星期五, 5月 15, 2015

家居護理工人爭取調高時薪至十五元

百人經1199 SEIU工會號召,十三日中午聚集到麻州州政府大樓前,舉告示,喊口號,訴心聲,呼籲州政府修訂薪資法,把家居護理工作人員的時薪提高到十五元。
華人前進會召集支持者和華裔家居護理業工作人員,高舉“提高工資,改善福利”,“提高工資,擺脫貧窮”等中文標語牌,夾在穿著紫色T恤,高舉 “團結力量大”,“醫院工作者和個人護理員為尊嚴團結”,“清潔工要未來”,以及“十五元”等英文,西班牙文標語牌的工會成員行列中。
華人前進會共同主席陳玉珍表示,這次集會示威主要因為麻州約三萬五千名家居護理工人的合約,將於七月一日到期,相關工作人員希望把工資提高到每小時十五元。
麻州去年才把最低工資提高為每小時九元。麻州家居護理工人目前的時薪為十三點三八元。
麻州眾議會議長狄樂歐(Robert DeLeo),眾議員Jim O'Day這天都出席致詞,支持該一要求。狄樂歐並說,要讓麻州真正共同富裕。
            出席示威者中包括“醫療資源居家護理(Medical Resources Home Health)公司的華裔,拉丁裔員工。他們表示,已申請組織工會,希望將來在工資,醫療保險,病假等權益上獲得更多保障。
        在“醫療資源家居護理”公司已服務多年的雷媚表示,在多個組織遊行數次後,她的工資已由最初的時薪八元增加到現在的十元多一點,但她仍需每週工作五十多個小時,才能勉強因應生活所需,也沒有健康保險,不受公司尊重。
            住在君子樓的馬華表示,像他這樣的耆英,沒有會講粵語的家居護理人員幫忙,日子不會過得舒坦,所以儘管他行動不便,還是要出席支持爭取行動。
            示威群眾在麻州政府大樓喊口號之後,魚貫進入州政府大樓,敲門拜會州議員,陳情籲請支持。
            住在美順樓的姚峰說,她女兒也是一名家居護理工作人員,儘管病了已有一段時間,由於沒有薪病假,一直拖到實在不行了,才去醫院。希望這次的示威活動,能改善家居護理工作人員的整體工作條件。

圖片說明:

            馬華加入集會示威行列,支持家居護理工人爭取提高時薪。(戴斯夢攝)

            1199 SEIU工會及華人前進會號召支持者到麻州政府大樓前集會示威,支持家居護理工人爭取提高時薪。(戴斯夢攝)


            麻州眾議會議長狄樂歐(Robert DeLeo)出席支持工人。(戴斯夢攝)

華美福利會就業展三小時吸引四百多人

華美福利會昨(十四)日在瑞吉路易斯體育中心(Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center)舉辦就業展,有四百多人在三小時內穿梭廿三個企業,機構攤位,探問資訊。
華美福利會表示,事前報名的約有二百八十多人,但昨日有很多人直接來到現場,甚至不願留下個人資料,估計出席總數共有四百八十左右,其中約有一半為亞裔。
昨日參展的企業,有部分是特別為招聘亞裔員工而來。
美國銀行設於羅德島州普域敦斯(Providence)的“公司應付帳款(corporate accounts payable)”部門,希望招聘約三名懂得亞洲語言的營業分析員。
該公司助理副總裁Tammy L O’Connor表示,該部門為很多亞洲地區客戶服務,在溝通及閱讀,翻譯文件上,都有特定語言需求。該部門將持續擴展,估計年底增聘至十人。
Tammy L O’Connor透露,他們在這次的就業展中收到五,六十份履歷表,也對他們見到的探詢者程度,表示滿意。
菁英服務(Elite Services)希望招聘一名能說廣東話兼國語的門房(concierge)。該公司最近接下波士頓華埠內信義大下的門房服務業務,還一直未能覓得足夠的符合需要人手。該公司透露,這次來擺攤,只有一個職位空缺,但收到了廿五份履歷表,成績很好。
昨日參展的企業,機構,種類非常多樣化,金融類最多,包括美國銀行,桑坦德(Santander)銀行,東方銀行,道富集團,普天壽波士頓金融集團,有大約五家,各自在現場收取了五,六十份履歷表。
政府機構有波士頓消防局,薩福克郡治安官部門;學校有波士頓大學;醫藥保險領域有麻州藍十字藍盾, 鄰里健康計劃(Neighborhood Health Plan),波士頓醫療中心,CVS,沃爾格林(Walgreen’s);非牟利機構有ABCDProject Place,其他還有大理石通訊(Granite Telecommunications),家得寶(Home Depot),KeolisManicube,尼門馬可斯(Neiman Marcus),Piantedosi烘培公司,Snap Chef等。    
            華美福利會就業服務協調員Cyndy Chapm-Levesque表示,參展企業,機構提供的職位,從初入行到高級主管都有。
            華美福利會副行政主任史華姿(Sunny Schwartz)表示,在就業服務部分,該會的服務已經是面向整個社區。一百家以上的該會企業合作夥伴中,昨日只有一小部分參展。
            華美福利會就業服務協調員Cyndy Chapm-Levesque透露,該會稍後將重新檢視報名參加活動者遞交的履歷表,若發現有與參展雇主需要符合者,將另行聯繫,進一步洽談,嘗試提供修改履歷表,指點學歷認證等服務,以幫助更多人就業。
她表示,有不少移民教育程度很高,卻以為那學歷在美國不被承認。其實除了醫師,護士等專業牌照必須重新考試,申請之外,一般學歷只要經過適當認證,都有效。

