AG’S OFFICE AWARDS $1.6 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING TO HELP RESIDENTS PAY THEIR HEATING BILLS

AG’S OFFICE AWARDS $1.6 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING TO HELP RESIDENTS PAY THEIR HEATING BILLS

New Grant Program Provides Funding to Seven Organizations including the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council to Assist Households in Paying Monthly Gas Bills

            BOSTON – With winter approaching, Attorney General Maura Healey announced that her office has awarded $1.6 million in grant funding to seven organizations across the state to help Massachusetts consumers pay or lower their monthly heating bills.

            

            “Each winter, thousands of families across Massachusetts struggle to come up with the money to heat their homes,” AG Healey said. “This new grant program allows us to reach residents who aren’t already receiving assistance and provide them with financial support to stay warm during these cold months.”

            Today’s grantee announcement comes in the wake of the Sept. 13 gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley that left thousands of residents and businesses without gas service for heating, hot water and cooking. The Greater Lawrence Community Action Council is one of the seven organization receiving funding from the new grant program and will use the funds to assist residents in recovery.

“We are grateful on behalf of our clients to receive these resources, especially during these difficult times for the Greater Lawrence area,” said Evelyn Friedman, Executive Director of the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. “The amount of the resources and their flexibility will allow us to help residents to weatherize their homes, replace old inefficient boilers and hot water heaters and help with fuel. All things sorely needed at this moment.”

            AG Healey’s new Natural Gas Fuel Assistance Grant Program has provided the funding to seven Massachusetts organizations that currently assist households in paying for their natural gas service. The program is utilizing funds the AG’s Office secured through a $3 million settlement earlier this year with National Grid. The remaining settlement money will be allocated through the grant program in the 2019-2020 winter season.

As the ratepayer advocate for Massachusetts, AG Healey works to ensure that consumers do not pay more than they should for their natural gas. In July 2017, AG Healey joined a coalition of 35 attorneys general and state consumer advocate agencies in urging Congress to preserve and expand funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), federally funded low-income energy assistance programs.

The AG’s Office has awarded funds from the Natural Gas Fuel Assistance Grant Program to the following organizations:

• Greater Lawrence Community Action Council Inc (GLCAC) (Lawrence, Methuen, Andover, North Andover, Wilmington, Reading and North Reading): GLCAC will provide funding to residents who qualified for the LIHEAP program, but would otherwise not receive financial assistance due to a lack of available money in the federal program, as well as residents who don’t qualify for the program but make less than 80 percent of the state median income. GLCAC will also provide funding to both groups of residents for weatherization efforts in their homes.
• City of Medford: The City will establish a new heating assistance program for residents with natural gas heating bills and fall between 60 percent and 80 percent of the median income in the state.
• The Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP) (statewide): MASSCAP will provide multiple organizations with additional funds to help natural gas customers participating in LIHEAP, as well as those who don’t qualify for the federal program but make less than 80 percent of the state median income.
• The Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts (Greater Worcester County, Central Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts):The organization will hire a full-time multilingual staff member to inform and educate local Asian and Arabic-speaking communities about the fuel assistance agencies in Greater Worcester, Central Massachusetts, and Western Massachusetts and the LIHEAP program to maximize participation rates among underserved populations.
• Society of Vincent de Paul District of Attleboro (Attleboro, North Attleboro, Seekonk, Rehoboth, Norton and Mansfield): The organization will provide funds to those in their communities who need assistance in paying their natural gas heating bills.
• Lend A Hand Society (Greater Boston): The organization will enhance their current programming to assist a greater number of families in the Greater Boston area with paying their natural gas heating bills.
• Springfield Partners for Community Action, Inc. (Hampden County):The organization will use the funds to build on its successful Emergency Fuel Assistance program that offers financial assistance to families struggling to pay their natural gas heating bills but do not qualify for LIHEAP.

VIRIDIAN ENERGY CUSTOMERS BEGIN RECEIVING REFUNDS FROM $5 MILLION SETTLEMENT WITH AG’S OFFICE OVER DECEPTIVE MARKETING AND SALES TACTICS

VIRIDIAN ENERGY CUSTOMERS BEGIN RECEIVING REFUNDS FROM $5 MILLION SETTLEMENT WITH AG’S OFFICE OVER DECEPTIVE MARKETING AND SALES TACTICS

Competitive Electricity Supplier Distributes Initial $1.8 Million to Customers During First Phase of Restitution Program

BOSTON — On the heels of her lawsuit against another competitive electricity supplier, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today that customers of the competitive electricity supplier, Viridian Energy, LLC, (Viridian), are beginning to receive restitution payments as part of a $5 million settlement reached with the AG’s Office over allegations of deceptive marketing and sales tactics that lured residents into costly contracts with high electricity rates.

