Carmen's Local 589 Spring 2022 Newsletter

LOCAL 589

CARMEN’S QUARTERLY Spring 2022

CELEBRATING THE WOMEN OF LOCAL 589

2

LOCAL 589 ATU

Table of Contents

3

President’s Report

4

Protecting Transit Workers

5

Boston Carmen’s Union Annual Golf Tournament

6

Tweets of Praise

7

New Green Line Extension (GLX)

RESOURCES FOR BENEFITS AND INFORMATION:

In the sad event of a Carmen’s member’s passing, we often receive calls and emails from the spouse concerning benefits and what actions they need to take. Here is some information should you need it — please cut out and save.

Health & Welfare Trust Life Insurance Policy $10,000.00

Contact: Extensive Benefits

(833) 200-6282

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission Life Insurance $5,000.00

Contact: MBTA Benefits Dept.

(617) 222-3244

ATU Local 589 Funeral Benefit $1,200.00

Contact: James Bradley FST Local 589

(617) 542-8212

National Group Protection (Supplemental Insurance)

(800) 344-9016

MBTA Retirement Fund

(617) 316-3800

CARMEN’S QUARTERLY • SPRING 2022

3

President’s Report A Message from President Jim Evers

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I hope you and your families are all doing well and enjoying the warm weather that the season brings. I want to thank all of you for your dedication to Local 589 and the MBTA while navigating the lasting effects of COVID-19. We appreciate your continued sacrifice and diligence to honor and protect the public safety of our communities.

Thanks to your patience and commitment, we have seen history in the making with the completion of the Green Line Extension. Not only does this project result in more accessible public transit for the people of Massachusetts, it also means new jobs and promotional opportunities for our members.

We encourage the MBTA to begin, continue, and complete similar projects. Read more about the Green Line Extension debut on page 7.

Previously, we had the pleasure of endorsing Attorney General Maura Healey for Governor of Massachusetts.

As advocates for working families and equity within our communities, we are confident that Healey is the champion we need in the Commonwealth's highest office. We want to remind the membership of the upcoming primary elections and encourage all Local 589 members to have their voices recognized by being active participants in state elections and getting out to the polls!

This year we have also seen Boston Mayor Michelle Wu make her stance clear in support of public transportation throughout the Commonwealth, furthering the accessibility of public transit. Our union believes that public transit is a public good, and we stand in solidarity with the Fair Share Amendment.

The majority of the MBTA's revenue comes from our low-income communities and communities of color, while large corporations and top earners, who benefit from public transit, currently make little to no contribution. We encourage all members to vote

"Yes" for the Fair Share Amendment ballot question in 2022, which would pass legislation mandating the wealthy to contribute funds to the public transit of Massachusetts.

Without you, our members, we cannot create the changes we work toward in solidarity. Again, I want to thank the members of Carmen's Local 589 as we each continue to lend a hand in supporting our brothers, our sisters, and our communities. Thanks to our members, we can continue to be indivisible and stronger than ever!

In solidarity, Jim Evers President Boston Carmen's Union Local 589

4

LOCAL 589 ATU

Protecting Transit Workers

Carmen's Local 589 stands in solidarity with TWU Local 100.

As transit workers, we play an important role in keeping our communities safe.

communities and contribute to productivity shortfalls, workplace absence, and increased stress levels.

The recent subway tragedy in Brooklyn, New York, is a reminder of the ongoing battle to protect transit workers and riders alike. A growing spike in violence has impacted transit workers throughout the United States with an increase in unruly riders and assaults since 2020. Workers worldwide are entitled to safe work environments, and now, transit workers need recognition more than ever. If the environment on public transportation grounds is unsafe for transit workers, it is also unsafe for riders.

With the advocacy of Local 589 and other transportation labor groups, the Bipartisan Infrastructure package includes provisions to expand the definition of what is considered an assault on a transit worker. Expanding the definition will make it easier to prosecute offenders, deter future assaults, and protect transit workers and our communities.

