Carmen's Local 589 Summer 2022 Newsletter

PENSION AWARD INFORMATION

The content of this newsletter was written prior the arbitrator’s award on the pension. As of the date of publishing, the Executive Board is aware of the arbitrator’s award and is working on finding a resolution swiftly. Updates will be made in real time at monthly union meetings, on the Local 589 website, and in future newsletters. For pension concerns or information, please contact the union hall or your delegate.

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.

(833) 200-6282

MBTA Benefits Dept. (617) 222-3244

James Bradley FST

(617) 542-8212

(800) 344-9016

(617) 316-3800

President’s Report

A Message from President Jim Evers

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I hope all of you had a very happy Labor Day! Unions have won important victories for all workers, and we continue to fight every day for things like higher wages and safer working conditions. When unions are strong, America is strong!

Everyone deserves a safe place to work. As we all know, there have been several safety incidents over the past few months. I would like to take a moment to address these issues:

The safety of our membership and the riding public will always be the number one priority for Local 589.

Union leadership has been continually engaged with representatives of the FTA and NTSB about these matters. We have also been working with government agencies to implement changes to make the job safer.

Throughout this entire process, we have been engaged in discussions and negotiations with MBTA management. The union is actively working to get institutional changes made which will immediately improve the safety of our members. These include the reintroduction of certain work classifications that have been inactive for years.

Changing public policy to improve workers’ safety also means electing pro-union, pro-labor candidates who will fight to protect working families in Massachusetts. Make sure to have

your voice counted by registering to vote and then getting out to the polls!

I want to thank the members of Carmen's Local 589 for the hard work and dedication that form the backbone of our union. When you’re in a union, you’re not alone. Together, we will keep moving forward and supporting our brothers, our sisters, and our communities.

In solidarity, Jim Evers

President Boston Carmen's Union Local 589

Celebrating 125 Years of the Boston Subway

Boston prides itself on being a city of firsts. Among our many historic accomplishments is having the first subway in America. The Tremont Street Subway, part of today’s Green Line, opened on September 1st, 1897, and will turn 125 years old this year.

By the late 1800s, the need for better transportation in Boston was clear. Streets were packed with pedestrians, horses, pushcarts, and streetcars. It was often quipped that one could walk on the roofs of the trolleys from Park Street to Scollay Square faster than it would take to ride them.

To solve this problem, Boston envisioned a tunnel beneath downtown to clear the streets and speed up the trolleys.

The concept of underground travel was largely unheard of at the time. London, Glasgow, and Budapest had already built underground train

lines, but in London, the tube used coal-powered steam trains that left riders covered in soot.

To alleviate the concerns of subterranean travel, the Boston Transit Commission painted the tunnel walls white and installed lights that illuminated both the stations and the tunnels between them. Additionally, the electric traction motor, invented by Frank Sprague and already in use to power the above-ground trolleys in Boston, gave the city the ability to run a clean, hospitable, and cutting-edge system.

On its opening day in 1897, the Tremont Street Subway was considerably smaller than it is today. With a portal in the Public Garden, it included two stations: Boylston & Park Street. The first car entered the subway early in the morning on September 1. The trolley from Allston, operated by Motorman James Reed and his conductor Gilman Trufant, completed the short trip to Park Street without issue.

Some riders were skeptical about traveling underground, especially those who were concerned by the relocation of a Revolutionary War cemetery during the construction of Boylston Station, but fears quickly subsided and over 100,000 people rode the new subway on its opening day!

As America’s first subway, the Tremont Street subway is not only the oldest subway tunnel in North America but also the third oldest still in use worldwide today. In its 125 years of service, the Subway has grown, with extensions to:

• The Pleasant Street portal in 1897 (closed 1962)

• Scollay Square (now Government Center), Adams Square (demolished 1963), and Haymarket (relocated in 1971) in 1898

• Copley & Massachusetts Avenue (now Hynes) in 1914

• Kenmore (and the Comm Ave & Beacon Street portals) in 1932

• Mechanics (now Prudential) & Symphony in 1941

• The Highland Branch portal in 1959

• and most recently to the new North Station in 2004.