The payments are part of an assurance of discontinuance the AG’s Office negotiated with Viridian and its affiliates in March 2018. The AG’s Office alleged that Viridian, through door-to-door sales, direct mail, and family-and-friend-based “network marketing,” engaged in various deceptive and unfair sales tactics. The AG’s Office also alleged that consumers who switched to Viridian ultimately paid more for electricity than if they had stayed with their utility.

“Competitive electric suppliers like Viridian Energy use aggressive sales tactics and false promises to cheat customers out of millions of dollars,” AG Healey said. “My office is seeking to ban these companies from signing up new customers and end this abuse of our residents.”

In March 2018, AG Healey issued the results of a report commissioned by her office that called for a ban on competitive electricity suppliers signing up new, individual residential customers in Massachusetts. The report found that Massachusetts residential electric customers who switched to a competitive electric supplier paid a total of $176.8 million more than if they had stayed with their utility company during a two-year period from July 2015 to June 2017. The report also found that during the study period competitive suppliers used aggressive sales tactics and appear to have targeted low-income, elderly, and minority residents.

Under the terms of the Viridian settlement, the company will return a total of $4.6 million to qualifying customers who were allegedly misled into signing costly contracts. The remainder of the $5 million settlement will go toward: offsetting the cost of the office’s investigation of Viridian; creating a new fund for future enforcement cases the office brings against competitive electric suppliers; and the state’s General Fund. Viridian, through an independent trustee appointed to manage the restitution program, began distributing checks to qualifying customers on Oct. 10 and will continue over three remaining phases. During the first phase of the program, approximately 20,000 Massachusetts customers will receive $1.8 million over three months.

Eligible customers who do not receive a payment during the first phase will receive payment in a future phase of the program. Customers qualify for restitution if they signed up for Viridian’s electricity supply services before May 1, 2018 and:

• Enrolled in a variable-rate contract with Viridian;
• Were automatically renewed from a Viridian fixed-rate contract to a Viridian variable rate contract;
• Enrolled in a contract through door-to-door sales company Platinum Advertising; and/or
• Enrolled in a fixed-rate contract with a three-year term during the period of September 1, 2014 through August 31, 2015. 

Viridian’s variable rate electricity contracts are also subject to a class action settlement reached in Sanborn et al. v. Viridian Energy, Inc. et al. in federal district court in Connecticut.  Customers who qualify for restitution under the AG’s settlement will receive restitution regardless of whether or not they participated in the class action.

To view a sample of the letter mailed out to customers who qualified for restitution click here.

The AG’s Office has returned millions of dollars to Massachusetts customers through its previous actions against competitive energy supplies. In January 2015, Just Energy agreed to pay $4 million in restitution to consumers for deceptive marketing and sales, entering consumers into agreements without their consent, and charging costly termination fees.

Last month, the AG’s Office sued Starion Energy for allegedly falsely promising consumers electricity rate reductions in unsolicited telemarketing calls and pre-recorded robocalls and then charging those consumers tens of millions of dollars more than they would have paid if they stayed with their utility company.

This case is handled by Assistant Attorneys General Elizabeth Anderson, Joseph Dorfler, Alexander Early, and Elizabeth Mahony, and Deputy Division Chief Nathan Forster, Division Chief Rebecca Tepper, and all of AG Healey’s Energy & Telecommunications Division, along with Energy and Environment Bureau Chief Melissa Hoffer.

