Common Ground News

CommonGround VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1

JANUARY 2010

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

A courageous couple

Gormans unite to battle husbands cancer that John will continue to manage a disease that has taken and altered so many lives. They refuse to accept defeat, which is the approach the father of two children thinks all cancer patients should take.

CUMBERLAND – The tale of the tape tells you that John Gorman measures 5 feet and 7 inches tall.

What it doesn’t tell you, however, is that the correctional officer has an immeasurable amount of determination he is using to survive brain cancer.

Diagnosed with the disease in May 2004, Gorman has battled so hard that he is expected to be able to return to work this month at the Adult Correctional Institutions’ in-take center in Cranston. That will be a monumental accomplishment for the Cumberland native, who didn’t allow a relapse in July to derail his plans.

From when he was first diagnosed, John thought, “I am sick and I am going to get better,” he said. “I never thought, ‘I have cancer and I’m going to die.’ You can’t think like that. If you do, you are not going to survive for a very long time.”

John and JoAnn Gorman relax in their cumberland home

“He’s always been a fighter,” his wife JoAnn said of her husband of seven years. She calls him an inspiration and says she has no bitterness about how their lives have evolved. “I would do it all over again,” she said.

“We were just meant to be together.

I only wish I had met him earlier in life.” JoAnn is 41 years old and John turns 47 on Jan. 21.

When doctors discovered the tumor in John’s brain, they found fluid and cancer cells that formed a mass the size of a baseball or tennis ball, he said. He was diagnosed after seeking medical attention for debilitating headaches.

“They were getting so bad I almost had to take a knee while I was coaching,” said Gorman, who

mentored the North Cumberland Middle School wrestling team with his brother.

Doctors at the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass., removed as much as of the tumor they could without damaging healthy brain tissue and then started aggressive chemotherapy and radiation. That treatment, experimental cancer fighting drugs and lifestyle changes kept Gorman tumor-free until July. As a result the correctional officer endured another round of brain surgery that went “fantastic,” John said. But after just one month following the operation, the tumor returned. “It was devastating,” JoAnn said.

Another surgery was out of the question. John was prescribed the drug Avastin, and it is shrinking the tumor, giving the Gormans hope

“You have to fight for what you believe, for what you think you can accomplish or achieve,” JoAnn said.

While John has inspired JoAnn, who is a 23-year Stop & Shop employee, Olympic bicyclist Lance Armstrong and his books have motivated John, according to his wife. Since May 2004, JoAnn has spent hours reading materials about healthy lifestyles and how nutrition and exercise are essential to preventing and treating disease.

John and JoAnn exercise daily, there are days when John does a double session, and they have drastically changed their eating habits. Despite the cancer, John says he is “very close to being in the best shape” of his life, and JoAnn has formulated a diet consisting of food that is void of food filled with chemicals and “words that you cannot pronounce.”

See GORMAN on page 10

A Look Inside: Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 9

UFCW grows to 12,0000 members Local 328 gives back to the community The Women’s Network Unions donate time and money to charities Unions emerged from necessity Take charge with ER Card Rhode Island must change education system New OSHA director confirmed Investment capitol needed in RI

Page 11 Page 12 Page 13

Local 799 honored by MDA for its support Company offers affordable health benefits You don’t have to sacrifice taste to achieve your New Year’s resolution Page 14 Delegates salute Montanaro for dedication Nee will use political clout as AFL-CIO president Page 15 Plan today for a financially sound tomorrow Page 17 Ten scholars receive final DeAndrade awards Page 18&19 Directory of Union Services

“After a remarkable meal of beautifully executed dishes including a creative antipasto, exceptional rack of lamb, inspired brioche chocolate and toffee bread pudding and perfect service, I wondered why I waited so long.”

From the Publisher: John J. Tassoni, Jr. If we are to move our state forward, we must start on common ground. This is the mission of our newspaper.

For the first time, the more than 90,000 union members in Rhode Island have a newspaper that reports on the positive news they accomplish.

How many of us would have health insurance, paid sick days, overtime, and basic worker’s rights without unions? How many children would be afforded the opportunity to attend college if their parents were not able to makes sustainable wages, fought for by the unions? The fact is that unions fight for all of us.

Once again the unions will help lift our state up, as we seek to put more people back to work.

All too often we only hear about the unions during contract negotiations, and unfortunately the media never focuses on their tremendous accomplishments.

Did you know that Rhode Island’s unions have donated thousands of hours of time and hundreds of thousands of dollars to many worthwhile charities and community organizations? It’s often not reported, but now the great work of Rhode Island’s union members will be covered.

The following pages shed light on the many charitable works from our unions. We also highlight the courageous efforts of union members, like John Gorman, who is an inspiration for all in his battle against cancer. He and his brothers and sisters at the Brotherhood of Correctional Officers have formed Team Gorman, a fund-raising organization for cancer research throughout the United States.

In order to achieve common ground, we realize that we need to learn about opposing viewpoints, which is why we have printed a column by John Gregory, president of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce. John offers his perspective on the state of our educational system.

This is only the beginning, and the difficult work lies ahead. But all sides need to be heard, and Common Ground is our effort to highlight the important work of Rhode Island’s unions and workers. We ask you to support the advertisers who have made it possible to bring to light the good deeds of Rhode Island’s union movement.

It is an honor to publish this newspaper.

Your brother, John J. Tassoni, Jr.

United Nurses & Allied Professionals

- Gail Ciampa, Providence Journal

A True Culinary Experience in the Suburbs.

Working to improve the lives of our members... and our patients.

Join Rhode Island’s largest union of health care professionals. Call 831-3674 or email: jjose@unap.org.

For more info, go to www.unap.org.

Page 2

Common Ground

JANUARY 2010

Then and Now

UFCW grows to 12,0000 members In January 1937, five meat cutters working for First National Stores in Rhode Island met with the general manager of the company’s Providence division and asked for the same wages, workweek and working conditions as the Boston division of the company, which was represented by Local 592 of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America.

The general manager quickly rebuffed them. The spokesman for the group, Salvatore “Sam” DiSano, then only 20 years of age, replied to the rebuff with truly prophetic words: “We’re going to form a union in Rhode Island.” That was the beginning of Local 328.

Later that year, 85 percent of 984 workers voted in favor of the union and became the newly chartered Local 328

of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America.

One of the original organizers, Joseph Crowley, was killed in action liberating France in 1944. A commemorative plaque was erected in his honor over Interstate 195 at Pawtucket Avenue in East Providence.

The union’s first president was James Casey and the second was Maurice Ponte. In 1946, Sam DiSano became president and served the local for 24 years.

DiSano’s hard work and dedication to the members and their families is a story unto itself. His tremendous organizing efforts brought the union to 6,000 members. Upon his retirement, Mr. DiSano was appointed director of

Local 328 Executive Board meeting in 1947

Common Ground

Members danced to the music of Guy Lombardo (on stage) and his orchestra at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in 1950 at the Local’s 25th anniversary party.

the Rhode Island Department of Labor by then Gov. Phillip Noel.

In the 30-plus years since DiSano’s retirement, much has changed. For one, the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America Union merged with the Retail Clerks Union in 1979, creating the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

Partially due to the merger, Local 328 has grown to more than 12,000 members, serving the needs of workers in a myriad of industries, including retail food, institutional food, health care, banking, transportation, recycling, manufacturing, hair care and cosmetology. Seven presidents have served terms since DiSano retired. They are Romeo Caldarone, Prentice Witherspoon, Louis Spetrini, Frank McCarthy, George Tennian, Lee DiIorio and David Fleming, who continues in his term since being elected in November 2004.

Today, UFCW Local 328 has collective bargaining agreements with Stop & Shop (an employer Local 328 has worked with for the past 50 years), GU Markets, First Boston Pharma (the largest producer of private label cough drops in the country),

the Rhode Island Credit Union, Dexter Credit Union and Woodlawn Credit Union. Also under contract with Local 328 is C-Town Market in Pawtucket, Eastside Marketplace and Brigido’s in Rhode Island.

In addition, Local 328 represents school and university food service workers at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, Roger Williams University, Norton, Seekonk, Woonsocket, Westerly and Bridgewater-Raynham school cafeteria workers, as well as, school bus drivers in the school districts of Marshfield and Middleboro, Mass. The workers at the recycling center at the Johnston landfill are also members of Local 328, as are the health care workers at the New Bedford Jewish Convalescent Home and Landmark Hospital.