圖片說明:

            華美福利會副行政主任史華姿(左)向出席者說明該會服務項目。(菊子攝)

            美國銀行派出三人為“公司應付帳款(corporate accounts payable)”部門辦理招聘。(菊子攝)


            菁英服務公司指名要請會廣東話的人。(菊子攝)

李氏公所聚餐慶雙親節

紐英崙李氏公所日前趁時序跨入五月,氣温恰好在70-80度那天,聚集了一百七十多名宗親,在潮洲城酒樓共享豐盛午餐,慶祝雙親節,同時向母親,父親致敬。
餐會由書記李奇舜主持,主席李炳輝致詞。他們表示,紐英崙今冬遇上有史以來最大風雪,不但溼冷,還道路泥濘,舟車不便,大家都有被困多時之感,如今好不容易,雪已融了,天也暖了,能夠輕鬆的和宗親們聚首話舊,實在令人高興。
一百七十多名李氏宗親當天在酒樓內歡聲笑語不斷,彼此打趣的說,母親固然偉大,父親也不容忽視,子女向長輩表心意,可不能“挂一漏萬”,所以既要慶祝母親節,也要慶祝父親節,最後當然就是慶祝雙親節了。
            母親節是當今社會,眾人熟知的節日,各國慶祝的日期不一。根據維基百科,母親節源起於古希臘,美國國會於1913年時訂定每年五月的第二個星期日為母親節。由於母親節後來變得過於商業化,促使美國訂定母親節的安娜賈維斯(Anna Jarvis)所成立的母親日國際協會,在安娜賈維斯於1948年過世後,仍持續抗議。
            維基百科上的資料指出,父親節始於廿世紀初的美國。各國的父親節日期也不盡相同。包括香港及澳門,大部份地區訂為六月的第三個星期日。台灣則因八月八日與“爸爸”諧音,訂該日為父親節。

圖片說明:

            紐英崙李氏宗親會慶祝雙親節後合影。(圖由李氏宗親會提供)

MAYOR WALSH AND PARKS DEPARTMENT LAUNCH TENNIS APP PARTNERSHIP

MAYOR WALSH AND PARKS DEPARTMENT LAUNCH TENNIS APP PARTNERSHIP
App launching Friday allows players to reserve courts online 

BOSTON - Thursday, May 14, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced a partnership with playlocal.com that will create a first-of-its-kind platform allowing Boston's tennis players to reserve courts online and find similarly skilled people to play with. The app will launch Friday, May 15 and can be downloaded at www.boston.gov/parks/tennis.asp

“We are excited to offer this program to tennis players in our City's parks,” said Mayor Walsh. “We have plenty of courts, all offering tennis for free in the city, and the playlocal.com app will make reserving courts and finding a partner a much more efficient process." 

The pilot Play Local app program will be in effect during park hours at public tennis courts at four locations in Boston beginning Friday.  Ringer Playground in Allston, Moakley Park in South Boston, and Cassidy Playground in Brighton will feature Play Local reservations from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, while the Boston Common tennis courts will offer them from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.  Signs will be posted at each court indicating the courts available for reservation.