玉山科協講座談從量子科技醫療談到身心靈文化整合

紐英崙玉山科協理事許翠玲(右)與獎者樓宇偉(左)。(周菊子攝)

     (Boston Orange 周菊子貝爾蒙鎮報導)論語有云，子不語怪力亂神。紐英崙玉山科技協會10月28日在勒星頓中文學校內的一場”量子科技與身心靈文化整合的可能性”講座，卻上下古今的舉證，宇宙或許同時並存12到18度空間，許多不可思議傳聞，可能真有其事，中西文化整合已是趨勢。

            這場講座的主講人是中華整合醫學與健康促進協會(CIMPHA)生物(命)能信息醫學專業分會召集人，台灣清華大學畢業，獲有麻省理工學院博士學位的樓宇偉。

            他從谷歌(Google)旗下生命醫學研究所Verily於2016年8月宣佈和GSK藥廠合作，共投資7.1億美元，創辦葛凡尼生物電子公司(Galvani Bioelectronics)，研發可穿戴醫療設備開始說起。

他指出，紐約Feinstein醫學研究院院長Kevin J. Tracey2015年出版的”電子醫療:用電流刺激取代藥物治療發炎與自體免疫的症狀”一書，促使許多醫生思考生物電子醫學，電子針灸，以及頻率醫學的關係。

            他把醫學的演化，分成古老，近代，現代與未來四個階段，指17世紀之前是傳統醫學，近300年是以物理，化學的科學論證為基礎，二次世界大戰以後，醫療治理由化學製劑主導。但邁向未來的醫學，就探討多維時空，量子論，潛意識，人體潛能，情緒能量中心，血液循環共振等。在講究頻率的能量醫學上，走的是道家中醫現代化與生命能量整合的路，在講究意識的信息醫學上，關注的是藏印釋醫學現代化與生命信息的整合。

            他以神，氣，精，也就是信息，能量，物質來闡述人會生病的根源，說明人的價值觀源於基因，家族，信仰，經歷，潛意識，個性，文化等，而情緒低落會導致經絡能量流動不暢，引發器官功能失調，各種疾病就開始冒出頭了。

            他還例舉量子物理學家包立(W. Pauli)關於人的內部心理與外部物質之間關聯的看法，榮格(C. G. Jung)的認為人有”集體潛意識”，且其中充滿神的形象，羅伯特蘭莎(Robert Lanza)在2016年出版的新書，”超越生命中心論”，認為人的意識和周遭環境可能是合一的，以及蘇立(Surrey)大學物理學家Jim Al-Khalili和基因生物學家Johnjoe McFadden在2015年出版的”解開生命之謎(Life on the Edge)”，把量子物理帶到了量子生物，指人的頭腦透過神經微館或電離子通導做量子計算，也開始把醫療帶進量子世代。

            台灣就有甫於2017年10月辭世，在1988年就發明了脈診儀，2002年出版”氣的樂章”，2007和2010依序出版”水的漫舞”，”氣血的旋律”等書的王唯工，從中醫走生物能量醫學這條路。

            曾經從事機器人研究的吳清忠，因為自己患病，鑽研中醫後，出版了促進人體自癒機制的三本人體使用手冊，，最近還結合人氣複製和實食經絡，開發健康居家照護體系。

            曾是榮民總醫院，蔣經國治療醫師團隊成員的潘念宗，也在以特定方位面對太陽/導引電磁雜訊於地面，與飲食回歸於五行生剋需求，來藉訊息能量共振，讓人體自癒。

            曾研究手指識字的前台大校長李嗣涔，也發表了順勢療法論文。認為六識是由人的自我意識掃描量子神經網路或自旋所組成的時空結構而形成。台大醫院在2016年9月核定成立南氏去敏(NAET)諮詢中心。

            樓宇偉還例舉許多宗教事跡與著作，指東西方修心傳承共通有三重點，諸行無常，諸法無我，涅盤寂靜，稱輪迴確有其事，由古人"隔空傳遞”，他稱之為”下載”的最新中文書籍為老子透過呂尚(呂應鍾)寫，2018年2月出版的”老子不為”，促使人們重新檢視道德經。2017年12月出版的”真相-耶穌:我的自傳”，也是一本”下載”來的書。

            樓宇偉最後以預言家凱西的”中國將會是基督教的搖籃”為引，指整合文化趨勢已很清晰。

助台灣青年搭橋有功 僑委會表揚羅德島華協、欖城安良

致送"台灣青年海外搭僑計畫"感謝狀。右起，波士頓僑教中心
主任歐宏偉，黑石谷旅遊協會負責人畢靈頓(Bob Billington)，波士頓
經文處處長徐佑典，羅德島華人協會會長吳子平，主席葉超，
羅德島州眾議員。(僑教中心提供)

            (Boston Orange 周菊子整理報導)駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處處長徐佑典和波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉，10月30日走訪羅德島州，送上表揚狀，感謝當地僑團，個人支持僑委會主辦的”台灣青年海外搭僑計畫”。

