LOCAL 589
CARMEN’S QUARTERLY
Winter 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS PRESIDENT’S REPORT FIGHTBACK AGAINST MBTA CUTS RIDERS SING CARMEN’S MEMBERS’ PRAISES AT THE WORKSITE WINNING AT THE TABLE AND AT THE STATE HOUSE HEALTH AND WELFARE UPDATES MEMBER SPOTLIGHT IN RETIREMENT AND IN MEMORIAM
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PRESIDENT’S REPORT A Message from President Jim Evers Brothers and Sisters, As we bid goodbye to 2020, the Boston Carmen’s Union Local 589 welcomes 2021 with hope for a better year to come. We continue to work with a broad group of community organizations and a coalition of 28 MBTA unions to push for further rollbacks of MBTA management’s planned budget and service cuts, which went into effect on Jan. 23 with reduced Commuter Rail service. We have been an outspoken presence during FMCB meetings, and we remain hopeful that newlyelected President Joe Biden’s pledge to send hundreds of millions in emergency COVID-19 funds to the states will offset the cuts made locally.
While the promise of effective new COVID-19 vaccines has given the nation hope, we want to stress the importance of continuing to take care of yourself and those around you. Your safety remains our top priority, and we will continue to advocate with management that all health and safety measures possible be taken. I want to thank you for allowing me and your Executive Board the privilege to serve and to help strengthen a union with such an amazing legacy. Remember, we are always here to address your concerns. Jim Evers, President
At the State House, we must continue to contact our legislators and urge that public transit receive the attention it deserves. The recent Transportation Bond Bill contained essential job order contract language due to extensive conversations with legislators, and although we were disappointed Governor Baker vetoed some sections of the bill, direct impact to our membership was avoided.
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CARMEN’S MEMBERS FIGHT MBTA CUTS Photo: Karen Maxwell, Assistant Secretary
Over the past year, COVID-19 has ravaged our Commonwealth. The health and economic devastation caused MBTA ridership to plummet to 8% of pre-pandemic levels, and resulted in a budget gap management claims will reach over $500 million in the next year. Hundreds of MBTA employees contracted coronavirus or had to take leave after being exposed to the virus. And in April, 22-year T veteran Andrew Wong, an inspector at the Southampton Garage, died of the virus. Despite the uncertainty and the pain, other workers stepped in to cover for those who were hit by the virus, putting riders first, and keeping the T - and Massachusetts - moving. Going into 2021, we will keep fighting on behalf of our fellow workers, and the riders who depend on us.
administration’s effort to balance the budget on the backs of workers and riders. The current administration ordered furloughs for hundreds of union members and took a hacksaw to bus, train, and ferry service throughout the T’s transit network. We’ve staged rolling rally protests and been a forceful presence at FMCB meetings. We held press conferences with our union brothers and sisters, and elected leaders, including Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Congressman Stephen Lynch, and Congresswoman Ayanna
Local 589 joined with riders and community groups to reinvigorate the Public Transit Public Good coalition and draw public attention to management and the Baker-Polito
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Photo: Jim Evers, President
‘Too Drastic,’ MBTA Riders, Workers Protest Massive Service Cut Proposal There is some good news: the MBTA will receive at least $250 million in federal funding under the latest COVID-19 stimulus package, and with the victory of President Joe Biden in the November election, can expect to receive millions more when a future infrastructure bill is approved by an allied Congress and President.
Photo: Eddie Cora, longtime member and driver
Transit activists protest MBTA service cuts Pressley. We forced management to roll back the most extreme elements of its budget and service cuts, and preserved jobs. We will keep pushing for needed investments in track maintenance, the continued purchase of new vehicles and new technology, and upgrades to infrastructure to reduce breakdowns and make the T better than it's ever been. We all know that for decades the T has suffered from funding shortages and high debt load, which the pandemic drop in ridership has only worsened. Massachusetts’ 15 Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) face chronic underfunding and uncertainty, making it difficult to withstand the challenges of the pandemic and meet the transit needs of communities across the Commonwealth.
With President Biden’s appointment of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to be the next U.S. Secretary of Labor, we are optimistic that the Trump Administration’s war waged on working families and unions will be reversed. Walsh, a longtime union member, will fight for working people, and the importance of funding public transportation will be a top priority. However, we will also keep up the pressure on the Massachusetts legislature to enact new progressive revenue options to fund transit, like raising the tax rates on unearned income and corporate income. We will continue to work with the Public Transit Public Good Coalition, and with our fellow transit workers nationwide, for policies that will help working families recover from the impact of COVID-19. We must not let big business and uncaring political leaders take advantage of us. We remain union strong and proud.
Officials pressure MBTA to lay off service cuts as board plans to vote
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RIDERS SING CARMEN’S MEMBERS’ PRAISES
Celebrating 50 Years
Local 589 congratulates all those members who celebrated a milestone of 50 years of union membership in 2020. We are grateful to our brothers and sisters for their unwavering support and dedication spanning decades. We are so proud to stand with you all. Julius R Arrington Wilson Bell Jr Joseph P Bonasoro Richard A Chagnon Arthur P Clapp Jesse H Coleman Robert F Cossette Anthony W DeMase Paul Doyle
Perry Dunson David M Freedman Joseph F Gooding Willie H Goodman Thomas H Grant George W Halley Larry C Hefner Richard F Iddings Clinton Jones
New jobs are posted to the MBTA website as they become available. We encourage all members to regularly check the website for new positions and updated information on employment at the MBTA. We hope that our members will find opportunities to grow their careers and continue to make a difference to our public transit system.
