Carmens Local 589 – Spring Newsletter

President’s Report

A

Brothers and Sisters,

Evers

We're almost halfway through the year, and 2023 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years yet for the Carmen's Union.

We are pleased to announce that we have successfully negotiated a robust pension agreement that will benefit our members in the long run by increasing their financial resources. We take pride in the fact that in March, the membership unanimously voted to ratify the agreement. For more information on the new benefits, please refer to page 4.

We have recently restarted our efforts to pass a new law that will penalize aggressors who harm MBTA employees while on duty. Our commitment to your safety is unwavering, and we remain determined to see this bill through. Check out page 8 to learn more about our campaign for the assault bill.

The Carmen's Union Golf Tournament is returning this September at the beautiful Brookmeadow Country Club! Be sure to register soon, as space is limited. Bring your spikeless shoes and your sense of friendly competition for a relaxing day on the course with your fellow Carmen's Union members!

As always, I want to give a big thank you to you, our members, for staying involved and showing up for yourselves and each other. Your hard work and dedication make us stronger.

In solidarity,

Jim Evers President

Message from President Jim

New Pension Agreement

We are thrilled to share that thanks to the strong and united efforts of Carmen's Union Local 589 representatives during months of negotiations, MBTA management has agreed to safeguard the pensions and benefits of all members through a new 10-year contract.

Your union held strong in the face of an unfavorable and unfair arbitration decision that would have slashed the pensions of many members. “We are happy to have reached a resolution that protects our members, ensuring they receive their benefits with a secure retirement," said Carmen's Union Local 589 President Jim Evers.

This agreement will address the issue of employee retention, especially for skilled and certified workers, ultimately benefiting riders, the community, and employees alike.

The new pension agreement lasts until June 30, 2028. Here are some of its key wins:

• The maximum pension benefit is increased from 75% of final earnings to 80%, increasing the maximum pensionable service from 30.5 to 32.5 years.

• Employees hired after the date of the new agreement will be covered by a benefit formula which is graduated by age at retirement as follows: age 55 – 1.75% of High-3; age 56 – 1.875%; age 57 – 2.00%; age 58 – 2.125%; age 59 – 2.25%; age 60 – 2.375%; age 61 and older – 2.46%. New hires may retire after 10 years of service under this formula.

• For a 5-year period beginning July 2023, employee contributions will be 1.25% of pay above the otherwise required contribution under the current plan.

• The MBTA will be able to re-hire up to 125 retirees. These retirees will continue to receive their pensions and other retirement benefits while actively employed by the MBTA.

The retirement system of the MBTA, valued at $1.66 billion, plays a vital role in securing the future of our members post-MBTA. As

In Memoriam

Brian T. Areyzaga

Reginald B. Ball

Thomas G. Bowes

Richard A. Chagnon

John A. Curley

Christine I. DiReeno

Kevin F. Dunleavy

James M. Evers

Brian F. Fletcher

David F. Galligani

the representative of over 6,000 MBTA transit professionals, including subway, light rail, and bus operators, maintenance staff, and workers in various other positions, who work tirelessly to keep the T running for hundreds of thousands of riders every day, Local 589 is committed to advocating for the future of each member.

Frederick C. Hanley

Paul J. Lavigne

Christopher Mehrmann

Hugh J. O'Neill

Betty A. Paragona

Roberta M. Picklesimer

Ralph Schlueter

James Steele

Kendall L. Wilbur

William E. Younker

Member Spotlight

How would you react when faced with an emergency situation, like seeing someone fall between a pair of active train cars, with only seconds before sustaining life-threatening injuries?

For a team of Local 589 members, including two Green Line operators and four Reservoir carhouse repairers, the answer came swiftly and expertly, thanks to a high level of union's training, that enabled them to save a woman's life.

The incident happened when a young woman slipped between the two cars. Green Line operators Ashley Torres and Francisco Lazarre quickly hit the emergency brakes, preventing serious injury, and quite possibly saving the woman’s life.

When firefighters were unable to free the woman on their own, Local 589 came to the rescue again. Four repairers from the Reservoir carhouse — Andrew Pizzano, Phong Nguyen, Claude Placide, and Jason Lussier — were called to the scene and used their hydraulic jacking equipment to lift the train off the woman successfully.

Local 589 is proud to recognize Ashley, Francisco, Andrew, Phong, Claude, and Jason for their rapid response and life-saving actions.

The ability of members to receive quality emergency response services training is a top priority for Local 589. Our work isn't easy, but we ensure that MBTA workers know how to spot and respond to emergency situations.

Retirees

Local 589 wishes the following retiring members of our union the very best.

Damian E. Andrews

Audrey Arrington

Stephen F. Bausemer

Becky L. Bond

Thomas M. Bowler

Raphael D. Brown

Karen Burns

David Caesar

William A. Cameron

Patrick V. Cappola

John L. Carbone

Jerrilyn Carrone

Kevin Chiu

James A. Clancey III

John A. Clancy III

Carol J. Creech

Lee Creech Jr.

Donna M. Delcourt

Brian D. Dillon

James M. Felton

Ruben Figueroa

Sandra D. Gardner

Sherrill Goms

Mark Hendron

Cheri A. Hughes

Michael V. Hurley

Fitzmichael Jean

Leonard B. Johnson

David B. Keefe

Destin LaFontant

Lorraine A. Landsburg

Ira A. Lawrence

Stephen S. Luongo

Ventura Malave

Steven Maher

Alan M. Maloof

Michael D. Martelli

Donna Matney

Migdalia S. Mazziotta

Sally A. McDonald

William Menear

Renee Mignet

David G. Mooney

Pauline A. Murphy

Ronald M. Neff

Charles F. O'Brien

Robert S. O'Donnell

Joseph B. O'Neill

Edward A. Pedone

Stephen M. Perno

Rose A. Rhodes

Patricia A. Ridge

James E. Ross

Napoleon Sanders

Geraldine Shaw

Michelle M. Smallcomb

Maria T. Soto

Anthony A. Spence

Tracey L. Spencer

David P. Srams

Brian J. Walsh

James L. Wigon

Jewell A. Williams

Lauriane Wood

Phillip A. Wright Sr.

Brian T. Wynne

Assault Campaign Update

Local 589 is continuing to fight hard to make the state legislature take action on stopping MBTA employee assaults. Your safety is our top priority.

Recently, several of our members courageously testified about the physical and verbal assaults they endured while simply doing their jobs. Their testimony was heard by members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary in support of H.1669, which would impose stricter punishments for those convicted of assaulting public transit

workers. Thank you to these members for speaking out on behalf of all operators.

To pass this bill, we need your support: Tell your State Representative to pass H.1669 today. This commonsense legislation will make your job safer by making assault or battery of a public transit worker punishable by imprisonment for at least 90 days or a fine of at least $500. Under this bill, transit workers like you will receive the protections you deserve to stay safe on the job.

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