UAW Local 2322

4 Open Square Way

Holyoke, MA 01040

413-534-7600

www.uaw2322.org October, 2013 Vol. 2, Issue 10

Over the past few months, I

have gotten to meet many of

you and hear about the work

you do and the kind of union

you’d like to see. It has been a

great opportunity for me to hear

your ideas and experiences.

Over the coming months, you

will see more and more oppor-

tunities to get involved with

UAW 2322. We will be holding

regular meetings of all of our

Standing Committees (also

keep an eye out for Finance &

Bylaws soon!) In August, I was

lucky enough to attend the UAW

Women’s Conference in Black

Lake Michigan where I met

many wonderful women activ-

ists who are fighting every day

for workers rights, and especial-

ly for women in the workplace.

Please keep an eye out for a

kickoff meeting of the UAW

2322 Women’s Committee.

Sharing Our Victories

We will continue to have more

events such as our Solidarity &

Education Movie night as well

as a general Membership Meet-

ing/ Holiday Party in December.

This month we will be holding

two Member-Activist-Steward

trainings both here at the office

in Holyoke (Tuesday, Oct

8th from 6 to 8 pm) and at

UMass Amherst, Campus Cen-

ter room 162-75 (Thursday, Oct

10th from 11 am to 1 pm). This

training is an excellent oppor-

tunity to meet workers across

UAW 2322, as well as gain valu-

able skills as a union activist in

the workplace. We will also be

holding a meeting of members

from across the local to engage

in teaching about our experienc-

es as workers and planning for

a stronger union in November.

By Jocelyn Silverlight, President

by 2015, and then adjust it for

inflation. A full-time worker at

minimum wage earns $16,000

a year. Most must take a sec-

ond job or depend on govern-

ment subsidies to get by.

“Should someone who works

40 hours a week be in that situ-

ation?’’ said Representative

and bill sponsor Antonio F.D.

Cabral. “They should be able to

feed their families without rely-

ing on public assistance.” A

single adult in Massachusetts

needs to make almost $13 an

hour just to keep up with basic

expenses such as housing,

healthcare, food, transporta-

tion, and essential personal and

While no UAW 2322 Union con-

tracts allow for the minimum

wage, many hourly rates are

less than $12 per hour. Raising

the minimum wage would stim-

ulate the economy, and proba-

bly result in higher wages for

many UAW members, many of

them parents with children to

care for. It would also reduce

the need for food stamps, hous-

ing assistance, or other govern-

ment programs just to survive.

Full-time work should pay a

living wage!

Many Massachusetts legislators

are proposing a bill which would

gradually raise the minimum

wage from $8 to $11 an hour

Raise the Minimum Wage!

The minimum wage in Massa-

chusetts is currently $8.00 per

hour for most employees, and

even less for tipped employees

and student workers. For the

800,000 or so workers in Mas-

sachusetts who make at or

close to minimum wage, it’s

been a full five years since

they’ve seen their wages go up.

Many higher paid employees

haven’t done much better. A

2012 report from the Economic

Policy Institute showed that by

increasing the minimum wage

to $10 per hour, more than a

half a million Massachusetts

workers would benefit from the

raise, and create thousands of

new jobs.

By Brooks Ballenger, Servicing Rep.

household items without relying

on any public or private assis-

tance

While some small businesses

support a higher minimum

wage, major opposition will

come from the retail and res-

taurant industries, which say

the increases are too costly.

What can you do to advocate

for a higher minimum wage?

Call your state Senator

a n d R e p r e s e n t a t i v e

d i r e c t l y o r c l i c k o n

http://www.progressivemass.co

m/raise_up_massachusetts_fig

ht_for_minimum_wage to sup-

port raising the minimum wage.

There are many exciting ways to

get involved with UAW 2322,

after all this is your union. We

know that through education

and action, we get a lot accom-

plished. The union is as strong

as the members, and I know

how strong you all are! Keep

fighting for justice in your work-

place and remember to share

your victories with each other.

Please feel free to contact me

at any time, I would love to hear

about your ideas and how we

can incorporate them to make

our union as strong and effec-

tive as possible.

In solidarity,

Jocelyn Silverlight

jocelyn@uaw2322.org

UAW 2322 President

Upcoming Events!