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William M Lennon Calvin Little James T Marnell John J McGrath Jr Patrick Mullen Richard S Navin Vincent Novello Charles E Scott Robert M Sheehan
Norman A Tribbett James M Vidito Robert F Voight Ronald D White William L White Arthur Yarde William E Younker
Careers page
mbta.com/careers
For new applicants
governmentjobs.com/careers/mbta
For current employees
governmentjobs.com/careers/mbta/promotionaljobs
PRESIDENT EVERS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD VISIT MEMBERS ON THE JOB
It feels like COVID-19 had as big an impact on transit as on any other sector of the economy, but Local 589 members rose to the challenge and began the new year strong. Executive Board members were glad to visit members at the Lynn and Southampton garages recently.
light of this, your Executive Board wants you to know we appreciate your efforts, as does the general public. We saw in polls, letters to the editor, and on social media the gratitude from many who value public transit. As the new year begins, we will schedule additional visits to various worksites and garages. As the elected leadership of our union, we want to continue to hear your concerns and to connect in-person — safely, of course — throughout 2021.
Keeping up morale has been a challenge during this time. The pandemic has impacted many members and their families. It has also been tough to see the proposals of reductions and cuts the MBTA management and Fiscal Management and Control Board continue to push, impacting both members and riders. In C A R M E N ’ S Q U A R T E R LY
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WINNING AT THE TABLE AND AT THE STATE HOUSE On January 7, President Joe Biden, who has pledged to be the most “union-friendly” president in history, nominated Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as the nation’s next Secretary of Labor. Walsh, a former union leader, would be the first union member in almost 50 years to be Labor Secretary if confirmed. In naming Walsh, Biden said that he “has the necessary experience, relationships, and the trust of the presidentelect to help workers recover from this historic economic downturn and usher in a new era of worker power.”
Increase the Tax Rate On Corporate Profits. Businesses that are turning a profit should be expected to contribute more to support the public goods on which their profits are based, especially during a public health and state fiscal crisis. Raising the current rate of 8% to the pre2010 rate of 9.5% could generate $375 – $500 million annually from profitable businesses, even during a recession. Tax Profits Shifted Overseas by Increasing The Tax Rate On GILTI (Global Intangible Low Taxed Income). Many multinational corporations that do business in MA dodge taxes through accounting schemes that make their MA-based profits look like they were earned in offshore tax-havens. This “income shifting” often places profits beyond the reach of US tax authorities. MA should follow many other states and match the federal provision that makes half of this income subject to tax. This could generate $200 – $400 million annually.
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Local 589 has been standing up for workers and T passengers by fighting against the draconian cuts to service and jobs proposed by management last year. We were successful in getting some of the worst cuts rolled back, but will continue to push to remove the remaining cuts, which would harm workers and the public alike. Our Coalition is fighting in the Legislature to raise progressive revenue to fund public transit, pushing members to adopt policies that ask profitable corporations and the wealthy to contribute their fair share: Increase the Tax Rate that Investors Pay on Unearned Income. Over the last several decades, MA has reduced the tax rate on most types of unearned income (income from investments and other forms of asset ownership, such as stocks, bonds, and dividend and interest income). Today, most unearned income is taxed at the same rate as earned income (income from wages and salaries). Unearned income goes overwhelmingly to corporate shareholders and other high-income individuals, who currently pay a substantially smaller share of their income toward state and local taxes in MA than the rest of us do. These wealthy investors should contribute more to support the public goods on which we all depend. Each percentage point increase from the current rate of 5.0% could generate $400 – $500 million annually.
HEALTH AND WELFARE TRUST UPDATE Local 589 is proud of all the hard work our members put in every single day to ensure our state continues to safely move forward. We are committed to ensuring all members have access to a range of strong and secure health benefits. Over 5000 members are enrolled in our Health and Welfare Trust Fund. We are proud to announce, and together celebrate, improved benefits for our members.
As of July 1st 2020 Part-time life insurance increased from $6,000 to $15,000. Full-time life insurance increased from $25,000 to $50,000. Dental benefits increased from $1,000 to $1,500 per person per calendar year. Retirees’ life insurance increased from $5,000 to $10,000.