Today, the everyday operations at Local 328 continue at 278 Silver Spring St. in Providence, which has been the organization’s home for 47 years.

Dedication to the members and the community is the historic creed of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 328, then and now.

, Inc.

John J. Tassoni, Jr. Publisher

John Houle Co-Publisher

Vincent Paul Editor

Anna Romano Advertising Director

Kerryn Azevedo Graphic Design

Jen Davey Web

Local 328 Organizers including Presidents Romeo Calderone (2nd from left) and Sam DiSano (4th from left) during an A&P organizing campaign in 1954.

Contributors George Nee Scott Molloy John Gregory -

Common Ground, Inc. 111 Wayland Avenue Providence, Rhode Island 02906 c. 401.451.1305 f. 401.831.6111 john@commongroundnews.net www.commongroundnews.net

Sam Disano (far right) posed with the 1947 Local 329 AFL Softball Team.

JANUARY 2010

Common Ground

Page 3

Local 328 gives back to the community When people think of unions, they often conjure up visions of picket lines and work stoppages. Yet when discussing United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 328, the smiling faces of grateful boys and girls might be a more appropriate reflection.

The leaders of Local 328, beginning with President David P. Fleming, feel that the union’s role is first and foremost to help working men and women in whatever way it can.

Sometimes that entails sitting at a negotiating table with an employer to iron out the last details of a collective bargaining agreement. But just as often, fulfilling that objective means strengthening communities by helping individuals, whether they be Local 328 members or not, during times of need.

There seemed to be no greater time of need in Rhode Island than in the days and weeks following the devastating Station Night Club fire. Local 328 raised $80,000 for the families of four members who were tragically affected.

Additional endeavors have included collecting needed supplies for troops in Iraq, initiating English classes in conjunction with the Rhode Island Institute for Labor Studies to be held evenings at Local 328’s headquarters in Providence and delivering a truck full of necessities to the Women’s Center of Rhode Island.

In addition to ongoing support for that wonderful organization, Local 328 also maintains supportive relationships with the March of Dimes, the Pawtucket Child Development Center, Progreso Latino, A Wish Come True, Massachusetts Youth & Government and many, many others.

The UFCW Local 328 scholarship program continues to provide members’ families with the resources needed to attend colleges and universities by offering 10 $1,500 scholarships each year.

Officers of Local 328, along with a representative from the Leukemia/Lym phoma Society posing with Ron Reil and his son, Jason, a Leukemia survivor.

Check amount $100,164.00.

Additionally, there are four other venues associated with the union that combine to provide an additional The local’s relationship with The Leukemia & $34,000 in funding annually. They are the UFCW Lymphoma Society deserves special recognition.

International, the Norfolk Central Labor Council, In the past 14 years, the annual Local 328 Golf the Plymouth/Bristol Central Labor Council and the Tournament has raised almost $797,000 for the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council society. Each year has seen a significant increase in the scholarships. amount raised, from $11,000 after the first year of the tournament up to the $93,000 check the organization When a member or a member’s loved one passes on, presented the society after this year’s June tournament.

Local 328 presents a beautiful bible to the family. For The local expects to exceed $1 million in three years.

Jewish members, a tree is planted in Israel in their memory.

The Women’s Network makes life easier for many in Rhode Island The Women’s Network of Local 328 has been in existence since 1992. The network is an extension of Local 328 and is made up of members from various facilities that have the desire to make improvements for working people.

Many changes have taken place since its inception, but the reason for having the network has not changed: It helps members of the local and the community in which they work.

For more than 18 years the network has been able to provide food baskets to members and their families for Thanksgiving. This year alone union representatives distributed over 85 Thanksgiving baskets that helped Local 328 members get through the holiday a little easier.

The baskets were made possible due to the generosity of union members who bring in a non-perishable item or donate cash to the infamous “fish bowl” at each quarterly meeting. Members help members.

Another great cause that the Women’s Network participates in is toys for children for the Christmas season. Since 2004, the network has collected toys and distributed them to members who have difficulty in providing extras for their children at Christmas.

In 2004, the Women’s Network provided toys for five families with 13 children.

In 2009, that number has grown to

90 families and 161 children. The network is able to do that due to the help of its members who provide toys throughout the year and at Christmas in July quarterly meetings. In addition, union stewards donate toys at the annual stewards’ conference. The donations filled a small U-Haul; demonstrating union members are great when it comes to helping others in need. Since 2005, the network has helped 318 families and 627 children to have a better holiday season. It is an amazing number that will continue to grow.

The network is truly happy to give back. In 2005, a motorcycle bike run held by the network raised $4,600 for The Leukemia-Lymphoma Society. The Women’s Network has also participated in blood drives, workshops for stress reduction and held a candle light vigil to inform members and the community of the practices of Walmart that drive the workforce in a downward spiral.

President Dave Fleming with Local 328 Women’s Network Director, Ellen Jordan and volunteers at a recent event which raised over $11,000.00 for breast cancer research in Rhode Island.

Women’s Network members at a planning meeting.

The network has also informed members of health care and their rights on the job. In 2008, men, women and children participated in the Women’s Network mini golf tournament, which raised more than $11,000 to benefit breast cancer research in Rhode Island.

The Women’s Network of Local 328 also participates with locals around the country to exchange ideas on how to better improve the lives of union members.

Activity at this year’s annual toy drive.

Page 4

Common Ground

JANUARY 2010

Unions donate time and money to charities

By George Nee As we begin the New Year, it is my pleasure to be able to share my thoughts with you in a friendly forum. For far too long the hard work of union members has been denigrated or ignored by the media of Rhode Island.

How often do we read headlines like these “Experts say unions hobbling Rhode Island’s Economy” or “Unions aligning to file suit over pension changes”? Much too often as far as I’m concerned.

For years unions all over Rhode Island, public and private sector alike, have been quietly and without fanfare donating untold thousands of hours of time and hundreds of thousands of dollars to many worthwhile charities and community organizations. I’d like to share some of them with you today.

Since 1989, the NEA has been running their annual Gingerbread Express which provides gifts for under privileged school children all over the state. This year more than 2,000 needy Rhode Island school children will have a better holiday because of the efforts of the NEA volunteers. The NEA staff made a special delivery to the D’Abate School in Providence to make sure every

student had a gift this holiday season.

Every year your local fire fighters are out trying to “Fill the Boot” for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. How many of you are aware that it is the fire fighter’s unions behind the fundraiser?

For 15 years the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 328 have held a golf tournament to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and have donated over $767,000 to doctors, hospitals and clinics doing groundbreaking cancer research.

Since 1989, the Arthur E. Coia Scholarship and Education Fund, established by the Laborers International Union of North America, has enabled eligible high school graduates to pursue their education in college or at a post-high school technical institution. Past year’s award winners have attending schools all over the United States.

The Pawtucket Teachers Alliance sponsors the Rhode Island Philharmonic “Pops in the Park” so Pawtucket residents can enjoy a free

Join Us

classical concert preformed by some of Rhode Island’s most talented musicians.

In Rhode Island thousands of pounds of food are collected every year through an effort coordinated by the members of the National Letter Carriers Association Local 15 during their annual food drive. The food collected is donated the Rhode Island Community Food Bank to help stock food pantries all over Rhode Island.

the Rhode Island Salvation Army’s most successful days ever. Over the past 12 years Rhode Island union workers have helped raise more than $100,000 for the Salvation Army.

To help ease the stress and trauma of being in the hospital the United Nurses and Allied Professionals started the UNAP Children’s Hospital Fund. The UNAP Children’s Hospital Fund was established in 1994 by the RI Hospital United Nurses & Allied Professionals to provide “extra” supplies and activities to help ease the hospital stay of pediatric patients at the Hasbro Children’s Hospital of Rhode Island Hospital.

These stories don’t even begin mention the thousands of union members who volunteer their time, talents, and effort to better their communities. Whether it be coaching little league, working with the elderly, volunteering with the Girl Scouts, helping out at their church, or donating to the United Way through pay-roll deductions union members work hard day in and day out to make life better for their fellow Rhode Islanders.