僑委會在2018年擴大辦理”台灣青年海外搭僑計畫”，在7、8月間，共送出將近200名大專院校學生，到美加英法德日菲泰等12個國家的25各城市見習。

波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉(左起)和波士頓經文處處長徐佑典，專程到
羅德島州，送上表揚狀給欖城安良工商會兩名會長，陳任卓，黃超炎。
(周菊子攝)

            來到波士頓參訪的搭橋學生，經波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉居間聯繫，曾赴羅德島州參訪，由羅德島華人協會主席葉超，會長吳子平，黑石谷旅遊協會負責人畢靈頓(Bob Billington)，以及欖城安良工商會會長陳任卓，黃超炎盛情接待。

            10月30日，徐佑典和歐宏偉特地前往羅德島州，代表僑委會委員長吳新興，送上表揚狀，感謝前述僑領們對台灣青年的關愛。

波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉(前左一)和波士頓經文處處長徐佑典(前右二)
，專程到羅德島州，送上表揚狀給欖城安良工商會兩名會長，陳任卓
(前左二)，黃超炎(前右一)，並和欖城安良會員合影。(周菊子攝)

            徐佑典等人還在行程中和畢靈頓，葉超，吳子平等人就”羅德島龍舟節台灣日”活動明年慶祝20週年，已有台灣廠商捐助，預計購置六艘新龍舟事項，進一步洽談細節。

CAPAC Members Condemn Trump Proposal to End Birthright Citizenship

CAPAC Members Condemn Trump Proposal to End Birthright Citizenship

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Judy Chu (CA-27) and CAPAC Immigration Task Force Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statements in response to President Trump’s plan to use an Executive Order to end the 14th Amendment’s promise of birthright citizenship:

Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:

“With one statement, Donald Trump displayed the bigotry and the ignorance that have made his presidency so dangerous.

“I implore the President to read the case U.S. v. Wong Ark. In this case, despite the Chinese Exclusion Act being in place, the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship for an individual who was born to immigrants. ‘All persons’ means ‘All persons’. The Constitution’s meaning could not be more clear. And the Supreme Court has agreed, ruling multiple times to uphold birthright citizenship. But Trump’s action isn’t about what’s good or moral or legal or even effective. It’s just President Trump’s latest attempt to fuel anger in order to win votes. I can imagine no lower aspiration in government. What he wants is a debate on who does and does not belong here, because he knows xenophobia helps him win elections. But xenophobia also creates tension and increases the risk of violence.

“Like all prejudice, this proposal is not rooted in logic or reality, but that does not make it any less dangerous.”

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), CAPAC Immigration Task Force Chair:

“President Trump should take a high school government class before so confidently claiming he can eliminate the 14th Amendment though executive action. Constitutional scholars and even members of his own party agree – this simply isn’t possible. This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to fan the flames of anti-immigrant rhetoric, sow division and distract voters from this administration’s very real infringements against working families. To Senator Lindsey Graham and anyone looking to encroach on basic citizenship rights legislatively: we will fight tooth and nail against any kind of regressive action, in the streets, in Congress and beyond. Our country’s fabric is stronger because of the protections provided in the 14th Amendment. These efforts are nothing more than attempts to harm children who are just as American as any other child born in the United States of America.” 

Baker-Polito Administration Proposes Fentanyl Interdiction Program

Baker-Polito Administration Proposes Fentanyl Interdiction Program

$5 million pilot will support a regional approach to fentanyl interdiction

BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker today filed legislation seeking $5 million to support a regional, multi-agency approach to fentanyl interdiction and crime displacement by Massachusetts municipal police departments. The pilot program was developed in concert with many Massachusetts police departments interested in a regional approach to the epidemic.

“The presence of fentanyl and the drug dealers who sell it continue to be fueling factors in the deadly heroin and opioid epidemic,” said Governor Baker. “We are confident that the increased communication and coordinated police work this legislation supports will lead to safer communities and we urge the Legislature to enact this bill promptly.”

“This legislation will begin a regional approach to go after dealers who too often can evade authorities by moving to another nearby location in a different municipality,” said Lt. Governor Polito. “We are grateful to the brave first responders on the front lines of this epidemic every day and are eager to see the results that a regional approach can produce.”

Historically, when law enforcement conducts multiple coordinated drug arrests in a particular community, the drug dealers not caught up in the sweep move their operation to a neighboring community and continue to sell. Participating police departments will coordinate regionally to execute arrests that take dealers off the streets. The funding will help supplement surveillance work and overtime costs for units engaged and officers in the field will also work to get buyers into treatment.

