By William Tauro

Dozens of Somerville Municipal Employee Association members(SMEA) held a rally outside in front of Somerville City Hall this past Thursday afternoon in protest against Mayor Joseph Curtatone being unfair to Somerville working families.

The city protesters were also chanting “Shame on Mayor Curtatone and shame on Somerville the All American City” as well as “What do we want fair contracts, when do we want it now” while they were marching.

This coming Saturday afternoon, Senator Elizabeth Warren is scheduled to endorse Somerville Massachusetts Mayor Joseph Curtatone.

The Warren endorsement event is scheduled to take place this coming Saturday Oct 28th at 3:30 pm at the Sally O’Brien’s pub located on Somerville Avenue in Union Square.

The Somerville Municipal Employees Association (SMEA) is also scheduled to rally against the senator’s visit and endorsement with a showing of over one hundred city of SMEA members at the entrance of the pub hosting the event.

The 260 members of the Somerville Municipal Employees Association are asking the public to take time to read up and understand more of what they are fighting for in this letter below:

“The SMEA has a long history working diligently to make Somerville a great place to live for you the residents.

The SMEA is a diversified group made up of 31 divisions. We are your School Nurses, Librarians, Department of Public Works, Traffic and Parking, City Hall, Building Custodians, Recreation, Inspectional Services, Health Department and many other departments that keep the city running efficiently.

Over the past decade SMEA members have seen deep erosion in their wages and little or no affordable housing available to them in the City in which they were born and raised. Notwithstanding the plight of SMEA members, the City administration continues to defy a wage adjustment for their membership to address the wage erosion or the ongoing housing crisis that affects all of us.

Their members have had to leave the city for other communities that they can afford. Almost half of the members of the SMEA now live outside the City of Somerville. Most new hires live outside the city.

This chart below represents one of the many reasons why the SMEA finds itself 15-20% in lower wages behind comparable communities.”

The SMEA had no other option but to take 4 years of no raises even while the administration refused to settle a contract with any back pay for those 4 years. That in and of itself has been a major setback for our members. Below average pay increases since 2010 have added to the wage gap between Somerville union workers and union workers in neighboring communities. In combination with the quadruple zero years the wages since 2010 leave Somerville workers on average 12% – 20% below where they should be. While union wages have stagnated, in 2016 the administration conducted a pay study that gave handsome raises for the Mayor, Aldermen and other Non Union City Employees at a cost to the City of nearly 1 million dollars in FY 17 alone.

The SMEA also performed its own wage study using the same communities that the administration used in their study and discovered that we fall woefully behind in earnings.

Board of Aldermen pass a resolution June 2016 to show the same consideration of a pay raise to the SMEA that was given to the Mayor, Aldermen and Non Union workers. And the City can readily afford it. In a recent campaign speech, the Mayor proudly boasted that Somerville has “A Local Booming Economy”

Are Unions Treated Differently at the Bargaining Table? Unions in Somerville are treated differently because they have contractual labor rights, including the rights to bargaining collectively over the terms and condition their employment and to enforce the terms of their contracts through a grievance procedure and the filing of unfair labor practice at the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations (DLR).

The City administration resents the City Unions and the rights they have; it would prefer to operate as a dictatorship without union involvement. That resentment lies at the heart of the City’s labor policy and explains why the SMEA and other unions have to file grievances and unfair labor practice charges at the DLR in shockingly historic numbers compared to all other Cities and Towns across Massachusetts.

That resentment also explains why the City’s union members had to wait a full decade for a minimal pay raise when the economy is booming and when the City’s non-union employees have enjoyed their handsome raises. Unions should not have to go to salary arbitration and spend thousands of dollars of taxpayer dollars when the economy is booming.

Unions should not be penalized and unfairly treated because they have rights under the law. Offering a 1% raise is just another way of disrespecting the City’s hardworking union workers in a booming economy. “The All America City Indeed” Taking the Low Road In relation to what unions in the city have now been experiencing for many years, the administration can do one or two things. It can continue to lowball the City’s Union employees in compensation, tightly control these workers, and continue its decade long history as a renowned labor scofflaw.

Or Take the High Road Invest in its employees though higher and more competitive wages, and better health insurance coverage. Production of the workforce would rise even higher than at its current rate.

City services provided to the residents and business would also increase if the city recognized that the unions and the administration are partners for the good of the people we serve. With a desperately needed improvement in morale within reach, this partnership could become a reality.

workforce that has been serving this city for many years. We are proud of our work and take great pride in the beautification the City enjoys today and will enjoy well into the future. We are more productive than ever before, our job is very demanding. We will continue to serve the city with great care, pride and respect for the residents and would appreciate your support of the SMEA in its fight for fair wages and fair labor in the city of Somerville. We hope you will support us in any small way you can by spreading the word and possibly attending upcoming announced rallies.

If you wish to let the Mayor know that the time has come for payment of fair wages and benefits to the City’s union workers, he may be reached at (Mayor’s e-mail mayor@somervillema.gov and phone number (617) 625-6600 ext 2100).

“In Unity There is Strength” SMEA Leadership Executive Board and its Officers

Ed Halloran

President James Roderick Vice President”