This Saturday the department hockey team will be participating in the 3rd annual BWVR Hockey Tournament. The tournament is put on and run by former association member Andy Biggio. The purpose of this tournament is to raise funds for wounded veterans and help make modifications to their homes in order to help living with their wounds easier. The last two years were a great time, both the tournament as well as the fundraiser that follows. We encourage all members to come enjoy the event if possible. It will be held in East Boston Rink with the after party at the East Boston VFW. Attached is the event flyer as well as the tournament game schedule.
Brothers and Sisters,
The March 9, 2019 pay checks posted today in the Mass Payroll system. As many of you know, the Longevity and C rate have not been adjusted. The E Board anticipated this, as the compiled list of affected members and official letter from counsel was not received by Labor Relations until mid to late last week. We have received no official word to pass concerning a resolution date in which the rates will change in the checks. However, The E-Board is working on it and the T is aware of the issue. As soon as we have an update we will pass it to the membership.
It is our understanding the C rate monies owed will be payed to us retroactively from the date of the MOU ratification (December 4, 2018) to the date the C rate adjusts. In other words, you will receive the difference between the old and new Detail rate ($10 per hour), for every hour worked between December 4, 2018 to the date they adjust the rate. That money will then be paid retroactively to you and will be included with the retro checks. This is subject to change, but is the latest info we have on the issue. If you have any questions please contact an E-Board member or send an email to Eboard@MBTAPA.com
Fraternally,
The E-Board
The following are two articles recently posted that outlines the current issues the MBTA Main Fund is facing. We encourage all members to read these articles in order to stay up to date on the current climate at the MBTA.
CommonWeath Magazine: MBTA managment and union square off Over pension fund
Boston Globe: MBTA, unionofficials quietly renegotiate pension fund amidst budget gaps
Fraternally,
The E-Board
This afternoon the Executive Board convened for a meeting at the attorney office. The new board members were given a class on the topic of association representation. We discussed several relevant issues, one being contract negotiations. The attorney has been in dialogue with labor relations and the first negotiation meeting is tentatively scheduled to begin in a few weeks. We will continue to update you as this process unfolds.
The C rate and Longevity Pay are both being addressed with Labor Relations. We have established a complete list of all members eligible for the Longevity Pay and it is being sent to Labor Relations along with a formal letter outlining the issue. We will update you further once we have received word back.
We have confirmed the meeting of the membership date for Sunday March 24, 2019 at 9am. It will be held upstairs in the Credit Union located at 147 W Fourth St, South Boston. The event is also scheduled in the website calendar. The Executive Board has begun drafting an agenda for the meeting and will post an official agenda later this week, on this site. If any members have issues they would like the Board to address at the meeting, please send your request to the General Inquire email link (Eboard@mbtapa.com) on the home page.
Several events have been added or updated in the calendar. The IOD procedures and the Know Your Rights pages have both been reviewed by council and are now available for your viewing on their respective pages. There have also been more websites added to the “Links” section.
Fraternally,
The E-Board
We have received all financial reports for 2018, to include every month’s Profit & Loss as well as the Balance Sheets. All this information has been archived to one .PDF file labeled “2018 Financial Reports,” and uploaded to the Financial Reports section under the Member Resources tab. We will continue to post the reports for every month, and at the end of the year, again archive said year to one file to maintain organization. Going forward our hopes are to also further itemize the expenses listed on the reports to offer complete transparency of all funds.
If there are any issues accessing the file, or any other questions you may have, please do not hesitate to contact an E-Board member.
Fraternally,
The Executive Board
Now that you have completed the verification process, The E-Board would like to welcome you to the newly constructed MBTA Police Association Website. Whenever you log in to the site as a “member”, you will be directed first to this page. Here you will find the latest post put out to the membership by the E-Board. This will be our main source of sharing information with the body in the form of association updates, relevant news articles, and the answering of any questions that arise through the email system.
The members of the E-Board have all obtained new domain email accounts that will be used solely for association business. These can be accessed by clicking on the E-Board members name on the websites home screen, or by accessing the “Officers & Staff” page located under the “Member Resource” tab. Under there you will have access to our cell numbers, and what area, shift and squad each of us work. We urge you to utilize these new email addresses from this point forward. There will also be a general address titled Eboard@mbtapa.com that all board members will have access to in order to facilitate speedy responses to inquiries. Please make every attempt to utilize private email accounts when contacting any of the new addresses.
There are several new features on the site. Some are already up and running while some are still being finalized. One new feature is the “Upcoming Events” section. This is a calendar that will display any association events, such as meetings, and also any other department related social events and activities that members request to share. Any request to share an event can be made through emailing Eboard@mbtapa.com
Our hopes are to facilitate an easy avenue to open dialogue between the E-Board and the Association body. We ask that you all spread the word of this new site and to encourage your fellow brothers and sisters to please register. Please contact an E-Board member if you have any questions.
Fraternally,
The Executive Board