There are many other events from golf tournaments, silent auctions, dinner events, scholarship funds where union members are working behind the scenes to make Rhode Island a better place.

Every December the union movement in Rhode Island sponsors “Union Kettle Day” where union members participate in the Salvation Army Kettle Drive.

Started by the Teamsters Local 251 over 15 local unions participated this year, they covered 24 sites for the Salvation Army and helped raise $14,500, one of

Union members are committed to improving their lives at their workplace.

They are also dedicated to making our state a better place to live for everyone through their donations of time and talent to many worthwhile causes.

Providence Central Labor Council Meetings 2nd Wednesday of the month.

Place: UFCW Hall, Local 328, 278 Silver Spring Street, Providence, RI 02904 Executive Board: 5:00 pm

Delegates: 5:30 pm

Paul A. MacDonald - President

Rhode Island Judicial, Professional and Technical Employees’

LOCAL UNION 808 Frank A. Ciccone Business Manager Claudia Porrazzo Recording Secretary Dominick J. Ruggerio Secretary-Treasurer

Pasquale Zompa President

Norma M. Sousa Vice President David Garzone Executive Board Member

Gina M. Sabitoni-Arakelian Executive Board Member

JANUARY 2010

Common Ground

Page 5

Unions emerged from necessity

By Scott Molloy

The gnawing mouth of the Great Depression had swallowed most of the country in the early 1930s.

Woonsocket, Rhode Island’s northern most city and a beehive of textile manufacturing, was digested faster than most rural factory towns. The strain of making a living – or just staying alive was never more evident than in this ethnic outpost. Keeping a job might mean doing chores at the supervisor’s house by male workers while female employees faced on the job harassment.

Lawrence Spitz, a young Jewish teenager, habituated the employment offices of the city’s hibernating mills.

He knew he had a better chances at low-wage, short-term employment than his parents and other adults.

Juvenile workers were that much cheaper. Never did industrial civilization recoil in horror as it did in the first years of the Depression as the law of the jungle became the law of the land.

Help wanted ads seldom appeared in newspapers or on factory walls.

The knowledge of any job openings quickly crackled through the parched community grapevine. Factory foremen, with no time to check references or hold interviews, wanted to hire quickly before desperate jobseekers inundated the plant office.

One day, Spitz heard that a particular mill was hiring a handful of employees to work a few weeks. He dutifully took his place on a loading dock before sunrise along with hundreds of others.

The foreman thought of a way to distinguish the hungriest workers from the frail, unqualified or troublesome.

He filled hundreds hollow spools with pieces of paper, but 25 pieces were marked with an X. The spindles were tossed to a crowd of unemployed people like bones thrown to hungry dogs. Young and old people fiercely fought to get as many spools as possible and Spitz confessed 50 years later to enduring guilt caused by

knocking down the elderly during the fracas. The tough teenager secured a job but like other people of his generation, he never forgot the experience.

John Fitzgerald, the mayor of working class Pawtucket at the turn of the 20th century, commented in a Labor Day speech that 4th of July festivities celebrated the nation’s overthrow of external enemies while the workers’ holiday in September solemnized the triumph over internal corporate foes. But the flashpoint of industrial fireworks antedated the 20 century and even the 19th century. Rhode Island was home to the American Industrial Revolution nurtured at Slater Mill in the 1790s. Wisecracking labor leaders, however, saw Slater Mill as the birthplace of the sweat shop.

The genesis of the factory system in Pawtucket tendered little joy in the community. The new masters of the once rural landscape built dams to harness water power and interfered the in spawning of fish, an important source of free food to colonial families.

The industrial owners flooded public grazing land without permission and literally woke the town every morning with inexorable ringing of factory bells. Pioneer manufacturers employed children and teenage girls to run the machinery but wisely paid in hard currency; a rare commodity in an agrarian America that still practiced bartering.

In 1824, the daughters of local farmers rocked the nascent industrial establishment with a strike at Slater Mill against wage reductions and deteriorating working conditions – one of the earliest female factory protests in the new nation. By the 1830s the Providence Workingmen’s Association, a group of skilled artisans, organized to extend the right to vote to all citizens. The same group also pioneered legislative redress to ease the lives of workers with shorter hours and protective laws but to little avail.

Learn more about labor movement There are several sources of information about the history of the Labor Movement in Rhode Island. Some sources recommended by Common Ground are: Working in Early Rhode Island and Rhode Island Labor History by Edwin C. Brown: These are two mimeographed historical accounts distributed to delegates at the 1975 state AFL-CIO convention. Brown, then secretary-treasurer of the organization, lovingly pieces together facts, figures and anecdotes.

A History of Rhode Island Working People by Paul Buhle, Scott Molloy and Gail Sansbury: Published in 1983, the book contains photographs, graphics and other reproductions that provide a three-dimensional quality to the ordinary printed page. Essays by university scholars and union activists provide an outline of local worker history. The book is available at most state libraries, and the Labor History Society has some for sale.

Working Lives: An Oral History of Rhode Island Labor by Paul Buhle: Published in 1987, Working Lives is a unique collection of interviews that cover a full century. The books contain just some of the interviews conducted by Buhle, Gary Gerstle, Gail Sansbury and others. More than 1,000 pages of interviews have been transcribed. They are housed at the Rhode Island Historical Society Library as the Oral History of Rhode Island, including the Clerical Women’s History Project. There is a reader’s guide with short biographical descriptions of the interviewees, the session date and the name of the interviewer.

The High Road to Zion by Mathias P. Harpin: Published in 1976 the book is a history of the Pawtucket Valley, with some material about textile mills in the area, workers and immigration.

Working in the Blackstone River Valley: Exploring the Heritage of Industrialization by Douglas M. Reynolds and Marjory Myers: Published in 1990, the book is a collection of 14 articles covering labor-related events in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The fledgling labor movement joined forces with a larger reform organization in the early 1840s, and with the help of Irish immigrant workers, fought for democracy, civil rights and industrial equality.

Throughout the 19th century, labor’s agenda often merged with broader social concerns. Overlapping waves if immigrants reinvigorated the labor movement and climbed the ladder of economic and social success with a union card tucked safely in a wallet or pocketbook.

Labor. For the briefest of moments, the Rhode Island Knights seemed poised to topple what the muckraker Lincoln Steffens would call a generation later a state for sale. Under the harshest of conditions and in the face of a blistering employer counteroffensive, the Knights helped dismantle some voting restrictions, established a day care center in the Olneyville section of Providence, formed clothing cooperatives, controlled production of the shop floor in a few establishments and served inexpensive meals to hungry workers in union restaurants.

In the 1880s, Irish workers filled the local assemblies of the Knights of

Providence’s Bravest Providence’s Bravest Providence’s Bravest Serving the City of Serving Providence sinceof1854 the City Providence since 1854 Serving the City of Providence since 1854

PROVIDENCE FIRE FIGHTERS LOCAL 799 PROVIDENCE FIRE FIGHTERS LOCAL 799 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS OF FIRE FIGHTERS INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

PROVIDENCE FIRE FIGHTERS LOCAL 799 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE FIGHTERS

Happy New Year !

A.C. Jewelers 180B Pleasant View Avenue Smithfield, Rhode Island

Paul A. Doughty,Paul President A. Doughty, President Doughty, President Philip F. Paul Fiore,A.Vice President Philip F. Fiore, Vice President F. Fiore, President Scott Philip G. Mello, Secretary ScottVice G. Mello, Secretary Scott G.John Mello, Secretary Treasurer John F. Woodard, Treasurer F. Woodard, John F. Woodard, Treasurer Executive Board Executive Representatives Board Representatives ExecutiveJ.Board Representatives Christopher Jannitto Christopher J. Jannitto Joseph P. Moreino P. Moreino ChristopherJoseph J. Jannitto Hans Ramsden Hans Ramsden Joseph P. Moreino Wayne C. Oliveira Wayne C. Oliveira Hans Ramsden Zachariah Kenyon Wayne C.Zachariah Oliveira Kenyon Anthony Toro Anthony Toro Zachariah Kenyon Anthony Toro

Printery Street 92 Printery Street ovidence, RI 02904 Providence, 92 Printery Street RI 02904 1-272-7999 (O)401-272-7999 (O) Providence, RI 02904 1-274-7999 (F)401-274-7999 (F) 401-272-7999 (O) 401-274-7999 (F)

401.349.4094 WE BUY GOLD, SILVER & PLATINUM

+ earn an extra

- All Work Done On Premises -

GOLD, DIAMONDS, PLATINUM

AND SILVER JEWELRY REPAIRS.

