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Local 615 joins immigrant communities and civic groups in urging census participation


census meeting march 9

On Wednesday March 17 at 10 a.m. at the Harborside Community Center of East Boston, SEIU Local 615 will join Mayor Menino  and a broad spectrum of the state’s immigrant and civic leaders to urge our communities to be counted in the 2010 census. All SEIU members and their families are invited. The historic gathering is the first time so many ethnically diverse groups have come together to promote census participation in Massachusetts. SEIU has joined forces with the Ya Es Hora/Now’s the Time campaign to encourage census participation, and is the only union involved in the campaign. “The census tells the story of who we are as a nation. It’s also vital for making our political voice heard,” said SEIU Local 615 president Rocio Saenz. “Being counted is crucial for funding all kinds of services that our members rely on -- everything from education and child care, to libraries and public transportation.”

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SEIU workers win no-layoff guarantee at Boston College

bc bargaining team

After nine rocky months of negotiations, Local 615 members at Boston College voted six to one on February 17 to approve a new six-year contract that will give most of the 270 facility workers a no-layoff guarantee that is rare in any industry. While the agreement allows BC to contract out work to reduce overtime, the union will have opportunity to review and discuss beforehand the University’s proposals to contract out. The contract prohibits BC from replacing in-house jobs with outside contractors. The union also won raises totaling 4 percent by June 2010, with future raises to be negotiated. Students, alumni, legislators, and faculty all helped the union win a fair contract.

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Haiti still needs our help

SEIU reaches out

haiti earthquake

In the hours and days after a 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti, SEIU raced to respond, bringing help ranging from millions in donations to teams of SEIU volunteer translators and health care professionals deploying to the island. Here in Boston, home to nation’s third-largest Haitian community, Local 615 joined the efforts of 1199SEIU and the City’s Public Health Commission, who within 48 hours of the quake created a Haiti crisis resource center that provided translation, communications, and counseling. Now the relief effort has moved from disaster response to recovery and rebuilding, which will take months and years. SEIU has pledged to be there for Haiti over the long haul. Donations remain desperately needed. To learn more about what you can do, click here.