Players can sign up for free from any PC or mobile device at www.boston.gov/parks/tennis.asp.  Once on the booking page, users will see the park locations with maps.  After selecting a park, users reserve their court and receive a confirmation by email.

“After extensive research, we found that tennis players across Boston share a common concern – arriving at a court and being forced to wait upwards of an hour to play,” said Anmol Wassan, CEO of playlocal.com.  “Our platform seeks to solve that problem and create a better experience for the tennis playing community."

星期四, 5月 14, 2015

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES THE START OF TRUCK SIDE GUARD INSPECTIONS

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES THE START OF TRUCK SIDE GUARD INSPECTIONS


BOSTON – Today Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD) will begin conducting inspections of all large city-contracted vehicles in accordance with the the Truck Side Guard Ordinance. The Ordinance requires these vehicles to be equipped with convex blind spot mirrors, crossover mirrors and blind-spot awareness decals, an important step in protecting Boston's cyclists. 

“These additional safety mechanism requirements are extremely important when providing safe roads for our cyclists to travel,” said Mayor Walsh. “These updated inspections will keep Bostonians safe on our roads and better protected from danger.”

The apparatus was designed to reduce the risks of a collision and prevent fatalities with pedestrians and cyclists.  This equipment will allow drivers of large trucks to see items in front of, and to the sides of their vehicles, preventing right hook incidents with cyclists.  The ordinance does not apply to contracts awarded for trucks used exclusively for snow plowing or emergency vehicles. In the City of Boston pilot, each vehicle cost about $1,800 to outfit and will last the lifetime of the vehicle.  

“I am thrilled the City has begun side-guard inspections on vehicles,” said Councilor At-Large Ayanna Pressley.” These safety fixtures are a proven way to minimize cyclist fatalities. It is one of many important steps we can take to ensure safe roadways for all.”

In October 2014 City Council voted unanimously to pass a Truck Side Guard Ordinance, filed by Mayor Martin J. Walsh, At-Large Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley and the Boston Cyclists Union.  The first of its kind in the country the Truck Side Guard Ordinance requires vehicles awarded a contract with the City of Boston weighting over 10,000 pounds (tractor-trailers 26,000 lbs.) to have the enhanced safety measures.

The Boston Transportation Department and Boston Bikes will assist with education, content expertise on best practices, and as the point of contact for constituent reporting. Vehicles found to be in compliance will be certified for 2-years. For those vehicles found not to be in compliance, businesses will face a fine, ranging from $100 for the first offense, to potential termination of the contract.

華美福利會職業展 5/14

Originally posted on May 11th.

Pope Francis Endorses Catholic Climate Petition

Pope Francis Endorses Catholic Climate Petition


Vatican City, May 14, 2015 - Pope Francis endorsed a Catholic petition calling for bold climate action after meeting with the newly created Global Catholic Climate Movement(GCCM) on Wednesday. The Pope's move is another sign that he intends to lead Catholics into an active response on climate change.

"Pope Francis was very supportive of the work we are doing to engage Catholics around the world in a coordinated response to climate change," said Tomás Insua, co-founder of the GCCM from Argentina. "The Pope even joked that we were competing against his encyclical. His endorsement of our work is extremely important to raise awareness within Catholic circles globally, and to collect more signatures."

The idea for the petition came as a response to Pope Francis' call last December: "On climate change there is a clear, definitive and ineluctable ethical imperative to act." The signatures will be presented to world leaders in December 2015, when they will meet at the United Nations climate summit in Paris.

Due to protocol Pope Francis asked the Pontifical Ceremonieri, Monsignor Guillermo Karcher, to sign the petition on his behalf to emphasize his endorsement and encourage Catholics to sign as well. The Pope also presented GCCM with the book "The Sun's Energy in the Vatican" as a gift to emphasize the Holy See's commitment to renewable energy as a means to address the climate crisis.

"The support of Pope Francis to the petition is very important as climate change is a great and urgent moral issue," said Allen Ottaro, director of CYNESA based in Kenya and co-founder of GCCM. "Climate change hits the poorest first and hardest, and will leave an unnecessarily dire legacy for future generations. We Catholics need to step up against climate change and raise a strong voice asking political leaders to take action urgently. I encourage all to sign the petition on our website: www.CatholicClimateMovement.global " 

The Catholic Church is becoming increasingly vocal on climate change. Two weeks ago, the Vatican hosted a high-level summit about climate change and released a declaration that stated: "Human-induced climate change is a scientific reality, and its decisive mitigation is a moral and religious imperative for humanity." Once Pope Francis' encyclical on ecology is published in June, it is expected that action will continue to intensify.

