is identical to the version that passed the state senate on July 31st, 2018

• Protects the privacy of personal contact information for public employees
• Ensures certain union access to public sector worksites, including the right to meet with newly hired employees
• Clarifies the terms of union membership/payroll deduction of union dues
• Allows unions the option of charging non-members for the costs of representation during the grievance or arbitration process.

SD. 1838: An Act Reforming the Group Insurance Commission (Senator Friedman)

HD. 3115: An Act Relative to Group Insurance Commission Composition and Transparency (Rep. Capano)

• Seeks to make representation on the Group Insurance Commission more fair to active employees and retirees by adding two additional labor seats
• Ensures that Commissioners are provided with advance notice and relevant information prior to votes substantially altering health care plan designs, costs, or offerings.

SD. 1299: An Act Limiting Out of Pocket Health Expenses (Senator Feeney)

HD. 1606: An Act Limiting Out of Pocket Health Expenses (Rep. Mark)

• Caps annual out-of-pocket healthcare expenses at $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families enrolled in Group Insurance Commission Health Insurance Plans.

SD. 1485: An Act Relative to Group Insurance Commission Premium Contributions (Senator Friedman)

HD. 1597: An Act Establishing Fairness in Group Insurance Commission Premium Contributions (Rep. Mark)

• Equalizes all state employees at a 20% health insurance premium contribution.

SD. 1298: An Act Relative to Group Insurance Commission Procurement (Sen. Feeney)

• Exempts proposals and bids made or recieved by the Group Insurance Commission, as well as the commission’s communications made in connection with reviewing proposals and bids, from public procurement laws that prevent this information from being shared with Commissioners and the public

HD. 288: An Act Protecting the Right to Strike (Rep. Connolly)

• This bill would provide public employees and public employee organizations with the right to engage in a strike.

 

Applications now are being accepted for the 2019 OPEIU educational scholarships, and all members are encouraged to apply. Full details, rules and applications can be found at OPEIU.org under the Member Resources/Union Benefits link, as well as on the OPEIU app.

Scholarship opportunities include the Howard Coughlin Memorial Scholarship for OPEIU members and dependents, and the John Kelly Labor Studies Scholarship for OPEIU members who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in labor studies, industrial relations and union leadership and administration.

Scholarships are also available for children of OPEIU members to attend the Romeo Corbeil/Giles Beauregard Memorial summer camp, held July 14-19, 2019, at the University of Missouri Campus, Columbia, Missouri.

Full details, rules and applications are available at OPEIU.org under the Member Resources/Union Benefits link.

As well as the great opportunities through the OPEIU International, the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council has announced a scholarship for residents of Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the Islands, whose parents/legal guardians/aunts/uncles/grandparents are members of a Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council Affiliated Union. You can find applicable information here.

On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States, according to statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.

OPEIU Local 6 is excited to let members know that the union and the trial court has negotiated a memorandum of understanding (MOU) allowing 15 paid days of domestic violence leave. It is our sincere hope that none of our members ever have to use this benefit, but we hope it helps you rest easier to know it is available.

For the contents of the MOU, see the PDF file linked below:

01.24.19 DVL MOA Executed