REMOUNTS & CUSTOM MADE JEWELRY.

Paul A. Doughty Paul A. Doughty 401-456-4444 401-456-4444 Paul A. DoughtyWe Sell CHAMILIA 401-456-4444 local799.com local799.com local799.com

5

%

Page 6

Common Ground

Take charge with ER Card

JANUARY 2010

Who knows your medical

Instead of coping with the burden of filling out forms when arriving for a doctor’s appointment or running the risk of experiencing an emergency room misstep because of a lack of information, purchase an ER Card so personnel can immediately access your medical data.

information in an emergency?

ER Card is an electronic personal health record (ePHR) service

Vital medical information is accessible round the clock through the ER Card electronic Personal Health Record (ePHR) service. Developed to enhance the delivery of routine and preventative care, the ER Card is a total health care management service, according to Maria Gil, a founder of the card company.

providing individuals, doctors and other caregivers with anytime, anywhere access to personal medical information in a secure and confidential manner. With the ER Card, medical professionals have instant access by web, phone or fax to:

Maria founded ER Card with her sister-in-law, Janice Gil, former chief technologist and manager of the Women’s Diagnostic Imaging Center at Kent Hospital in Warwick.

“Our team is helping change the way medical information is delivered,” Maria said, explaining that an ER Card gives medical professionals and care providers immediate and secure access to records such as medications, blood type, allergies to food or medication, medical conditions, emergency contacts, physical or verbal limitations, major surgeries, primary care doctors and treatment specialists. The information is accessible through the internet, telephone or fax from residences, hospitals or offices of doctors and other care providers.

• current medications

• physical or verbal limitations

• allergies

• emergency contacts

• chronic conditions

• advance directives

• primary care physician

• and more

401-822-1181 www.er-card.com

Because the ER Card improves communication between patients and caregivers, the most effective treatments are administered and medical mistakes are all but eliminated, Gil said.

keychain accessory

The ER Card enables people to take charge of their care and stay safe and independent in their homes. In addition, she said, clients:

• Enroll with assistance from care managers and customer service support.

• Receive care reminders and follow-up within 24 hours of emergencies.

• Get special support if they have intellectual, physical or verbal limitations.

• Receive referrals for community-based services and interventions.

• Receive medication reviews from our pharmacist.

• Have advance medical directives and test results attached to their electronic personal health records.

credit card size

bracelet

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers LOCAL UNION 99

For additional information, call (888) 873-2673 or go online to www.ercardmember.com

Allen P. Durand Business Manager Ronald Leddy Asst. Business Manager

John P. Shalvey President

22 Amflex Drive • Cranston, RI 02921 (401) 946-9900 • Fax (401) 946-9907

WWW.IBEWLU99.ORG

ADVERTISE 451.1305 www.commongroundnews.net

JANUARY 2010

Common Ground

Page 7

Business Matters RI Committee on Occupational Safety and Health

Rhode Island must change education system

By John C. Gregory Recently, the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education unanimously approved two initiatives designed to improve teacher quality: establishing an educator Code of Professional Responsibility for all teachers, principals and superintendents and requiring yearly evaluations. The full plan is available at www.ride.ri.gov.

The initiatives come at a time when Rhode Island has once again seen less than stellar ratings for its overall education system. The second “Leaders and Laggards” report issued by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Center for American Progress and Frederick M. Hess of the American Enterprise Institute was released in November and the Ocean State did not do too well.

Ratings and comments are as follows: School Management: Grade: C. Rhode Island does an average job managing its schools in a way that encourages thoughtful innovation. The state has lowerthan-average academic standards, and 88 percent of teachers report that routine duties and paperwork interfere with teaching. However, the state sanctions low-performing schools and provides rewards to highperforming or improving ones.

Finance: Grade: D. Overall, Rhode Island earns a below-average grade in this category. While the state gets an above-average mark for the simplicity of its state funding mechanism, Rhode Island does not have a performance pay program for teachers. Districts in the state also do not have full authority over teacher pay.

Staffing: Hiring & Evaluation: Grade: D. Rhode Island receives a below-average mark for its teacher hiring and evaluation system. Ten percent of teachers enter the profession through an alternative certification program, compared with the national average of 13 percent.

Data: Grade: B. Rhode Island gets an above-average mark for its data system. The state has the ability to match individual students’ test records from year to year. Although Rhode Island publicly reports college remediation data, it does not factor that college remediation data into its accountability system.

Pipeline to Postsecondary: Grade: D. Rhode Island receives a low mark for its efforts to improve college and career readiness. Forty-five percent of its schools report offering dual-enrollment programs, which allow students to earn high school and college credits simultaneously. That is 20 percentage points below the national average of 65 percent. In addition, Rhode

New OSHA director confirmed

Island does not require a college- and career-ready diploma.

Technology: Grade: D. Rhode Island receives a lower-than-average grade in this category. While the state offers a computer-based assessment, it has not established a virtual school. The state also needs to significantly improve how it evaluates its return on investments in technology.

State Reform Environment. There are few reliable state-by-state data on local education advocacy and research efforts -- a reflection of the lack of overall commitment to this issue. As a result, we are unable to issue a meaningful grade. However, Rhode Island supports common academic standards.

Gold Stars. In the School Management category, Rhode Island receives a gold star for having a statelevel expanded learning time policy. To receive a gold star, a state must have an established policy to expand learning time for all students within a school and/ or district, prioritizing high-poverty schools. The initiative must focus on redesigning the school day or year versus tacking on hours.

Unlike the previous report, this follow-up focuses on the future, looking not at how states are performing today, but at what they are doing to prepare themselves for the challenges that lie ahead.

While we can debate methodology, I think we all realize that change is essential.

According to the report, nationally roughly one in three eighth-graders is proficient in reading. Most high schools graduate little more than two-thirds of their students on time. Moreover, even the students who do receive a high school diploma lack adequate skills: More than 33 percent of first-year college students require remediation in either math or English.

By the way, this is not education, teacher or union bashing. Rather it points out the areas that we need to improve in. That requires a hard look at our system of education and the changes with which we all must be involved.

For the complete report, go to www.uschamber.com/ reportcard/default.htm.

To find out more about the Chamber visit our website at www.nrichamber.com John C. Gregory is president/chief executive officer of the Northern RI Chamber of Commerce. You can reach him at jgregory@nrichamber.com.

Dr David Michaels was confirmed on December 3rd by the US Senate to head the Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA}.

While OSHA has managed to survive under the last administration it certainly didn’t flourish and, directed then by individuals with minimal enthusiasm and qualifications, the agency has failed to move on issues ranging from silicosis to crane safety (which even the crane industry supported) to chemical explosions.

Dr Michaels has a solid reputation, both scientific and administrative, and was attacked for research that explored how industries interfere with independent scientific research regarding issues of chemical toxicity.

Unions and health and safety professionals and advocates were his biggest supporters. “His recent leadership work on chemical hazards … demonstrates his commitment to protecting workers from unregulated hazards,” said Eric Frumin, safety and health coordinator for Change to Win, a federation of seven national unions. His appointment was also supported by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the American Public Health Association, and the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association.

