FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2010
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CONTACT
Jeff Hall
(617) 281-8384
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MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY AND 1199SEIU UNITED HEALTHCARE WORKERS EAST REACH AGREEMENT ON MBL HOUSEKEEPING SERVICES
For Immediate Release: February 12, 2010
Contacts:
Andrea Early, MBL Director of Communications
Jeff Hall, 1199SEIU Communications Director
Marine Biological Laboratory and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East Reach Agreement on MBL Housekeeping Services
Woods Hole, MA – The Marine Biological Laboratory and members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East reached a mutually acceptable agreement today that resolves issues regarding the provision of housekeeping services at MBL. The agreement addresses both the concerns of the laboratory regarding seasonal staffing levels and the concerns of 1199SEIU members regarding the personnel and conditions by which those services will be provided.
The agreement addresses the MBL’s need for flexibility in structuring housekeeping services to match occupancy, while doing so in a manner that preserves local jobs with benefits on the Cape. The agreement eliminates the need for MBL to subcontract these positions.
“We are pleased to have reached a mutually agreeable solution to the challenge of staffing an important, but seasonal part of our business,” said MBL director and CEO Gary Borisy. “This was a difficult issue to address at a trying economic time for the institution and our valued employees. In spite of the economic downturn, the MBL is proud to say that it has spurred job growth on Cape Cod, adding 33 new year-round positions and undertaking renovations that have employed more than 250 individuals. We must always be responsible stewards of the resources entrusted to us as a non- profit institution. This agreement enables us to do just that, while retaining long-time employees who are important members of the MBL family.”
“We are happy to have reached an agreement that maintains quality labor standards for our community and dignity for workers at MBL,” said Noreen McNamara, an 1199SEIU member and housekeeper at MBL. “I am proud of my co-workers for the dignity and courage they demonstrated while working to address this difficult challenge. We are proud of the decades of hard work and dedication we have put into our jobs and continue to put into our jobs everyday. We are all thankful to the community for the support they have shown us over this issue.”
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With 350,000 members in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and Washington D.C., 1199 SEIU is the largest and fastest growing healthcare union in the country. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all.