“Communication and information sharing in a coordinated fashion among local police departments will multiply our ability to stop this deadly drug from reaching the streets,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Security Daniel Bennett. “We are grateful for the strong interest shown by local law enforcement in this partnership and look forward to achieving positive results in these communities.”

“Communities and Police Departments across the Commonwealth deal with the impact of the heroin and fentanyl epidemic facing our country,” said Dudley Police Chief Steven Wojnar, President or the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. “Every city and town has illicit drug activity and often limited financial resources to address it adequately. The constant movement of dealers from place to place adds to the challenge of apprehending those responsible for distributing these deadly substances on our streets. Thanks to the efforts of the Baker-Polito Administration and the Legislature, we are pleased to have funding opportunities, such as this, to assist us in easing the financial burden associated with drug interdiction efforts. Equally as important, this program encourages the sharing of data and resources amongst agencies to have law enforcement work together more effectively to combat this serious problem on a regional basis.”

“The Governor’s innovative regional approach will go a long way to promote enhanced cooperation among law enforcement agencies and departments which will benefit every community in the Commonwealth with their efforts to combat the scourge of fentanyl and addiction,” said Donald Caisey, President of the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society. “This is truly great news. Unfortunately fentanyl is one of many nightmares we all share.”

“The Massachusetts Coalition of Police appreciates the efforts of the Governor and the Lt. Governor in their attempts to assist law enforcement in stemming the flow of Fentanyl to our communities. This legislation will save lives and protect the people we serve,” said Scott Hovsepian, President of MASSCOP.

Overall in 2017, there was a 4 percent decrease in opioid-related overdose deaths from 2016, according to the latest quarterly opioid-related deaths report released by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). However, the presence of fentanyl in overdose deaths rose to nearly 90 percent in 2018, underscoring its impact as the driving force behind the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts.

In April, Governor Baker signed legislation that included a long overdue “fentanyl fix” to allow law enforcement to go after fentanyl traffickers.

In August, Governor Baker signed An Act for prevention and access to appropriate care and treatment of addiction. The law is the Baker-Polito Administration’s second major legislative action to address the opioid crisis since taking office in 2015, and expands the Commonwealth’s prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery strategies. Building on the STEP Act which instituted the nation’s first seven day limit on new opioid prescriptions resulting in a 30 percent decline in opioid prescriptions, the law creates a commission to establish credentialing standards for recovery coaches; expands the use of medication assisted treatment in emergency departments, five Houses of Correction, and four facilities at the Department of Correction; and requires all prescribers to convert to secure electronic prescriptions by 2020.

世界首富亞馬遜Jeff Bezos現身波士頓 在"素描湘"用餐

Jeff Bezos(右)和素描湘營運長莫晨輝(左)。
(素描湘提供)

            (Boston Orange周菊子麻州整理報導)亞馬遜(Amazon)到底會不會在波士頓設立第二個總部，目前還沒確定答案。已是世界首富的亞馬遜創辦人Jeff Bezos倒是先在波士頓現身了，而且還到了劍橋市的高級中餐館”素描湘(Sumiao Hunan Kitchen)”，和家人一起享用中餐。

             Jeff Bezos和家人，小孩，10月27日晚，在兩名保鑣保護下，來到”素描湘”用餐。當晚餐廳很忙，沒人上前打擾Bezos一家人。直到他們準備離開時，餐廳股東兼營運長莫晨輝和餐廳經理Patrick Chhoy才上前要求合照，並獲悉Jeff Bezos很讚賞湖南脆皮鴨，炸秋葵。
                   "素描湘"主要創辦人陳素描，朱少純夫婦，當天正好在醫院，錯失了和世界首富晤面機會。
             今年六月，Jeff Bezos和，JP摩根執行長Jamie Dimon，伯克希爾·哈撒韋(Berkshire Hathaway)的華倫巴菲特(Warren Buffett)等人才投資，在波士頓成立了一家以員工醫療護理為重心，並找來Brigham & Women's醫院醫生Atul Gawande當執行長的醫療公司。這也可能是Jeff Bezos在波士頓出現的原因。