Additionally, the Tremont Street Subway briefly played host to rapid transit trains from the Main Line Elevated (today’s Orange Line) from 1901 until the Washington Street Subway was finished in 1908.

On this historic anniversary, we celebrate all who have dedicated their time to working on the Tremont Street subway, past and present. Thank you for keeping Boston connected!

Election Updates & Information

Massachusetts held its primary election on September 6. Many of our endorsed candidates won their races. We want to wish a special congratulations to:

Maura Healey, for Governor

Kim Driscoll, for Lieutenant Governor

William Galvin, for Secretary of State

Diana DiZoglio, for State Auditor

Chris lannella, for Governor's Council

Kevin Hayden, for Suffolk County

District Attorney

Paul Feeney, for State Senator in Bristol & Norfolk

Liz Miranda, for State Senator in 2nd Suffolk

Susan Moran, for State Senator in Plymouth & Barnstable

Patrick O’Connor, for State Senator in 1st Plymouth & Norfolk

Rebecca Rausch, for State Senator in Norfolk, Worcester & Middlesex

Walter Timilty, for State Senator in Norfolk, Plymouth & Bristol

Bruce Ayers, for State Rep. in 1st Norfolk

Simon Cataldo, for State Rep. in 14th Middlesex

Tackey Chan, for State Rep. in 2nd Norfolk

Jessica Giannino, for State Rep. in 16th Suffolk

Ken Gordon, for State Rep. in 21st Middlesex

James Murphy, for State Rep. in 4th Norfolk

Lindsay Sabadosa, for State Rep. in 1st Hampshire

Aaron Saunders, for State Rep. in 7th Hampden

Tom Stanley, for State Rep. in 9th Middlesex

Chynah Tyler, for State Rep. in 7th Suffolk

Tommy Vitolo, for State Rep. in 15th Norfolk

Christopher Worrell, for State Rep. in 5th Suffolk

Thank you to all our members who got out the vote and made these wins possible. But our work isn't done.

With the primary season over, it's time to prepare for the general election in November. We need to unite behind candidates at every level of the ballot who will stand up for unions and the working people we represent.

It's never too early to make your plan to vote. Remember these key dates:

• October 22 – November 4, 2022: Early voting open

• October 29, 2022: Deadline to register to vote

• November 1, 2022: Deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot

• November 8, 2022: Election Day! Polls open from 7 am – 8 pm

Elections impact everything from public transportation to our children's education. Make sure that your vote — and your voice — is heard in November.

See you at the polls!

Visit WhereDoIVoteMA.com to find your polling location and other essential voting information.

Tweets of Praise

In Memoriam

Eddie C. Dean

Rhea DeSilva

Quick action can prevent disaster. Just ask Green Line operator Rhea DeSilva, who has been a member of Local 589 for almost three years. She started her career with the MBTA after her sister, an MBTA bus driver for over a decade, encouraged her to apply.

On April 10, 2022, Rhea was working an ordinary late-night shift when she noticed something wrong with the rails while passing through Packard's Corner. "I always look at my rail when I'm working," she points out. "It's one of the first things they teach you—always look at your rail, read your rail, make sure you're going in the right direction, make sure there are no defects in the rail."

After spotting the broken rail, Rhea tried but couldn't get a hold of her dispatcher. "I flag down an operator who comes along," she recalls, "and sure enough, Jarvis, whom I worked with at Mattapan, is coming forward. I said I think the track is broken back there, so don't go over it, pull up to it, take a look at it, and call OCC."

Member Spotlight

The Broken Track on Packard's Corner

If Rhea hadn't acted quickly and flagged down her fellow operator, Jarvis Holloman-Slash, there could have been a major derailment. "I'm happy we're able to prevent any kind of derailment to that particular area," she says, "because that street is so busy, and we get a lot of people coming in and out from that area, so that was good work."

