In this issue:
- Secretary-Treasurer’s Report: 2024 Election - What's at stake
- New Organizing Report
- Resident Assistant (RA) Contract Wins
- 153 President Jessica Timo Honored by NAACP
- Resolution: In solidarity with the people of Gaza
- Member Committee Profile: Workers for a Better Highmark BlueCross BlueShield
- Summer 2024 Worst Employer Award: Wesleyan University
- Introducing 153 New Hires - Meet Tony & Jason!
- Upcoming Events: September Citizenship Drive
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Secretary-Treasurer's Report
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2024 Election: What's At Stake
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On Tuesday, July 30th the Local 153 Executive Board voted in a full-throated endorsement of Kamala Harris for President of the United States. This writing aims to submit one of the main reasons why Kamala Harris is the choice for union members in November. The rate that Local 153 has been organizing and growing over the past three years hasn’t been equaled for decades. The Local negotiated many of its strongest contracts on behalf of our legacy members in 2023 and 2024 as well. It is not an understatement to credit the Biden administration and the National Labor Relations Board for giving our Local and many other unions an assist in our efforts to support our members to organize and at the bargaining table. Additionally, polls continue to show that an increasing number of Americans want to be in a union.
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Nick Galipeau, OPEIU Local 153 Secretary-Treasurer
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Much of Local 153’s growth is attributed to organizing Resident Assistants at colleges and universities. While we have successfully negotiated a half dozen new RA contracts, covering hundreds of new members, some employers have foreshadowed life under an anti-union presidency. For example, Swarthmore College, one of Local 153’s successful organizing targets, has not agreed to completely recognize resident assistants as employees. The College, which advertises pro-union artwork on campus and was built by Pennsylvania Quakers, appears to be holding out on reaching an agreement on recognition language despite the NLRB’s favorable ruling that asserts that RA’s are employees of the College. If Kamala Harris is NOT elected, then a Trump board could overturn union members’ employee status and nullify the strength built by Local 153 and many other unions.
Furthermore, Local 153 is including a link to the AFL-CIO’s summary on Trump’s Project 2025 initiative. Highlights include allowing an employer to nullify union contracts and the elimination of child labor laws. Local 153 has begun contacting shop stewards and member leaders to discuss ways in which our members may volunteer with your union leading up to the November election. For these reasons we are certain that Kamala Harris is the right choice for our members. We must continue to build this union and keep the power in our members’ hands.
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Already in 2024, we have organized over 1,000 new members. Read on to learn more about your newest union siblings!
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Smith College Student Dining Workers - Northampton, MA
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In February, over 600 student dining workers at Smith College formed the United Smith Student Workers (USSW) OPEIU 153, winning their election with 99% of the vote.
“The union win at Smith highlights a broader trend among our generation and resistance to capitalist, white supremacist oppression,” says Amina Castronovo, a sophomore and member of the organizing committee who works at several of the dining halls on campus. “We are ready to revolutionize our own communities and work forces in solidarity with each other. It’s the only way forward.”
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Emerson College Resident Assistants - Boston, MA
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Resident Assistants at Emerson College voted unanimously to form Emerson Union of Resident Assistants (EURA) in January. Not only did this group win their election with 100% of the vote - they also became the first ever RA union to win both their union AND come to a tentative agreement on a CBA in the same semester!
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Smith College Libraries (SCL) Workers - Northampton, MA
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The workers of Smith College Libraries (SCL), known as Smith College Libraries Workers Union (SCLWU-OPEIU 153) won their union unanimously in April of this year.
The library workers of SCLWU-OPEIU 153 are the latest to unionize in a wave of worker organizing hitting Smith College campus. They are the third group to win a union election at Smith College in 5 months, following the student residence life workers in December 2023 and the student dining workers in February 2024.
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Drexel University Resident Assistants (RAs) - Philadelphia, PA
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Also in April, Drexel Resident Assistants won their union election with 94% voting yes, successfully joining OPEIU Local 153.
“Words cannot describe how ecstatic I am over these results. Drexel RAs work so hard to make the Drexel experience what it is, and I'm so happy that we now have the chance to be properly appreciated and compensated for the impact we have on this school.”
-Grace Knauss, class of 2024, RA since Fall 2021
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Bucknell University Resident Assistants (RAs) - Lewisberg, PA
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The student ResLife worker wins keep coming! Resident Advisors at Bucknell University won their union election in the Spring with 97% voting union yes.
“I’m so glad to have a union and finally feel as though I have a voice within my own employment. As a collective, we can now work to better our conditions and better the conditions of those who come after us. I’m grateful for everyone who has had a hand in this union, and I am looking forward for whats next!” -Bryce Merry ‘25, Bucknell RA
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Georgetown University Resident Assistants (RAs) - Washington D.C.
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In a decisive 79-3 (96%) vote, Georgetown University’s Resident Assistants (RAs) voted on April 16th to unionize with OPEIU Local 153. This announcement comes just twenty-five days after the Georgetown Resident Assistant Coalition announced their intent to form a union.