莫升元在BTBA講座中指醫療護理業未來十年將丕變

             聯合健康集團(UnitedHealth Group)科技總監莫升元博士(Steven Mo)五月九日在波士頓台灣生物科技協會(BTBA)講座中指出,在法規修訂,科技與醫療結合更加緊密的發展下,醫療護理產業將在未來十年內面貌丕變。
            波士頓台灣生物科技協會成立迄今三年,新一屆會長是謝富凱,李湘盈。預定六月六,七兩日舉辦年會,中研院院士陳垣崇,Tanox創辦人唐南珊將出任主講人。
            該會在每年一度的大會之外,經常舉辦學術座談,職業分享,切磋交流。經創辦人陳昇宏與陳映嘉等人努力,該會還和德州大學的奧斯汀(Austin),休士頓(Huston),以及在達拉斯(Dallas)的西南等三所分校最近組成的德州台灣生物科技協會合作,連線舉辦講座。九日下午,除達拉斯因技術問題出狀況,未連上線外,其他兩地都遙距一起聽講。
聯合健康集團(UnitedHealth Group)有史以來最年輕總監,醫療護理資訊科技部門的莫升元(Steven Mo),這天在哈佛大學科學中心分享他個人獨特場生經驗,以及醫療護理產業的看法。
莫升元在台灣台南出生,十二歲隨原本在成功大學當教授的父母移民來美,落腳德州休士頓。大二完成麻省理工學院學士論文,大三到英國劍橋(Cambridge)大學做交換學生,大四在哈佛大學醫學院實習,成為史上第一位台灣籍獲得有“全球本科生諾貝爾獎”之稱的羅德獎學金(Rhodes Scholarship),之後又到英國牛津(Oxford)大學,在三年內修得博士學位。就業時選擇踏進波士頓諮詢顧問公司(BCG),最近才加盟在財富一百強中 排名第十四, 在醫療護理業界營業額高居首位的聯合健康集團。2014年營業額為一千三百億美元。
莫升元以一張幻燈片指出,在財富一百強的公司中,有八分之一都屬於醫療護理產業,包括排名第十二的CVS,第廿二的樞機健康(Cardinal Health),第三十九的強森強森(Johnson & Johnson),第五十一的輝瑞製藥公司等。
莫升元是在聯合健康集團麾下,以資訊科技來提供醫療服務平台的Optum工作。他指出,在科技發展的“一切物聯網(Internet of Things)“走勢中,健康產業越來越重視與科技結合,改善服務。2014年聯合健康集團有三分之一的營收來自Optum部門。
目前健康產業有三大趨勢,一為人口老化,二為財富轉移,中產階級崛起,三為大數據應用,分析能力與早年相比有天壤之別。
由於人口老化,社會中最流行病症,變成了腫瘤(癌症)及糖尿病。由於大數據的應用更廣,分析力更強,醫療診斷及用藥能夠賺取的利潤,在可負擔醫療法要求醫療質量,講究疾病的預防,並以數據做醫療保險給付的評斷標準後,整個醫療健康產業的營運模式,都將大幅度改變,到2020年時,製藥或生物科技公司提供給人們的醫療護理選擇。
談及在醫療健康產業中任職的晉升之路時,莫升元很坦白的根據業界慣例指出,拿到博士學位的人,一般會在入行職位待一到七年,升到經理級(Manager)的人,大都有五到十五年經驗,再往上到總監級(Director),通常有十二到廿年經驗,亞裔升到副總裁(Vice President)的,目前仍然很少,當上執行長的更罕見。
            莫升元很熱心,講座結束後,還安排了一場互動式的職場模擬遊戲,讓出席者親身體驗生技醫藥產業近年經常面對的人才選拔,重組,法律糾紛等變化多端的業界生態,會後還和BTBA會員及出席者閒談,聚餐,進一步分享經驗,看法。

圖片說明:

            波士頓生物科技協會的陳映嘉(右),陳亮瑾(左)介紹講者莫升元(中)。(菊子攝)

            聯合健康集團資訊科技總監莫升元分享經驗。(菊子攝)


            這場講座還和德州連線。(菊子攝)