NSLC May Newsletter

“Labor Fights Back” Conference This Saturday (5/31)

The Labor Council’s education conference is scheduled for this Saturday May 31st. Come learn about how unions are fighting against the mass deportations, staving off mass layoffs in the public sector, and building power in our communities. The keynote speaker for this event is Carlos Aramayo, President of Unite Here Local 26. Other panelists will feature leaders from local teacher’s unions, letter carriers, building trades, and more! We’ll also hear from grad students at Tufts University about the targeting and suppression of their fellow union members and what they’re doing to fight back. You won’t want to miss it!

The conference is free and open to the public. It will be held at the Ellison Campus Center at Salem State University (1 Meier Drive, Salem, MA) in the upstairs Veterans Memorial Hall meeting space. Breakfast and lunch will be provided! If you’re interested in attending please register using this link: Click to Register

See you all there!

Labor Council Endorses Terri Tauro for Marblehead Town Clerk

We’re very proud to announce that the Labor Council has endorsed Terri Tauro for Marblehead Town Clerk! Terri is an excellent leader and a driven person that will thrive as Town Clerk. During our endorsement process Terri emphasized the need for the Town Clerk to connect with voters, for having a public presence to promote the importance of voting, and educating young people on how to get involved in the political process. She also stressed the need for ease of access to valuable public records and the necessity of updating record keeping technology.

Terri is ready and willing to bring her years of experience as a local union president to the office of Town Clerk. We highly encourage Marblehead residents to elect her to Town Clerk! You can read more about Terri and her platform here: Link to article

Also, if you’d like to volunteer for Terri, she has plenty of sign-holding and door-knocking opportunities available! She has standouts planned for May 31st, June 1st, June 7th, and June 8th, and is also door-knocking every day at 10am. For more information on how to get involved, please contact Terri directly at 781-771-3327.

Petition to Save My Brother’s Table

See the petition below and please show your support for My Brother's Table by clicking the link and signing onto the petition:Link to petition

Support UMass Medical Workers

Workers at UMass Memorial Medical Center, represented by UFCW 1445, have been fighting for a fair contract that meets the needs of all employees. Negotiations are nearing an impasse, and public support for the union is more important than ever! For more information on the negotiations, you can watch this recent interview from the Majority Report interviewing several of the union members. Follow this link to watch the interview starting around the 53 minute mark.

If you'd like to voice your support, feel free to contact the medical center directly and voice your support for the union! Follow this link for contact information.

Rent Stabilization Bill

The Labor Council is proud to support Homes for All Mass and their campaign around rent stabilization legislation. This bill would undo the universal restriction against rent stabilization in Mass, allowing each city to have decision-making power over this important issue. You can read more about this legislation here: https://www.homesforallmass.org/

You can also support the legislation by contacting your state representative or senator today! To send a letter of support, please follow this link: Link to contact legislators

Women’s Committee Movie Night

The North Shore Labor Council Women’s Committee is hosting another movie night on June 13th where we’ll be watching the Brazilian film “I’m Still Here”. The film takes us on a powerful and emotional journey, from empathy to outrage, as it portrays the human cost of political oppression. It focuses on the Brazilian military dictatorship of the 1970’s, telling the true story of a family’s resilience in seeking truth and justice during a time of severe government human rights violations.

So join us on June 13th at 6pm for a fun and educational night! The screening will be held at the IUE Local 201 hall in Lynn (112 Exchange St.) Refreshments and food will be served!

Support Lynn Teachers

The Lynn Teacher’s Union has been engaged in contract negotiations and is asking for your support! The union is asking for a fair contract that ensures the retention of teachers, clinicians, and paras, at the same time they’re demanding a safe workplace, adequate class sizes, and an accessible curriculum for all students. Now you can support LTU in this fight by attending their rally on June 12th, 5PM, at the Lynn Tech Annex (90 Commercial St. Lynn). Make sure to wear blue to show your support!

ICE Watch Protects Communities

LUCE, the Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts, has been hard at work defending our communities against the unjustifiable kidnappings by ICE agents. Across the north shore we’ve seen randomized terror at the hands of ICE, targeting those with no criminal record, students, tradespeople, families, etc. Windshields have been smashed, work vans abandoned on the side of the road after a raid, kids left wondering when their parents are coming home.

LUCE and all the participating groups have really stepped up to protect our communities from this threat. We’re proud to say that we’ve recruited several council members to volunteer in this project. Concerned community members can contact the hotline below if they believe they see ICE activity and report it to LUCE. From there, volunteers will be dispatched to verify the ICE presence and do what they can to alert the targeted people nearby. By doing this, we can keep our communities safe.

There are several ways to volunteer, both as a hotline operator taking phone calls, and as an ICE watch verifier. If you’d like to volunteer as a hotline operator, please follow this link and fill out the form: Link to Hotline Operator Interest Form

If you’d like to volunteer to be a part of the ICE watch crew, please fill out this interest form: Link to ICE Watch Interest Form

Solidarity Rising Fundraiser

Our good friends at Solidarity Rising are hosting their first ever fundraiser! Join them for their “Talking Trouble” presentation, aimed at exploring “Salem’s History of Radicals and Revolutionaries from 1626 to Today.” The presentation will be given by local author, activist, and NSLC delegate Benjamin Shallop. You won’t want to miss it!

Additionally, if you’re looking for new ways to get involved in local progressive activism, Solidarity Rising is hosting a new member onboarding session on Tuesday, June 3rd, at 6:30pm. It’s open to the public and you can join the meeting using this link: https://meet.google.com/egt-yebc-ruq

May Day a Success!

We want to thank everyone that made our May Day event this year a success! Several hundred people gathered on May 1st to stand up for worker’s rights and immigrant’s rights as well as directly supporting local union workers in their contract fight. This is an example of what a united community looks like!

Legislative Breakfast

This month, the NSLC held our annual legislative breakfast with elected officials from all over the north shore. We came together to unite the labor movement with our elected representatives, driving home the message that we need to be working together now more than ever. We extremely grateful for all guests that attended, for Mayors Pangallo and Nicholson for speaking to us, for Mass AFL-CIO President Chrissy Lynch, for Rep. Hannah Bowen, for the North Shore Building Trades Council, and a special thank you to all unions that donated! Strong ties between labor and elected officials is one of the key methods for bringing about positive change to our communities.

Thank You to all NALC Food Drive Volunteers

Several NSLC members participated in the National Association of Letter Carrier’s food drive earlier this month. Volunteers sorted thousands of pounds of food to be distributed directly to the food-insecure members of our local communities. Thank you to everyone that donated food and to everyone that volunteered!

Looking For Ways To Participate in the Labor Movement?

The labor movement is facing unprecedented repression at the hands of the federal government, but that isn’t going to stop us. Workers all over the country are getting organized into unions ready and willing to fight back against tyranny. If you’re interested in learning more about the North Shore Labor Council and some of our activities, please contact us at northshorelaborcouncil@gmail.com