Boston Police dispatchers, a Local 888 chapter, were on the frontlines as the pandemic hit. Despite that, these “essential workers” had to scramble just to get basic supplies — and a good number of them got sick.
Local 888 came to the rescue by donating the kind of supplies that disappeared off store shelves in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic — such as disinfecting wipes, disinfecting spray, hand sanitizer and disposable gloves. Nonetheless, the COVID-19 situation got ugly.
“We had a couple of waves of it running through the department,” said Sean Murphy, a city dispatcher and Local 888 chapter leader. “Some members got sick, brought it home to their families, and they all got it. Some of them were elderly.”
“We had to fight for everything, from cleaning supplies to social distancing and Plexiglas barriers,” said Murphy. Now the chapter is hoping members’ service will be remembered at the State House this year. The chapter is again gearing up to get the Legislature to improve their pensions. Bills calling for upgrades for these emergency telecommunicators statewide have been filed and been referred to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Service.
A key issue for dispatchers, Murphy added, is on-the-job stress. Dispatchers are the first to get emergency calls.
Other Local 888 members are fighting for pension upgrades, too. These include LPNs and nursing assistants at the now-notorious Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, who are currently classified as Group 1 as well.
In addition, another bill before the Legislature would acknowledge that dispatchers are the first person to initiate action when someone calls for assistance, said Murphy.
”This would enable us to receive long-needed additional benefits that have previously only been offered to police officers, and others currently categorized as first responders,” he said. “This would include peer support programs, additional training and, hopefully, greater understanding and recognition from management to the roles that we truly fill in the execution of our duties.”
Murphy urged Local 888 members and leaders to back the dispatcher legislation as the bill makes it through the Legislature’s committee setup. For more on Local 888’s efforts to improve dispatchers’ pensions, see https://www.seiu888.org/2020/01/07/dispatchers-pension-debate/. For more on Local 888 helping out the dispatchers, see https://www.seiu888.org/2020/04/17/members-help-dispatchers-protect-selves/.