David Michaels is currently Research Professor at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. He has conducted numerous studies of the health effects of occupational exposure to toxic chemicals, including asbestos, metals and solvents, and has written extensively on science and regulatory policy. From 1998 to 2001, Dr. Michaels served as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety and Health, responsible for protecting the health and safety of workers, neighboring communities and the environment surrounding the nation’s nuclear weapons facilities. In that position, he was the chief architect of the historic initiative to compensate nuclear weapons workers who developed occupational illnesses as a result of exposure to radiation, beryllium and other hazards. In 2006, Dr. Michaels received the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award for his work on behalf of nuclear weapons workers and for his advocacy for scientific integrity. He is also the recipient of the 2009 John P. McGovern Science and Society Award given by Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society

IN PROVIDENCE:

408 Broadway Providence, Rhode Island 02902 401•331•1300

IN WASHINGTON:

601 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Suite 900, South Building Washington, DC 20004 202•220•3013

A D V O CACY H REPRESENTATION H RESULTS

Page 8

Common Ground

JANUARY 2010

Affiliated with the INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS 121 BRIGHTRIDGE AVENUE, EAST PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND 02914 www.teamsterslocal251.org EXECUTIVE BOARD Joseph J. Bairos Secretary-Treasurer Principal Executive Officer

BUSINESS AGENTS Brian Carroll

Kevin Reddy President

Kevin Reddy

Steven Labrie

Joseph Boyajian

James Croce Vice President

Douglas Teoli

David Demuth Recording Secretary

Asst. Business Agents Linda Russolino

Dennis Mello Trustee Susan Folan Trustee Janet O’Grady Trustee

Daniel Manocchio

PROVIDENCE AUTO BODY, INC.

Auto Body Work - Estimates - Unconditional 100% Lifetime Guarantee “Rhode Island’s Largest Volume Auto Body Repair Facility” • Unibody Specialists

• Environmentally Safe Spray Booths

• State of the Art Equipment

• Substitute Vehicles Available

- 24 HOUR TOWING SERVICE 350 Silver Spring Street, Providence, RI 02904

phone: 401.861.2211

fax: 401.421.3160

John & Sandra Petrarca and the staff of Providence Auto Body

JANUARY 2010

Common Ground

Page 9

State needs strong investment capitol to spark economic development

By Lou Mazzucchelli For the past 30 years, Rhode Island has flailed against unfavorable economic and demographic trends that have resulted in a current climate that is truly challenging.

Our recent deficits are the visible part of the iceberg. Unfunded pension liabilities lay below the waterline.

In this current climate, propping up a large, struggling bureaucracy like the RI EDC and adding a new director at an exorbitant salary is hardly “out of the box” thinking.

“Fundamentally, economic development requires two things: investment and risk taking. Beyond that it requires intelligent management of investments and risks.” Smart, committed Rhode Islanders wrote those words 25 years ago. They followed up with the most comprehensive analysis of Rhode Island’s economy ever undertaken, and proposed a breakthrough strategy that addressed the problem holistically and directly. To be successful, the proposal required cooperation, investment and commitment from the entirety of Rhode Island. It was rejected by almost every Rhode Island voter.

Twenty five years later, we are living with the results of a string of uncoordinated economic development initiatives. In the intervening time, only heroic efforts by RI in the form of generous tax credits or other incentives have been successful in attracting large employers to the state. This success is often temporary, and pits competing interests against each other. We can all cite examples of the industry or company that was supposed to be the “next big thing” that would save RI or one of its cities, only to fail, or flee when a better offer came along.

Albert Einstein is often credited with saying “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results“. Perhaps it is time for RI to take Al’s message to heart and wean itself from economic development behavior that, while ineffectual, has become rote.

Let’s start with investment. The great financier, Steve Martin, once described his method of getting and keeping a million dollars: “first, get a million dollars”. Clearly, starting from zero is problematic.

But there is good news for Rhode Island: although times are tough and our fortunes continue to decline, we will not hit zero. Part of the reason is the nature of the assets in our economic development portfolio. Let’s consider two kinds, which I’ll call “heavy” and “light”. Heavy assets are unique and carry a prohibitively high cost of transport. Light assets are more commonplace and more easily moved.

A University is an example of a heavy asset. Academic communities don’t usually pack up and move at the whim of a new President. Contrast this with, say, a publicly-traded bank that does.

Likewise, it’s hard to create a deepwater port in Iowa, but it’s easy to build office buildings or condos there.

So, an important way to get a head start on economic development investing is to leverage the value of heavy assets. In RI we have many. Among them: - Universities (Brown, Bryant, J&W, RISD, URI to name a few) - Landmarks (Block Island, Newport mansions, Slater Mill, etc.)

- Ocean (shoreline, ports, marine life) - Unskilled workforce RI, like other states, also has light assets, including: - Businesses - Military installations - Skilled workforce - Capital

For R.I., light assets do not provide any investment leverage or competitive advantage by themselves, as similar assets exist in other states, mostly in greater amounts. So a first principle of economic development for RI should be: develop programs and policies that maximize the value of heavy assets. This principle isn’t new, and many Rhode Islanders are already familiar with the concept. It shouldn’t take any new economic development leader 120 days to figure this out.

Past and current efforts to invest in higher education and support tourism are good examples of building on RI’s heavy assets. Not leveraging either Quonset or the Port Providence to their full extent as ports is a bad example. We seem to be under investing in training our unskilled work force as well.

The training issue is problematic, because turning an unskilled work force into a skilled one makes it a lighter asset. How can we prevent newlytrained workers from joining the yearly exodus of college graduates from our State? We should be exerting maximum effort to make both groups heavier. Is it possible?

Maybe. As light assets are connected to heavy assets and to each other, they become heavier. These collections of connected assets are sometimes called “clusters”. Clusters are worth developing because the pieces of a cluster are heavier than similar standalone pieces. For example, the Naval War College in Newport is very heavy, because it combines the weight of “military installation”, “landmark” and “university” assets. None of these clustered assets are profit driven, so this cluster is less likely to be lured away by economic incentives. On the other hand, Rhode Island’s textile industry disappeared because its cluster partners, all businesses, scattered to low-wage destinations.

It follows that another principle of economic development for RI should be: establish programs that help turn light assets into heavy assets. These include programs to encourage cluster development between businesses and universities. Rhode Island has a history of starting on these efforts and has current efforts underway. One has to wonder why past efforts have failed, and what is really required to help new ones succeed.

are too heavy to take off from a carrier.

They need a catapult, or they’re in the water. Cash is the catapult required to get a business to scale. RI has attempted to provide cash to new businesses in multiple forms, including loans and equity investment. But none of these efforts has been at sufficient scale in the past 25 years to be the catapult, and the likelihood of increases in state spending for these in the near future is remote.

When I talk about scale, I mean the resources required to build new businesses that can make investors and founders substantial returns, say, 5 or 10 times the capital invested in 5 to 7 years. Investors can and do get these returns outside RI. In fact, significant pools of RI capital are invested outside RI in hopes of generating these returns.

This is because there are no similar opportunities inside RI. Our tax structure is a secondary issue, which would work against us only if we had a level playing field of opportunities.

What would this environment look like?

Entrepreneurs generally build businesses where there is economic opportunity.

A large available pool of capital is one measure of that opportunity. How does RI stack up? Let’s compare with Massachusetts:

A cursory comparison of RI and Massachusetts shows that the available pool of venture capital in MA is at least 882 times that of RI. With 6 times RI’s population, MA has 142 times the available venture capital per person.

Why are Rhode Islanders chagrined about new business creation here? It only makes sense for entrepreneurs to go fishing where there are fish. We should

therefore expect that, all other things being equal, entrepreneurs would always choose MA over RI. Let’s dig deeper.

This graph shows the total venture capital investment in RI and MA from all sources, not just in-state investment.

The total amount of venture capital invested in MA since 1995 was 45.5 billion dollars, spread across 5,773 investments. This is about $7,000 per capita. RI attracted about $687 million across 104 investments, or $654 per capita. MA saw 55 times the number of investments, and almost 11 times the investment per capita compared with RI. I use the per capita numbers because they help define what a level playing field might look like: for RI to have had the same venture capital environment since 1995 as MA on a per capita basis would have required a total investment of about $7.3B, or about $525M per year. The Slater Technology fund struggles to get funding of $2-3M per year. Point Judith Capital has a total pool substantially less than $80M, and invests most of it outside RI. No wonder we can’t get planes in the air, let alone develop a fleet of carriers.

This lack of investment capital impedes new business formation, which in turn impedes cluster formation, which is crucial to leveraging RI’s heavy assets.

Scattershot angel investments only create the illusion of progress, and invariably lead to disappointment when follow-on investments cannot be found, as these fragile businesses fail or move outside of RI where the

See RI ECONOMY on page 16

International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 11

Like the overall goal of economic development, turning light assets into heavy assets and connecting them into clusters requires investment and risk taking. But without investment, risk taking is futile. For new or small businesses, cash is the only meaningful investment. Structural issues like taxes and fees are meaningless when a company is struggling to meet its payroll.