“This election just affirmed what we all knew already. I am looking forward to a future where the experience of RAs does not solely hinge on their supervisors or their experiences with Residential Living, so that all of us can have an equitable experience. I am proud of us for being a part of this historic moment!”
- Miranda Xiong, Georgetown University Resident Assistant
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SAGE Nonprofit Workers - New York, NY
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Workers at SAGE , the nation’s largest and oldest advocacy and service organization for LGBTQ+ older people, are thrilled to announce that they have formed the SAGE Workers Union, affiliated with OPEIU 153.
After announcing their intent to unionize on June 3, 2024, SAGE management formally and voluntarily recognized the SAGE Workers Union on June 28th, after a card check showed more than 80% of the 70 eligible staff supported the union on June 28, 2024.
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University of Pennsylvania Graduate (Resident Assistants) G(RA)s
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We are pleased to announce that the Graduate (Resident Assistants) at the University of Pennsylvania ratified their first contract. The first negotiations session was December 14, 2024. At that session, the G(RAs) demanded that the contract would be finalized by mid May 2024. After a successful 1st session, negotiations started to turn for the worse. Negotiations began to slow down and 153 was forced to file an Unfair Labor Practice charge (ULP) against the university for surface bargaining. Negotiations started to go more smoothly after the board charge. Ultimately, an agreement was reached.
The G(RAs) received provisions such as guaranteed room, board, compensation, just cause language for discipline, grievance and arbitration, etc. The contract was unanimously ratified by the membership!
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Fordham University Resident Assistants
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Resident Assistants at Fordham University also ratified their first contract during the Spring 2024 semester. The first negotiations session began in May 2023. Since the spring semester was ending and most of the RAs were leaving, 153 suggested hybrid bargaining sessions. The University refused. In response to this refusal, 153 filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge (ULP) against the university for failure to bargain. The university backed off their position and months later reached an agreement.
The RA’s received benefits such as guaranteed room, full board, compensation, scholarship monies, and more. This contract was also unanimously ratified by the membership!
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President Jessica Timo honored by NAACP
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Local 153 is proud to announce that our very own, local president Jessica Timo is a recipient of the NAACP, New York Branch, Freedom Fund Awards.
Congratulations, Madame President!
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OPEIU 153 Resolution in Solidarity with the People of Gaza and the Right of Peaceful Protest
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In June, the 153 Political Action Committee (PAC) passed a resolution in solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza, joining the chorus of U.S. trade unions calling for a ceasefire.
Click below to read the full resolution. If you would like to support those affected by the crisis, 153 members have also compiled this list of organizations who are providing aid to the people in Gaza.
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Member Committee Profile: Fighting for a Better Highmark BlueCross BlueShield
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Left to right: Mark Jurenovich, Robin Moog, Lynn Brooks, Pam Austin, and Dana Delano
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In March of 2021, HealthNOW of Western New York (formerly known as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Western New York) affiliated with Highmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Pennsylvania. A complete surprise to everyone. Here we were, with our contract set to expire in less than one year, and unit elections set to be held in less than six months. We were right in the middle of the pandemic. 95% of our 375 members were now working from home. Communication with them was difficult. Only a handful of our members were assigned to work in our headquarters in downtown Buffalo. Highmark made its presence known rather quickly. In October, our members were notified that they were going to be mandated to receive the Covid-19 vaccination. Religious and Medical exceptions would be “entertained” but not automatically granted. Refusal to participate would result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
In November, our unit conducted elections for both of our Grievance and Negotiations Committees. Fifteen members declared their candidacy for each office. The members overwhelmingly elected: Lynn Brooks, Dana Delano, Pam Austin, Donna Amos, and Tom Woodford.
The new officers were immediately sworn in, and hit the ground running. Lynn Brooks was unanimously chosen Grievance Committee Chair. Our previous leadership was not forthcoming in providing us with any files, so we had to reconstruct all of the open grievances that we inherited. Highmark began to implement its vaccine mandate in December, and we were notified of their intention to close the mailroom. As chair, Lynn organized the Committee and delegated specific responsibilities to each committee member. Lynn also chaired our remote membership meetings where we began to solicit proposals for the upcoming negotiations.
In January 2022, Highmark began to impose discipline on each member who had not received the Covid vaccine. Very few exemptions were granted. By the end of January, over 20 members were disciplined at various levels, with five being terminated. Grievances were filed for each member. With the assistance of our representative Mark Jurenovich, the issue was resolved in March. Lynn negotiated the resolution of every grievance. All disciplinary notices were withdrawn, those members who were suspended received all of their backpay, and those who were terminated were all returned to work, and made whole.
In March, we began negotiations for our successor agreement. Lynn was our Team Chair. Except for an HR rep from Buffalo, the entire Highmark team was from its HQ. We had never worked with any of them. We had nearly 20 sessions, then declared impasse. Unable to reach an agreement, the Employer then proposed it’s “Last Best Final Offer.” However, with the assistance of a Federal Mediator, we were able to get them to move off that, and we reached a tentative agreement that was overwhelmingly ratified by our membership in May by a vote of 226-21.
