For immediate release: May 22, 2024
For more information contact: Daniel Wong, (570) 447-4402
Yesterday evening in Davis Square, over 40 city union members and community supporters rallied for better city services and a fair contract for the Somerville Municipal Employees Association (SMEA). SMEA units A, B, & D unites librarians, public works laborers, traffic officers and more. Mayor Katjana Ballantyne let their contract lapse in June 2022 and hasn’t given them a raise since July 2021.
Frustrated by the paltry wages and the resulting short staffing, SMEA and supporters handed out flyers and stood with protest signs calling on Mayor Ballantyne to give city employees raises and respect.
Union members pointed out that because wages have fallen far behind that of employees in comparable positions in nearby cities, the city is losing many dedicated and skilled workers.
Organizers called on everyone to rally from 5:00 -7:00 PM on Thursday, May 30, at Somerville City Hall (93 Highland Avenue).
After the rally, the mayor is expected to present her FY 2025 budget at the 7:00 PM public city council meeting.
“Mayor Ballantyne is wasting our tax dollars by overpaying contractors rather than paying our city employees fair wages,” said Rand Wilson, a resident of Ward 6 and member of Somerville Stands Together. “It’s resulting in qualified city workers leaving the city because in a tight labor market they can find better jobs elsewhere.”
“When our water and sewer lines need to be fixed, Mayor Ballantyne is repeatedly choosing to contract that work out to Tim Zanelli Excavating (TZE) at a much higher cost rather than having our own skilled city employees do the work,” said Daniel Wong, a leader in Carbon Free Somerville. “Instead, we should save tax dollars and have our own municipal workers do that work.”
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