Carrier-based fighter launches provide a useful metaphor for this problem. A fighter plane is designed to compete and survive in a harsh environment.

Although it can fly, it can’t take off from a carrier because its gross takeoff weight is too high. This weight is, in part, a result of defensive components that help the plane and its pilot survive. To get the fighter in the air, aircraft carriers use catapults get fighters airborne quickly.

New businesses are like carrier – based airplanes. Some are built on a shoestring, but are able to get airborne into more gentile environments under their own power, like an ultralight aircraft. These planes can’t compete in a dogfight. Others manage to find the resources to bulk up, only to find they

Dominick Cieri

Business Manager/Secretary Treasurer GLAZIERS LOCAL 1333 Norbert Olivera Bus. Rep. PAINTERS LOCAL 195 Scott Duhamel Bus. Rep. 1808 Elmwood Avenue Warwick, Rhode Island 02888

Page 10

Common Ground

JANUARY 2010

GORMAN continued from page 1 The Gormans are grateful for each other, John’s progress and the fact that JoAnn gave birth to their second child following the cancer diagnosis. They have a son, 6-yearold Jack Mathew, and a daughter, 5-year-old Grace Marie. “We were blessed,” JoAnn said of Grace’s arrival.

Mike Porter, one of John’s fellow correctional officers, is thankful, too, and he created Team Gorman in August 2006 in an effort to show appreciation for Dana-Farber personnel finding treatments that allow a colleague to live a more normal life.

The 24-member team is a fund-raising organization for cancer research throughout the United States, focusing on the Jimmy Fund, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the American Brain Tumor Association. The team holds its own fund-raising events and participates in events that donate to any cancer related charity.

The only requirement to join Team Gorman is a commitment to help find a cure for cancer. There is no fee, but some of the events the team participates in require a registration fee. For instance, the Jimmy Fund

Walk requires each person to raise $200 in pledges. In addition to participating in the walk, the team will hold a golf tournament in August.

If you want to join the team, send an e-mail with your name, address and phone number to mporter@ teamgorman.org or jgorman@teamgorman.org. If John has anything to say about it, Team Gorman will be operating for years to come.

UFCW LOCAL 328

A voice for Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts, Eastern Connecticut, Cape Cod and the Islands

Local 328

David P. Fleming President

A Labor Union Serving The Collective Bargaining Needs Of Over 12,000 Workers In Southern New England

James P. Riley Secretary-Treasurer

United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 328 278 Silver Spring Street • Providence, RI 02904-2593 401.861.0300 • 800.624.7776 • www.ufcw328.org

“In these tough economic times, we must re-double our efforts to protect all of our residents from fraud and bad business practices. Truth in Advertising needs to be more than just a slogan.

Best of Luck and Continued Success from the Drivers, Maintenance and Supervisory Personnel of ATU Local 618 & 618A in Providence & Newport

As Attorney General, I will work to make it the Rhode Island way.”

Stephen S. Farrell Thomas Cute President – Business Agent Vice President

On Our Side

Kevin M. Millea Secretary-Treasurer

EXECUTIVE BOARD Bob Davis • Bob Doyle • Paul Harrington • Jim Murphy Frank Plutzner • Peter Ritchie • Vincent Rowen

Paid For By Friends of Stephen R. Archambault.

Paid For By Friends of Stephen R. Archambault.

Learn more about Steve Archambault:

www.archambaultforattorneygeneral.com

SCHOOL BUS DIVISIONS Warwick-Jamestown Sherri Cirelli • Laurie Paul • Mary Tarbox Johnston Dennis Jarvis • John D’Alo

JANUARY 2010

Common Ground

Page 11

Providence Fire Department Local 799 honored by Muscular Dystrophy Association for its support PROVIDENCE – Rescue Lt. Anthony Toro of Providence Fire Department Local 799 recently received recognition for all the work he and his colleagues have done to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

Nicholas Hoyer, a former MDA Goodwill Ambassador, presented Toro with a Nintendo Wii gaming system, according to Jane Young, executive director of the MDA Greater Rhode Island Chapter. Local 799 is a part of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), which has dedicated its time and efforts to the MDA for 55 years. Since 1954, the firefighters have raised nearly $275 million for the MDA, making the IAFF the largest national sponsor of the MDA. IAFF members pride themselves on their devotion to the MDA, and Hoyer was happy to give something back to the firefighters, according to Young. Toro attended the IAFF Redmond Conference in Los Angeles, Calif., in November, where MDA was represented.

Providence firefighters were honored recently by the Muscular Dystrophy Association for all of their support. Pictured here are, from left, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 799 President Paul A. Doughty, rescue Lt. Anthony Toro and former MDA Goodwill Ambassador Nicholas Hoyer. Hoyer presented Toro with a Nintendo Wii gaming system.

Compliments of

International Union of Operating Engineers LOCAL UNION 57 Providence, Rhode Island

MDA is a nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education.

Do you own a vehicle with a model year of 2006 to the present?

• Was the vehicle involved in an accident caused by someone else?

• Was the vehicle repaired?

Then you may be entitled to money for diminished value to your vehicle.

If we agree to handle your matter we guarantee you will receive $500.00.

Call Us Now! 401.273.1111 James J. White

Business Manager and President

Timothy E. Quillen

Vice President and Bus. Agent

Gregory E. Olson

Treasurer and Bus. Agent

Petrarca & Petrarca

Page 12

Common Ground

JANUARY 2010

Company offers affordable health benefits CUMBERLAND – While the rising costs of medical benefits continue to strain personal and business bank accounts, there is one company that is offering a real solution for one and all.

The company is Healthy Benefits, a fairly young firm owner Greg Gauthier formed about a year back. Healthy Benefits is a single source for a wide range of services, making them affordable for associations such as labor unions, the self-employed, employees and employers.

The company, according to Gauthier, delivers discounted health and lifestyle services from the nation’s top providers. Healthy Benefits will customize bundles of services to meet the needs of various groups and individuals.

The new company offers dental care, vision care, discounted prescriptions and vitamins, the electronic medical record service ER Card, LifeLock, TelaDoc, hearing care, diabetic supplies, chiropractic care, a nursing hotline, family consultation services and a pet care savings program.

“Businesses, non-profit organizations and associations can save thousands of dollars on health benefits, depending on what package they utilize,” Gauthier said.

“The monthly cost is less than one coffee per week, even for the top package.” He explained the company has four established packages called Essential, Enhanced, Premium and Platinum.

For just $7.99 per month per family, Essential package enrollees save on dental care, prescriptions, hearing care and wellness services such as nutritional counseling and massage therapy. The Enhanced package also includes vision care and costs $9.99 a month per family. With the Premium package, which is $12.99 per month for a family, clients also receive the ER Card. The Platinum package also includes the Lifelock fraud protection service and runs a family $14.99 per month.

Examples of the savings touted by Gauthier include up to 50 percent off dental procedures such as root canals, crowns, fillings and cleanings; $1,000 off orthodontic care; prices that average 10 percent less than AARP’s for prescription drugs; as much as 60 percent off for hearing screenings and equipment and for vision care; and up to 30 percent for wellness services.

The ER Card gives professional caregivers instant access to medical information in emergency or routine care situations, making the service a proven lifesaver as well as a timesaver. Additional benefits include drug and medication alerts and an extensive health care concierge service focused on improving the quality, safety, and affordability of medical services. While a card is offered in the Premium and Platinum packages for one family member, additional cards are available for just $5 each.

In addition, clients receive a drastic reduction in junk mail; fewer pre-approved credit card solicitations; assurance the credit card process will go smoothly; WalletLock, which assists you if your wallet is lost of stolen; eRecon, which prevents personal information from being sold or traded online; TrueAddress, which notifies clients when a change of address is filed in their name; 10 percent discount off the $10 monthly fee or $110 annual fee for people who enroll. The monthly fee for each additional family member is $2.

For more information, call (888) 311-4120 or (401) 257-6131; or go online to www.thehealthybenefits.com.