Member, Activist, Stewards

Trainings

Tuesday, October 8

6:00—8:00 PM

UAW 2322 Holyoke Office

4 Open Square Way #406,

Holyoke, MA

and

Thursday, October 10

11:00 AM—1:00 PM

UMass Amherst

Campus Center room 162-75

UAW 2322

Joint Council Meeting

Thursday, October 24

6:00—8:00 PM

UMass Amherst

Campus Center, room 904-08

UAW 2322 Unity Brunch

Saturday, November 2

10:00 AM—12:30 PM

Media Education Foundation

60 Masonic St.,

Northampton, MA

For details, see page 2

2

On June 26, 2013, the Supreme

Court made a historic decision

that struck down part of one of

the most discriminatory laws on

the books, the so-called Defense

of Marriage Act (DOMA) that was

signed into law in 1996. By rul-

ing section 3 of DOMA unconsti-

tutional, the Supreme Court guar-

anteed federal recognition of

marriages granted in one of the

13 states that have legalized

equal marriage, the District of

Columbia, and five American

Indian tribal areas that also allow

equal marriage. This change has

had a huge impact on same sex

couples living in the parts of the

US where their marriages are

recognized, and ultimately, it is

likely to have important effects on

all gay and lesbian working peo-

ple – regardless of where they

live.

Fundamentally, this ruling allows

all of the federal benefits, privileg-

es, and special treatment

(including tax penalties) afforded

to opposite-sex married couples

will now be extended to same-sex

married couples in states, territo-

ries, and tribal areas where equal

marriage is recognized. Spousal

and Social Security survivor bene-

fits, and more than 1,000 feder-

ally recognized benefits that are

tied to marital status, will be ex-

tended to same sex couples in

these states. It will take some

time for the huge federal bureau-

cracy to change all of its rules

and regulations in regards to

marriage, but the Obama Admin-

istration has guaranteed that this

decision will be “implemented

swiftly and smoothly.” Most of

these changes will have a posi-

tive impact on the lives of gay

and lesbian working people.

Some additional important

changes include immigration

protections for same-sex married

couples that mirror those of op-

posite-sex married couples. You

are now able to sponsor your non

-US citizen spouse for resident

alien status and US citizenship.

Also, military spouses are now

recognized by the federal govern-

ment and entitled to all of the

military benefits and privileges

that their heterosexual counter-

parts have availed themselves of

for decades.

bers (in alphabetical order) Asma

Abdur-Rahman, Nancy Fish, Jody

Pelletier, Kinard Montgomery,

and Erin Wilson have been at the

table for six months and there is

more work to do. Unfortunately,

we are still far apart on many

economic proposals, especially

wages.

We have tentative agreements

(TA’s) on all non economic pro-

posals at this point. Some pro-

posals were presented by the

union and some were changes to

the current contract submitted by

management.

The UAW membership under-

stands that times are tough and

the future is uncertain in residen-

tial treatment programs. There is

By Nancy Fish, Servicing Rep.

The UAW -Cutchins Residential

bargaining committee has met

eighteen times with senior man-

agement. Management Repre-

sentatives from the Springfield-

Three Rivers campus and the

NCCF campus in Northampton

meet with us regularly. We alter-

nate between Holyoke at the

UAW Local 2322 office and the

Northampton Cutchins office.

This was our first day of bargain-

ing since April 8, 2013. We have

a mutual agreement to extend

the contract week by week. All

union members are covered

100% by the current “expired

contract” even though the con-

tract expired March 31, 2013.

The core Union committee mem-

Cutchins - Residential Bargaining Update

uncertainty, politics, and changes

within the Department of Mental

Health (DMH) due to the merge

with Department of Children and

Families (DCF).

The bargaining committee recent-

ly asked other UAW members

from Cutchins to join us at the

table with management. The

committee encouraged everyone

to tell their stories and testify to

the realities for themselves and

their families. Workers talked

about the financial difficulties

and hardships they experience as

a low paid Residential Counselor

at Cutchins.

The bargaining committee would

like to thank all of the Cutchins

union members who came to the

DOMA and the Supremes

September bargaining meetings

and shared their stories and their

disappointment with manage-

ment’s economic proposal of only

1.5%, 1.5%, and 1.5% for a three

year contract. Workers talked

about how dedicated they are to

the program, to the clients

(children), and their co-workers.

Many workers have second and

third jobs, care for their own chil-

dren and families, and go to

school.

It is extremely challenging to

juggle work, family, and college.

The average hourly rate is $12

per hour, and the average length

of service is nine years. So, after

nine years of dedication to the

Cutchins program, a worker can

expect to be paid $12 per hour.

UAW Local 2322 413-534-7600, uaw2322.org The Local Pulse

By Court Cline, Servicing Rep.

