THE MALDEN ADVOCATE – Friday, September 1, 2017

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Vol. 20, No. 35

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Friday, September 1, 2017

Mayor, Bike to the Sea Triangle, Inc. faces labor complaint By Barbara Taormina tracts and donations which angle’s marketing manager. replace stolen bicycle fluctuate from year-to-year. Banelis told the Boston h r i s t i e S te p h e n s o n , a spokeswoman for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) local 509, posted an interesting question online this week for Coleman Nee, the CEO of Triangle, Inc., a Maldenbased nonprofit organization. “Who’s your biggest anti-union role model?� asked Stephenson. “Reagan? Trump? Koch bros? McConnell?� That question, and others, came in the wake of Nee’s decision to layoff four employees at Triangle, a wellknown local organization that supports people with disabilities and helps them find jobs and careers. Nee said the cuts were based on budget constraints. “Basically, we’ve been restructuring over the past couple of years,� said Nee, adding that Triangle has been changing to adapt to the needs of the communities it serves. Nee said the layoffs were a result of a budget review that includes federal con-

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When Mayor Gary Christenson received a letter from a Malden High School incoming senior who also works for the Malden Summer Youth Employment Program (MSYEP) about her recently stolen bike, he wanted to help. For Stephanie Jean, money was tight in her family and the money allotted to her for bus fare was never enough, so she ended up walking to school and work on most days. So, with one of her first paychecks from working at her summer job, she purchased a second-hand bike on Amazon for transportation to work and school. Unfortunately, within a few days of using it to get to her MSYEP job at the Tiny House at Malden High School, the bike was stolen. She reported it to the police, but there were no leads, and she now had no means of transportation. Mayor Christenson reached out to Bike to the Sea President Stephen Winslow, who worked to locate a replacement bike to donate to Stephanie. The mayor and Stephen met up with her and her new bike and also made sure she had a new lock and a bike helmet that was donated by the Malden Police Department. Shown, from left to right, are Jim Tozza, Bike to the Sea; Stephen Winslow, Bike to the Sea President; Stephanie Jean; Mayor Gary Christenson; and Janet Green, Bike to the Sea.

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“It’s never an easy decision to lay someone off, but we had to think of what’s best for the organization as a whole,� he said. But the four workers who lost their jobs said they were laid off in retaliation for their efforts to launch a union for Triangle’s full-time staff, which numbers roughly 120 people. SEIU has filed a formal complaint with the National Labor Relations Board and intends to keep protesting the cuts. “As many of you know, I was one of four workers who were recently illegally fired for union activity at my workplace of Triangle, Inc.,� posted Amy Banelis on her Facebook page. “We are going to fight this.� Banelis, an employment specialist at Triangle, was let go along with Bill Davis, the organization’s facilities manager, Jim Kane, director of community integration, and Joseph DiVincenzo, Tri-

State awards city three early education grants By Barbara Taormina he city’s youngest students received a boost this week with the announcement that the state will invest $46 million in early education and care programs. Malden will receive three grants worth roughly $305,300 to support early education services. The funding follows on the heels of a 6 percent rate increase for programs that provide ear-

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ly education and early childhood care services for low-income families. “Our underlying theme in early education is focused on quality, and, in particular, on the workforce as the lever which we are going to improve outcomes for children,� said state Education Secretary James Peyser. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said the money will give teachers resources to provide highquality care and enrichment for students. “It’s fabulous news,� said

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Herald that she and her coworkers had been meeting regularly in the hope of establishing a union that could use its bargaining power to address staff ratios and pay. Davis added that he and Banelis, Kane and DiVincenzo were the four members of Triangle’s staff heading up the push for a union. Officials at Triangle said the organization tried to limit the layoffs to managers, who are not allowed to participate in union activities, and that the organization sought to avoid any cuts to direct care staff. But Banelis, whose Facebook page contains proworker and pro-union photos and information, was an employment specialist working directly with clients. Nee denied the layoffs were related to the four employees’ attempt to start a union at Triangle. “Our ultimate goal is to respect our employees’ rights, especially their labor rights,� he said.

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