You can afford Healthy Benefits Healthy Benefits is a single source for a broad spectrum of health care services. Whether you are an employer, self-employed, employee, or independent contractor, Healthy Benefits can deliver discounted health and lifestyle services from the nation’s leading providers. Benefits available are: • Dental care • Vision care • Discounted prescriptions & vitamins • Electronic medical records • LifeLock • TelaDoc • Hearing care • Diabetic supplies • Chiropractic care • Nursing hotline • Family consultation services • Pet care savings program For more information, call 888-311-4120 or 401-257-6131 or go to www.thehealthybenefits.com.

Lifelock provides up to $1 million in fraud protection and a service guarantee. Alerts are provided on the behalf of clients to major credit bureaus so that merchants take extra precautions to verify use of credit cards.

Infusion Therapy Respiratory Services

Compounding Nursing Services

See why over 800 Organizations have turned to Hunter Insurance • Complete coverage including General Liability, Business Auto and Workers’ Compensation

There’s no place like home

for healing.

• Health Insurance, Disability and Life Insurance

New England Home Infusion, Inc. specializes in administering adult and pediatric intravenous and respiratory therapies in the comfort of patients’ homes. Licensed in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, we provide for the medical needs of patients throughout Southeastern New England.

Specialized medical equipment is delivered to patients’ homes and our pharmacy and nursing staffs monitor dosages, schedules and laboratory results.

401-821-0600 • 888-240-7879 www.nehomeinfusion.com

• Represent numerous carriers, so we’ll shop for the best price and coverage for you

1.800.696.4678

www.hunterinsuranceonline.com

JANUARY 2010

Common Ground

Page 13

You don’t have to sacrifice taste to achieve your New Year’s resolution

By Rich Paolo Whether you’re looking to lose weight, get toned or eat healthy, Pamfilio’s can help you make your New Year’s resolution last. Many people think eating healthy means being sentenced to a lifetime of unappealing foods. The fact is that your taste buds really do matter when it comes to sticking to a diet. If your food doesn’t taste good, you’re unlikely to continue eating it. That’s why Pamfilio’s has developed healthy foods, both for eating in or catering, that will make your taste buds simmer, but keep your waste line in check. How does grilled portobello sautéed with baby spinach sound? Or chicken skewers decorated on melon. Or whole wheat pasta Florentine? You do not need to sacrifice taste to eat well. You just need to make modifications on how you eat. For example, consider switching to whole wheat bread, and replace fast food lunches with “Pamfilio’s Most Beautiful Food.”

There are many healthier alternatives to your favorite foods. We recommend that you always elect poultry to be prepared the following ways: steamed; poached; roasted; broiled; boiled; grilled; or baked. As for you meat-eaters, be sure you choose lean cuts like loin or flank. While everything can be batter-dipped and fried, you can have virtually any fried entrée and side boiled, broiled or roasted.

Unless you’re putting in some extra sessions on the tread mill at Fore Court this week, we advise you to avoid cream sauces; butter; oil; au gratin; breaded; Alfredo; battered or batter-dipped and gravy.

If you’re worried that you won’t be able to have fun with your friends and family while trying to eat well, you will be pleasantly surprised. Instead of feeling like you have to avoid parties and get-togethers, think of them as opportunities to learn how to navigate challenging dietary situations. And go in prepared! All you have to do is call Pamfilio’s at 334.8959 for one of our Easy 1-2-3 Catering Packages, which include an entree, gourmet pasta selection, deluxe salad, dressing, upscale dessert tray, paper goods, serving utensils, and 2-liter soft drinks. Pricing is per person with a 10 Person minimum and you can download our catering menu at www.pamfilios.com.

The Leader in Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation for 30 Years

STEPHEN ROY

POWER EQUIPMENT Aram R. Schefrin

Lovett Schefrin Harnett THE LAW FIRM OF

Christopher M. Rawson

John M. Harnett

Warren R. Wolf

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE AND PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS 155 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island

863-8800

____ 146 Putnam Pike Johnston RI 02919 Phone: 401-231-8210 Fax: 401-233-2830 stephenroypwr@verizon.net

www.lshlaw.com

www.stephenroypower.com

Page 14

Common Ground

JANUARY 2010

Delegates salute Montanaro for dedication Outgoing labor leader honored for close to 50 years of service PROVIDENCE – Calling him one of the Ocean State’s greatest labor leaders, delegates at the recent Rhode Island AFL-CIO Constitutional Convention honored their outgoing president, Frank J. Montanaro.

In 1992, he was elected president of the AFL-CIO. Previously, he served as president of the Northeast Council of the AFL-CIO and as a general board Member of the National AFL-CIO.

Montanaro began his career in organized labor as a Cranston firefighter. In 1961, he was elected vice president of Local 1363, International Association of Firefighters, and in 1964, he became president of the local. Montanaro served as president of the local until 1981, when he retired from the department as a lieutenant.

Montanaro’s work extends beyond the labor movement. He was elected as a delegate to the Rhode Island Constitutional Convention from District 24 in 1986, and has been an active member of the Democratic State Committee, the board of directors of United Way of Rhode Island, chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Institute for Labor Studies and Research and a member of the Board of Directors of Blue Cross/ Blue Shield of Rhode Island.

During his years on the department, Montanaro was elected in 1972 as president of the Rhode Island State Association of Firefighters, of which he remains a member.

In 1976, Montanaro was appointed to the executive board of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO. Subsequently, he was appointed to the union’s executive committee on which he continues to serve. Starting in 1978, he has been a member and chair of the Rhode Island State Labor Relations Board.

Montanaro received the Community Humanitarian Award from the DaVinci Center in 2006. According to the AFL-CIO executive board, Montanaro will be viewed as a historical figure in the annals of Rhode Island labor history for many years to come.

Nee will use political clout as AFL-CIO president Massachusetts native considers working for Rhode Island union a calling CRANSTON – It’s been years since George Nee slept on floors, faced the shotguns of angry business owners and marched alongside Cesar Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers of America.

During those formative years, Nee, the son of an insurance agent and stay-athome mother, found success by organizing a collection of clerical, health-care and jewelry workers who would later become part of Rhode Island’s Service Employees International Union, Local 1199. His political clout grew rapidly in 1983, when he started lobbying for the AFL-CIO at the State house.

His career hit a new high on Sept. 9, when Nee rose to the rank of president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, winning the first contested election in 30 years. The fourth president in the union’s history, Nee will control all political, lobbying and negotiating efforts for the federation of more than 200 local unions and more than 50,000 workers along with roughly 20,000 retirees.

Nee, a native of The Hub who dropped out of Boston College at the age of 21, sees his union work as a calling and knows he is fortunate to be living in a modest home off Welfare Avenue with his devoted family.

His life has been shaped by efforts to assist union workers with preserving their jobs,

improving their wages and benefits protecting their health and welfare. In Rhode Island, he is labor’s strongest and loudest advocate.

The silver-haired Nee is a frequenter of picket lines and rallies, but he has more than his share of sessions with high-level state and local officials and politicians. He’s had to battle Gov. Donald Carcieri over threatened layoffs and has knocked heads with municipal officials looking to shed union jobs because of supposed budget shortfalls.

Nee and his fellow union officials also are battling anti-labor sentiments. The AFLCIO president points out when unions make gains, they usually benefit all workers.

He says, “When the AFL-CIO fights for a strong unemployment insurance system; it’s for all workers, not just union members.”

Despite the many hours Nee continues to devote to the job, the labor leader says he is extremely grateful for what he has achieved on a professional level and in his personal life.

He has seen three children become adults in his Welfare Avenue house, which he has shared with Anne Sliney, his wife of 31 years and the nursing director for the Clinton Foundation’s HIV Initiative.

UA Local Union 51 Plumbers • Pipefitters • Refrigeration Thomas A. Handfield Business Manager Robert Walker Financial Secretary

Timothy L. Byrne Business Agent

Frederick Foeri Organizer/Agent

William D. Mello Business Agent

Done Once. Done Right SERVING RHODE ISLAND AND SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS

II Hemingway Drive, East Providence, Rhode Island 02915 Telephone: 401-943-3033. Fax: 401-943-8027

www.ualocal51.com

JANUARY 2010

Common Ground

Page 15

Plan today for a financially sound tomorrow

By John Edes We all know the story of the shoemaker whose children went without shoes and the roofer who never got around to fixing his leaky roof. Except for the details, their stories may not be too different from our own. Despite knowing that we need to be doing something about planning for our personal financial goals – whether it is saving for retirement; doing a better job of managing our debt, or setting money aside for our children’s college education– most of us put off doing anything about it for one or both of two reasons: we aren’t sure where to begin, or we don’t think we have sufficient assets to make it worthwhile.