Rhea credits the training she received from her instructor, Rich Austin, for giving her the tools she needed to successfully prevent a derailment, "My instructor was amazing. He gave us the tools in our bag to get us going, even though we didn't necessarily get to practice certain tools during training. You only have a certain amount of time to respond, and he gave us all those tools to build upon."

The training Rhea received has helped make her into one of many skilled operators who work for the MBTA. "We're all very skilled operators," she notes. "I think about what we do daily. Driving that thing is not easy. Keeping the city moving, pushing people all day every day is not an easy job, and we do it."

Rhea explains why she's so proud to work for MBTA: "We get people home, we get people to pick up their kids at the end of the day, we get them to the hospitals, we get them to where they need to go on a daily basis. When I look back on it, our service to the city, it's really great."

Thank you to Rhea and all members of Local 589 for the amazing service you provide every day!

50-Year Members

James W. Pierce Jr.

Thomas D. Harney

Stephen J. Green William A. Romasco

Louis E. Palmieri

Ritchie W. Murray Jr. McArthur Jackson

Rickie Dillard

Nicholas G. Orlandino Leonard C. MacRina

Kevin J. Lovely

Joseph P. Larcano

Joseph W. King Michael G. Hawker

Thomas F. Connolly William F. Collins Jr.

Jay D. Townley

James M. Ellis

Kevin T. Castater

Paul J. Brown Richard J. Osetek

Richard M. Murphy

Paul J. Lynch

Paul W. Hoyt

Warren F. Totty

Charles L. Shea Edward K. McGeever

Bobby R. Edwards

James G. Duddy

James V. Compagnone

Peter J. Lydon

William R. DeWolfe

Albert D. Williams James G. McDonald Martin M. Griffin

Richard L. Gordon

William F. Bernier III

Retirees

June

Laura A. Drayton

Cheryl V. Monroe

Jose M. Pires

Phillip D. Brooks Steven J. Niak May

Helen E. Mina

Labor Day Article

Happy Labor Day to all Boston Carmen's Union members!

Like every generation since Labor Day was first celebrated in the late 1800s, we take this time to honor the American workers who keep our economy moving — and the labor movement that has made a better life possible for all Americans.

Working conditions in 1800s America were grim. People would work 12 hours a day, up to 7 days a week, in unsafe settings. Children, sometimes as young as 5, were forced to work the same long hours for a fraction of the pay. Immigrant workers often faced discrimination on top of these conditions.

Labor unions had already existed since the late 1700s but began to grow more vocal for change. Strikes to protest poor working conditions soon swarmed the nation in the following decades after the Civil War.

Peter J. McGuire, the founder of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, proposed a celebration honoring American workers to the Central Labor Union of New York. As a result, on September 5, 1882, the first Labor Day was celebrated with a parade through the streets of New York City.

McGuire isn't the only person credited as the father of Labor Day. Historians believe Matthew Maguire may have also proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as the secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. Though we may not know who first came up with the idea of Labor

Day, we do know that McGuire and Maguire both attended the New York City parade with 10,000 other American workers.

While New York was the first state to hold a celebration, Oregon became the first state to recognize Labor Day as a holiday in 1887 officially. Massachusetts and other states soon followed, establishing the holiday on the first Monday in September.

Workers continued to strike for better conditions. Congress attempted to mend relations with workers by passing a bill making Labor Day a federal holiday, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland on June 28, 1894. 128 years later, Labor Day is still celebrated with parades and other festivities as a reminder of the value of the American worker.

As the country's workforce continues to grow and evolve, labor unions will continue to fight for a better quality of life for working families. Unions provide a collective voice and bargaining power. As Labor Day reminds us of the contributions of the American workforce, we are also reminded of the role, and power unions play in the country's workforce.

50 Federal Street, 9th

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.

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