We now had to turn to administering the new agreement, and because of Covid, look for new ways to communicate with our members. Many operational changes were beginning to take place now that we were “Highmark.” Labor Management meetings were now held more frequently. Our Chair Lynn develops the agenda and leads the discussion. The minutes are posted on the HUB for all of our members to see. We send Information Update emails on a regular basis regarding items that need to be communicated to our members quickly. Our Grievance Committee meets twice per month. Donna retired last summer and has been replaced by Robin Moog, who has been a welcome addition to the team. Lynn sets the agenda and chairs the meeting. We all have assigned responsibilities and report out every meeting. Grievance meetings are held weekly, if necessary. We have currently filed 43 grievances this year, and it is only August! Now that the Covid restrictions have been lifted, we are able to hold in-person union meetings on Saturday afternoon. We try to hold them quarterly. We usually get over 100 members to attend.
Our annual Labor Day Parade is approaching. We are an active participant, and look forward to wearing our OPEIU tee shirts and marching behind our banner in it every year. We will be having elections again this fall. We will be conducting a survey of our members soon, and begin preparations for our negotiations for a new agreement that will expire in May.
Our email system is not perfect. There is considerable turnover in our unit (both voluntary and involuntary). We are constantly trying to update it with the assistance of Local 153 so we are be able to communicate with as many of our members as we possibly can. That is very important to all of us. Our main goals for the upcoming year are to recruit and train new member activists, continue to fight back against outsourcing, and bargain a really good contract for our members.
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Boot Award for Worst Employer of the Summer Goes to: Wesleyan University
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Yikes! This is not an award you want to win. The Boot Award for Worst Employer of the Summer goes to Wesleyan University after they hired the most aggressive, most anti-union law firm, Littler Mendelson, to thwart its graduate employees in their unionization effort.
The new Wesleyan labor director Phil Murray has completely ignored the university’s 30+ year relationship with one of its workers’ representatives, OPEIU Local 153, in order to bring in this outside law firm to challenge its graduate workers from exercising their rights.
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Littler Mendelson is engaged in the most egregious, anti-democratic union busting campaign in recent history at Starbucks. Over 100+ Littler attorneys have worked for Starbucks to slow down Starbucks Workers United’s unionization campaign. Starbucks has broken labor law in over one hundred cases, including firing dozens of baristas for their support of unionizing. Littler has also been hired by Apple, Amazon, Trader Joes, McDonald’s, and many other corporations with federal Unfair Labor Practice charges. One of Littler’s attorneys was promoted to the National Labor Relations Board by Donald Trump in 2017. Does Wesleyan want to associate itself with this?
We call on Wesleyan to drop their contract with Littler Mendelson immediately. We ask that you relate to your employee organizations directly, rather than through a third-party union buster.
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Introducing 153 New Hires
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Anthony ‘Tony’ Walters’ involvement with OPEIU - Local 153 commenced in the winter of 1993 where he endured the proverbial baptism by fire, after walking through the doors of his former employer engaged in an intense negotiation with the Union. From an appointed Steward to Lead Steward, Negotiation Committee member to Chief Steward, Tony’s development within the ranks of his beloved Local spans more than three decades.
With a penchant for defending workers rights, and ensuring equity and fairness, he has been at the table bargaining benefits, arguing voluminous grievances, consistently engaging the employer in all matters related to labor relations as well as employee engagement.
After separation from his former employer in 2021, he pursued advanced studies and has returned to his roots to diligently serve the members of Local 153 in his role as a Business Representative.
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Local 153 is proud to introduce Jason Thompson as the Local 153 Business Agent for Hotel Trades Council members. Jason was born and raised in the Bronx, has two young daughters, and first joined the Union over 10 years ago. He started off in the House Department at the Intercontinental Times Square. When the Four Seasons Downtown opened in 2016, Jason became a CORE Front Desk delegate where he enforced the contract and learned negotiating skills in concert with HTC Business Agent and Local 153 Secretary-Treasurer Nick Galipeau. As an official HTC Business Agent Jason Thompson wants Local 153 membership to know that “I’m here to fight for our members and the keep Union strong.” Welcome aboard, Jason!
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The NYC Central Labor Council in partnership with OPEIU Local 153 and other unions across New York City will work together to assist eligible permanent residents in navigating the process to becoming new U.S. citizens. The Labor Movement can help expand access to citizenship and shift the political landscape by partnering with community organizations that offer education and services to assist people with the naturalization process to make the economy stronger for all of us.
Through a series of in-person and virtual activities, we assist union members and their families through the application and gathering of necessary documentation. These activities will culminate in a Citizenship Drive to commemorate National Citizenship Day.
The event will take place on Saturday, September 21st.
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Follow us on Social Media
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Instagram: @opeiulocal153
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