At least one transit worker is assaulted during their shift every day in the U.S., a startling statistic that we must work to decrease. These assaults happen in rural and urban

All workers deserve to feel safe on the job. Local 589 will also continue to advocate and lobby for our members' and riders' safety and protection.

CARMEN’S QUARTERLY • SPRING 2022

5

Boston Carmen’s Union Annual Golf Tournament Don’t miss the Boston Carmen’s Union Annual Golf Tournament Friday, September 9, 2022 Brookmeadow Country Club 100 Everendon Rd., Canton, MA 02021 Shotgun start at 8:00 AM

There will be an awards ceremony and Texas-style barbecue immediately following the tournament, with BBQ chicken, steak tips, sides, and salads. There will be an open bar for one hour.

The cost is $150 per golfer. Make your own foursome or enter as a single. To register, download a registration form, fill it out, write a check out to “Carmen’s Union COPE Golf Tournament,” and mail both items to Local 589 Vice President Bill Berardino at 50 Federal Street, 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02110.

Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. The course's spikeless shoe policy will be in effect.

Download the registration form at bit.ly/CarmensGolf22.

50-Year Members Paul J. Brown

Thomas D. Harney

Ritchie W. Murray Jr.

Kevin T. Castater

Michael G. Hawker

Nicholas G. Orlandino

William F. Collins Jr.

McArthur Jackson

Louis E. Palmieri

Thomas F. Connolly

Joseph W. King

James W. Pierce Jr.

Rickie Dillard

Joseph P. Larcano

William A. Romasco

James M. Ellis

Kevin J. Lovely

Jay D. Townley

Stephen J. Green

Leonard C. MacRina

Retirees Shelton Baskerville

Theresa A. Kerrigan

Mark D. Cassino

Michael W. Lane

Norman Gwynn

Scott A. Lawson

6

LOCAL 589 ATU

Tweets of Praise

In Memoriam Mario L. Avila

Edmund A. Noonan

Daniel Boyden

Jeam Y. Pamphile

Paul M. Fraser

Robert M. Sheehan

(Former Vice President of Local 589)

Barry W. Smith

Hugh E. Murphy Robert A. Murray Jr.

Richard J. Waldron Ming Tao Wong

CARMEN’S QUARTERLY • SPRING 2022

7

New Green Line Extension (GLX) The MBTA made a decades-old dream a partial reality in March with the official opening of Green Line service to Union Square, Somerville. MBTA officials say that the opening of the main extension of the Green Line, heading to Medford, is just around the bend. Carmen's and other MBTA workers were on hand for a March 21 ribbon-cutting ceremony that kicked off the new service to Union Square.

Also in attendance were prominent elected officials Gov. Charlie Baker, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. This event marked the first time a new subway branch had opened in Massachusetts since 1987. That's when Ronald Reagan was U.S. president!

The Union Square is a spur line that's part of the overall Green Line Extension (GLX). The main GLX line will run from Lechmere station in Cambridge to College Avenue in Medford and support over 50,000 rides per day.

The completed GLX will significantly increase accessibility to the MBTA. It will also significantly improve the Boston area's public transit system. For example, it gives Tufts University students easier access to affordable transportation.

Due to the extension and the anticipated increase in ridership, the area will be able to cut down vehicle emissions greatly.

The opening ceremony commemorated the beginning of a "reliable, sustainable, and accessible service" for the communities and showed a commitment from elected officials to clean, accessible public transportation for all.

Local 589 celebrates this historic milestone. We thank the members who have been essential to the completion of the GLX and those who will go on to run the Green Line extension and help provide essential transportation services for Massachusetts residents in Somerville, Medford, and beyond. The GLX has created jobs for those in the building trades and will continue to create jobs and opportunities for Local 589 members.

Boston Carmen’s Union Local 589 50 Federal Street, 9th Floor Boston MA 02110

Union benefits don't stop at the workplace.

When you sign up for Union Plus, Local 589 members get access to even more opportunities to save on their healthcare and prescriptions, higher education, travel, insurance, and more. You can even get discounts on movie tickets and at restaurants.

To learn more, visit UnionPlus.org.