Now, members will also have access to orthodontic benefits: a one-time $1,500 coverage per household (family member). Local 589 switched to a national plan with Delta Dental. This plan includes great discounts for Massachusetts members as well as for those in New Hampshire and Rhode Island. We are thrilled to note that this plan will expand access to dental services to members living in New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Additional benefits on the horizon: Local 589 is working to secure part-time dental coverage through negotiations.Our union is currently in the process of seeking bids in order to create a dental plan for retirees. Once implemented, this plan will ensure retirees have access to a better and more affordable dental plan. Local 589 is also moving ahead gathering bids for a new vision plan for all members. We will keep all members informed of new developments. **A reminder to members — in order to maintain GIC health insurance benefits while on unpaid leave, you must submit payment of the employee percentage of the premium. Call the GIC at (617) 727-2310 if you need further information.** C A R M E N ’ S Q U A R T E R LY
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MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHT MBTA bus driver honored for helping residents of burning home, diving in with fire extinguisher Union sister Christina Gradozzi heroically jumped out of her Lynn bus and into a burning building, in an effort to extinguish a roaring fire and warn residents. She’s since been awarded the Bronze Medal by The Humane Society of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, along with a $4,000 check. Christina, a 28-year-old Lynn resident, was at the end of her shift, driving her empty bus back to the garage in Lynn, when she saw what looked at first like a small house fire. By the time she parked her bus and grabbed her fire extinguisher, flames were rapidly spreading along the second floor of a triple-decker. “I noticed the building and I saw the fire,” Christina recalled. “As I got closer I noticed people were jumping out of their cars and screaming. So when I saw that, I looked along the block so that I could park my bus in a safe location. I had a fire extinguisher and I thought I could help.” “Once I jumped out of my bus, the fire had already spread so fast,” added Christina, who rushed into the burning building and up the stairs with another person. The two began checking the house. She then gave the man her fire extinguisher and headed to clear the neighboring house, which was now also on fire.
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“For me, it was something that I’d always do without a second thought.” “I ran to the house next door and I started banging on the door and all the windows,” she said. Once that house was clear, Christina ran back to the first house to find the man she’d given her fire extinguisher to, despite extreme heat and smoke. “I remember saying ‘we need to get out’,” she told the man. “The whole thing was only about 5, 6 minutes, but it felt like a long time.” Christina was surprised when told she’d be getting the award. “For me, it was something that I’d always do without a second thought,” she said. “That could have been somebody I know. That could have been my house. If that was me, I’d hope that someone would do the same.”
IN RETIREMENT AND IN MEMORIAM Retirees Kenneth J Abbott Judith Ambroise Steven Anzalone Leonard C Armstrong Yvonne M Ball Thomas M Barletta Cindy L Barnes John A Bottiggi Lewis Branzburg Gerald F Buckley Paul C Buono Paul A Burnett Lucero Cansino Christopher Carle Wayne E Cedres Rosemarie Cherry Patrick J Coughlan John A Curley Kevin J Darcy
Paul R Domigan Michael M Dozier Clara V Drayton-Brandea John P Flaherty James F Flynn III John G Gallagher William F Gavin Jr Elsa M Geezil Paul Goggin Charlene L Groom Michael G Houde Kathleen M Houten William H Hunt Valerie Ivery Doris L Johnson Thomas J Johnson Jr Kimo Jordan Sandra J Keel Daniel P Keene
John P Kirrane John M Lebbossiere Timothy E Logan Joseph F Lynch Krystal Marble-Nunez Kathleen McNamara Steven R Michalski James A Mignosa Gaston Mintor Jaime Montezuma William M Morgan Trung H Nguyen Andrew J Norton Peter F O’Donnell Khakali Olenja John G Packard Jeam Y Pamphile Denise Perry Laverne Pina
Mark Raboin Willis S Rose Jr Paul Rosselle Jr Thomas J Ryan Trina L Selby Richard D Sippel Linda R Stanley Lamont A Taylor Ryan O Thompson Susan M Tracy Daniel G Walker Paul J Walsh Ralph W Walton Walter W Whelan Richard C Wilson Robert D Wuschke Elayne W Young Robert T Yurko Jr
June William J. Casey Salvatore R. Garofalo Sonny Jerome John J. Kenney John A. McKay
October Kevin P. Mahoney Joanne H. Norton
In Memoriam 2020 January Clifford A. Burri Sydney A. Douse Benny Evans Robert G. Morse Charles D. Wynott February John H. Abusheery II Nathaniel Felder Sanyi K. Harris Verle J Henry John Matson Michael F. Tangney John J. Thomas Jr March Manuel Borges Melvin J. Haverty Andrew K. Wong
April Edward F. Battos Richard J. Crisostamo Ivan K. Daniel Roland Davis Sr Richard C. Griffin John W. Jodice Henry J. McPhee William M. O’Brien Edward R. Thurman Jr Arthur A. Williams Ronald D. Wood May Adolpho Alcantara Martin J. Lundy Richard G. Nickerson Thomas M. O’Melia Willie Penny Sallie L. Smalls Patrick J. Smyth
July Edward T. Armand Edward A. Beaver Jr John F. Woods August Richard F. Kelly Gerald F. McCarthy September Bernadin Etienne Francis X. Sheehan
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November Robert B. Block Peter Bradley Frank P. Limone Edward McPherson December Albert L. Bertrand Ann P. DeMille Robert B. Norton Jr Nicholas J. Sanson Thomas Sculley Jr Frederick Thomas
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Boston Carmen’s Union Local 589 295 Devonshire Street Boston, MA 02110
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