Local 888 has endorsed acting Mayor Kim Janey in her race to become the permanent mayor of Boston. In a media event, posted on Local 888’s Facebook page, President Tom McKeever praised her commitment to working with labor unions and for dealing with pandemic-related issues that any mayor would find difficult to handle.
He added that Janey had shown her commitment to supporting the valuable city services that Local 888’s members provide. Also, that as a District 7 city councilor, Janey had proved
herself to be a compassionate listener and “made herself available to assist both workers and residents.”
McKeever noted that Local 888 represents 2,000 workers who live and work in Boston. These include clerical, police dispatch, community and neighborhood services and public health staff along with caretakers to the homeless.
“We look forward to ensuring that she wins a full term so she can finish the great work she has started — whether around affordable housing, equity and excellence in our schools, or simply making sure Boston works for its people,” McKeever said in a statement.
A Local 888 survey of Boston members had 126 respondents, with 55 percent of them supporting Janey.
Commenting on Local 888 members, Janey said that “during the darkest days of the pandemic, they gave their all, putting their health and safety on the line to provide their neighbors with the services they depend on.”
At the July 30 press conference, Janey said that, as acting mayor, she has “put workers at the center of Boston’s recovery, reopening and renewal.”
After demanding that the acting mayor bargain over her return-to-work order, Local 888 reached an agreement that allowed some members to request extensions letting them return after Labor Day.
In June, Local 888 had filed an unfair labor practices claim, saying the administration had refused “to bargain in good faith” over issues that included child care needs and remote work. The pandemic has dealt a blow to the availability of child care facilities, and hampered women’s return to the workforce.
About 800 of Local 888 members had worked remotely for more than a year during the pandemic. Remote workers included members in the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development, Boston Centers for Youth & Families and the Boston Public Health Commission. The administration had ordered that remote workers return into their workplaces by July 7, at the latest.
“The city did not explain why the return to physical work locations was necessitated on the dates picked for reopening other than they have the right to do it,” Local 888 said in the complaint to the state. At the time, McKeever recommended that the city follow hybrid models used by some state agencies that allow more flexibility.
The crowded mayoral race includes at-large Councilors Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu, District 4 Councilor Andrea Campbell and John Barros, ex-chief of economic development for Boston.
For more on Local 888’s Committee on Political Action, see https://www.seiu888.org/join-the-union/ and an article at https://www.seiu888.org/2020/11/17/local-888-signs-up-voters-nets-victories-at-ballot-box/.