             最近這一，兩年，被福布斯和三名管理學教授選為全美最創新企業領袖的Jeff Bezos，一直是熱門新聞人物。根據彭博新聞社，2017年3月，他才把華倫巴菲(Warren Buffet)擠下寶座，成為世界富豪排行榜上的第二名，並由於股價升至18.32，個人總資產跳升至756億美元。然而才不過2018年，他的資產總值就超過1000億美元，再躍升至1600億元，把微軟比爾蓋茲遠拋在後的成為世界首富，還承諾捐款20億元來幫助無家可歸的家庭，以及在美國建造受蒙特梭利啟發的幼稚園。

"素描湘"是兩名華裔醫藥領域專業人士，陳素描(右)，朱少純(左)
兩夫婦和股東們合作創辦的高檔中餐館，也是他們在各自本業之外的
餐飲集團事業之一。自創立以來，經常高朋滿座。(周菊子攝，檔案照片)

             今年(2018)，Jeff Bezos還和妻子MacKenzie聯名捐出3300萬元給Dream.us，要發獎學金給1000名高中畢業，持有DACA身分的無證件移民，給他們上大學機會。

             5天前，又傳出Jeff Bezos出資1000萬元成立了一個支持退伍軍人競選公職，要求候選人宣誓誠信，文明，有勇氣的超級政治行動委員會(super PAC)-“有榮譽(With Honor Fund)”，還發佈廣告攻擊民主黨國會議員候選人Lauren Baer是叛徒。

             2018年10月26日時，亞馬遜的股價波動，公司總值縮減8%，讓Jeff Bezoa的個人資產也在一日之內減少110億元，從1600億元降至1358億元，不過還是比微軟比爾蓋茲多。

             貝佐斯(Bezos)是一名酒鬼父親，青少年母親的小孩。他父母結婚一年後就離異。母親在他四歲時改嫁給Mike Bezos，一名15歲才來到美國的古巴移民，也是一名有野心，工作勤奮的人。

             今年54歲的Bezos是在1994年時，看到網路科技潛能，辭去投資公司工作，在西雅圖自家車庫創辦出亞馬遜的，一路走來，他帶著亞馬遜不斷轉型，成為全世界最受矚目的網購公司之一。

Massachusetts Political Leaders to Delegate Marriott Management, Call for Meaningful Negotiations to End Strike

Massachusetts Political Leaders to Delegate Marriott Management, Call for Meaningful Negotiations to End Strike

Local politicians show strong support for striking Marriott hotel workers, out fighting for one job that’s enough to live on for almost a full month

What: Led by City Councilors Ed Flynn and Michelle Wu, local politicians plan to give Marriott management a letter urging meaningful movement at the negotiating table. Striking Marriott hotel workers have been out since October 3, sacrificing to win a new contract from the biggest and richest hotel company in the world.

When: Monday, October 29, 2018 at 11:00 am

Where: Ritz-Carlton Boston, 10 Avery St, Boston, MA 02111

Who: Local elected leaders and UNITE HERE Local 26 striking hotel workers across Boston, including hotel housekeepers, front desk reception, bellmen, cooks, dishwashers, and more.

Note: Marriott workers impacted by the contract fight will be available for interview in person at the event as well as by phone.

Why: Massachusetts and Boston politicians see striking Marriott hotel workers as “ambassadors for the Greater Boston area.” Their letter to President and CEO of Marriott, Arne Sorenson, states “Like all workers, they deserve to be paid a living wage and enjoy basic protections from unfair scheduling practices, sexual harassment, and other workplace abuses.” The letter continues, “We urge you to negotiate in good faith with the representing union, UNITE HERE Local 26, to reach a fair compromise that will end the strike and allow both parties to move forward amicably as soon as possible.”

Marriott is the largest and most profitable hotel chain in the world, but Boston’s Local 26 workers have been in contract negotiations since March as they fight to win basic job security, safer working conditions, and jobs that are enough to support their families.

On October 3, workers walked out at seven Marriott-operated hotels, including the Aloft Boston Seaport District, the Element Boston Seaport District, the Ritz-Carlton Boston, the Sheraton Boston, the W Hotel Boston, the Westin Boston Waterfront, and the Westin Copley Place. This is the first hotel strike in Boston’s history. The last time Local 26 workers went on strike was at Harvard in October 2016, when dining hall workers struck for 22 days and successfully settled a contract with the world’s richest university.

Marriott workers are also on strike in San Francisco, Detroit, San Jose, San Diego, Oakland, and Hawaii, totaling nearly 8,000 workers demanding that One Job Should Be Enough.