Finally, the majority opinion, au-

thored by Justice Kennedy, offers

up some powerful legal state-

ments that will be used to carry

on the fight of marriage equality

in states where it is currently

prohibited. His arguments about

how DOMA violates the 5th

Amendment by depriving same-

sex married couples liberty, due

process, and equality under the

law can be used to help gay and

lesbian workers in states without

employment, housing, and civil

rights protections. The struggle

for equal marriage is far from

over in the United States, but an

important victory has been won

for all workers – regardless of

sexual orientation.

UAW 2322 Unity Brunch!

Saturday, November 2, 10 AM — 12:30 PM at the Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic Street in Northampton, MA

(the community room is located on the left side of the Wood Star Cafe building; parking is by meter only, so please come

prepared!) Come have brunch and meet members from all across UAW 2322. We will be exploring the differences and

commonalities between our workplaces and working on ways to better support members throughout our Local.

Please RSVP to info@uaw2322.org.

3

Act aims to eliminate the fear

immigrant communities have of

the police by ensuring that the

police is present in our commu-

nities to protect and to serve

and not to deport and harass.

The other piece of legislation

seeks to grant undocumented

people access to drivers' licens-

es to make sure parents can

Photos and story by Santiago Vidales, GEO Steering Committee Member-at-Large

On Saturday Just Communi-

ties/Comunidades Justas, an

immigrants' rights organization

from Springfield, MA., hosted a

rally to support immigration

reform at the national and state

level. Here in Massachusetts

we are pushing the legislature

to approve two very important

pieces of legislation. The Trust

work opportunities and condi-

tions; that is why we stand with

the immigrant community of our

Commonwealth in calling for

state and national lawmakers

to support and protect immi-

grants and their families.

UAW 2322 Supports Immigrants’ Rights

UAW Local 2322 413-534-7600, uaw2322.org The Local Pulse

take their children to school

without fear and have access to

car insurance. Members and

leaders from UAW 2322 were at

the rally to support immigrants

and their families in their effort

to achieve comprehensive im-

migration reform. As union

members we know the im-

portance of fair and equitable

UAW members and allies

hit the streets for

Immigrants’ Rights!

From left to right:

Barry Silverlight, Jocelyn

Silverlight, Elaine Silver-

light, Danielle Allessio,

Brian Callaci, Eric Hoyt,

Enku Ide, Jeff Shurke,

Luke Pretz, Allison Baldree

Pretz, Zach Kimes, Kevin

Henderson, Ember

Kanelee, Sonny Nord-

marken, Alyssa Goldstein,

Yalcin Ozkan

4

By R.M. Quinn, Servicing Rep.

UAW 2322 Members Stand for Walmart Workers

UAW Local 2322 413-534-7600, uaw2322.org The Local Pulse

previous strike, including the

firings of 20 workers.

Several local Walmart workers

spoke at the rally, including

Aubretia “Windy” Edick, who

told the assembled activists

that, like many Walmart employ-

ees, she is not able to afford

the insurance offered by

Walmart on her pay there. Oth-

er Walmart employees shared

similar stories to the crowd

while a contingent went inside

to attempt to give flowers to

O U R W a l m a r t ( h t t p : / /

forrespect.org/) is an organiza-

tion of Walmart “associates”

supported by Jobs with Justice

and the United Food and Com-

mercial Workers. OUR Walmart

calls for a $13 per hour mini-

mum wage, affordable health

benefits, and improved working

conditions for Walmart employ-

ees. In addition to those de-

mands, the September 6 rally

called for the reversal of disci-

pline for some 80 Walmart em-

ployees who participated in a

On September 6, 2013, UAW

2322 members joined about

100 other local labor activists

to rally outside the Walmart on

Memorial Drive in Chicopee.

The event, organized by West-

ern Massachusetts Jobs with

Justice and OUR Walmart, was

one of more than a dozen pro-

tests across the country that

week, representing the largest

action taken by OUR Walmart

since “Black Friday”—the day

a f t e r T h a n k s g i v i n g — i n

November 2012.

Walmart associates as a Labor

Day “thank you”. Management

did not permit the distribution

of those flowers.

Members Jocelyn Silverlight,

Eric Hoyt, Luke Pretz, Ryan

Quinn, Johann Raatz, and Ron

Patenaude attended. There will

be another action in support of

Walmart workers on “Black

Friday” this year. We will let

UAW 2322 members know the

details when we get them.

UAW joins OUR Walmart, Jobs with

Justice, and United Food and Com-

merical Workers to stand up for the

rights of Walmart workers!

From left to right:

UAW 2322 members Luke Pretz,

Eric Hoyt, and Western MA Jobs

with Justice Organizer

Patrick Burke