The truth is, there is no single place to begin when it comes to planning for your financial future; and there is no level of income or assets one needs in order to make the process worthwhile. You can take action regardless of where you are in life, and regardless of how much money you have (or don’t have).

The views and information contained herein have been prepared independently of the presenting Representative and are presented for informational purposes only.

John Edes, Maffe Financial Group, 875 Centerville Rd, Bldg. One, Warwick RI, 401-828-2090X305.

John C. Edes is a Registered Representative of Equity Services, Inc. Securities are offered solely by Equity Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, Building One, 875 Centerville Road, Warwick, RI 02886. (401)828-2090. Maffe Financial Group is independent of Equity Services, Inc.

Put John’s 25 years of

The first step is probably the easiest: identify your current and future financial goals, goals that usually include; making sure your family is protected financially at your death; managing current expenses while paying down debt; accumulating sufficient assets for retirement; and in time, leaving something to family beneficiaries. If you’re willing to develop and put into action a carefully thought-out financial strategy, those goals can be within your reach. Steps to take now can include increasing contributions to your qualified retirement plan, which decreases your income tax liability; maximizing other employer-sponsored plans, such as disability and medical plans; and a focus on saving, investing and debt elimination. This is also a good time to review your life insurance to see if it is sufficient to meet your growing family’s needs. Life Insurance pays an income tax free death benefit your family can use to replace lost income in the event of your premature death.

experience along with Maffe’s Tax, Estate & John C. Edes, LUTCF

But you’re not done yet. There are still steps you can take that consider how your financial goals will take into account items like taxes and potential penalties. For starters, make sure you’re putting any excess cash you can into accumulation vehicles that provide either a tax deduction or which grow income tax-deferred. You may also be eligible take advantage of the tax rules which allow individuals over age 50 to set additional sums of money aside into qualified plans on a pre-tax basis.

Retirement Planning

services to work for you today.

The planning you do today can help toward building assets that will last for your lifetime, and still be able to pass assets on to your family beneficiaries in a manner of your own choosing. Now is also the time to consult with financial and tax advisors to review your will, durable power of attorney and perhaps establish a trust that can help maximize your estate and distribute your assets according to your wishes.

MAFFE FINANCIAL GROUP INC

875 Centerville Road, Warwick, Rhode Island

Working towards your financial goals is not something you accomplish just once… it’s something you keep accomplishing over the course of your lifetime – as you move through the various stages of life. But regardless of which stage you’re in when you start, the time to start is now.

Office: 401-828-2090x305 Cell: 401-529-5110

This information is not intended as tax or legal advice. Please seek the advice of a professional advisor prior to making any decisions regarding your own situation.

www.maffefinancialgroup.com

PROVIDENCE NEWSPAPER PRINTING PRESSMEN UNION 12N

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF POLICE OFFICERS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES 15 MESSENGER DRIVE, SUITE 12, WARWICK, RI 02888

ANTHONY CAPEZZA, JR. NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

OFFICE (401) 467-2830

SCREEN-WORKS

GRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE

I I

I

EMBROIDERY-SCREEN PRINTING SIGNS-PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS UNION LOGO WEAR & U NIFORMS

-

CO

(401) 692 -0304

M

Mark @Montees.net

5.11 Tactical Organizational

AMST ERS TE

events

NF ERE CE N

Mark Montecalvo

GRAPHIC

Fund Raising Athletics

MU

O

Promote Morale

NICATIONS

C

Made in the USA available

Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals Marcia B. Reback President 356 Smith Street Providence, RI 02908-3761 marciarift@aol.com

LOCAL 12N BUY LO CAL

(401) 273-9800 FAX (401) 331-8815 www.rifthp.org

-

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD of TEAMSTERS

-

PRESIDENT

THOMAS MARTIN SECRETARY-TREASURER

ROBERT RANDALL

172 LONGFELLOW STREET PROVIDENCE RI 02907 401 781-1007 phone 401 461-2121 fax Local12n@verizon.net

Page 16

Common Ground

JANUARY 2010

RI ECONOMY continued from page 9 growth capital they need is available.

These observations lead to perhaps the most important principle of economic development for RI, at least as far as new businesses are concerned: create an environment where RI capital can be invested in RI at scale.

This challenge will be met only by a combination of legislative, regulatory, institutional and attitude changes that work in combination to create a new

foundation for investment and risk taking in Rhode Island. This is a difficult long-term project that will not provide short-term gratification. If we think it’s too hard to accomplish, maybe we should redefine our expectations for the future.

Look at New Haven. Is that the future we want for Providence?

Since RI’s venture capital environment is effectively starting at zero, it is foolish to focus the bulk of RI’s economic

development attention on new business or new industry creation. Without a strong investment capital base, the best we can do is talk. On the other hand, there are RI assets that can be leveraged in the short term while we attack the investment capital problem. Research grants for biotech research are part of this, but so is a much stronger focus on tourism as a key driver of Rhode Island’s economy.

Likewise, public statements about “new economy” versus “old economy”

businesses in RI only polarize our state, and de-motivate those participating in existing industries that are not as sexy as the new new thing. We need to earn the trust and support of the entire RI workforce if we expect to move forward.

Then, if we can solve Rhode Island’s investment capital problem, more of our economic development attention can shift to new economies. Until then, let’s start by shoring up the one we’ve got.

A Coalition of 100,000 Rhode Island Union Workers and Retirees Unions have improved the quality of life for all working people.

Child Labor Laws • Social Security Overtime Pay • Minimum Wage Health Insurance • Unemployment Insurance Workers’ Compensation Paid Vacations • Pension Plans Learn more about the labor movement Watch LaborVision each week on Cox (Channel 14), Verizon (Channel 33) and Full Channel (Channel 9) every Tuesday @ 7pm, Thursday @ 8pm, and Saturday @ 5pm.

www.WorkingRI.com So Mike, how did you get involved in the EAP and addiction treatment business?

Michael J. Blackburn

CEAP, LADC-1, SAP, LAP-C, BRI-II

Retired Battalion Chief Providence Fire Department Local 799 Vice President Treatment Solutions Network

I became involved in the EAP/MAP programs because of my own struggles with addiction, as I have been in recovery for many years. Twenty-five years ago, I was asked by my Union President to start a committee to assist our members and their families who needed help with addiction and mental health issues, because of my own experiences, I was excited to help. We started a silent committee to offer confidential help to Firefighters and their families who were struggling with these issues. I spent several years obtaining certifications in the field and have been helping members and their families ever since!

How has this program benefited firefighters and their loved ones?

Firefighters often experience things in the line of duty that cause mental and emotional stress that can lead to substance abuse. Once we built the EAP/MAP program we were amazed at how many people came forward to get the help they needed. Part of the rehabilitation process is learning how to deal with these stresses so they don’t negatively affect the rest of their lives and their families.

Where has life taken you since retirement?

Well before I retired, I worked closely with Treatment Solutions Network to place my members, providing the care that they needed. I was so impressed with the company that I started working with them more and have now become a Vice President and shareholder in the company. We have expanded the network to include top rated treatment centers, not just in Florida, but across the nation as well. Our network is set up to accept most insurances, self-pay and contracted rates with health & welfare funds to make treatment affordable to everyone.

What is next for you and Treatment Solutions Network?

We are working with a committee focus group comprised of leadership from Boston Fire, Boston Police, Providence Fire, MA Department of Corrections and MA Sheriff’s Department. This group is being directed by a highly accomplished therapist to design programs specifically geared toward Unions, Public Safety Officers and to help us better serve the Employee Assistance Professionals we work with. Our programs are designed to find the best possible solution to Dual Diagnosis problems. Solutions that combine, long term success, financial flexibility, and clinical practice into effective services.

To learn more about how we help professionals visit, www.TreatmentSolutionsNetwork.com/professionals, call toll free, 1-877-417-6237, or contact your local Treatment Consultant.

making connections for recovery

JANUARY 2010

Common Ground

Page 17

Ten scholars receive final DeAndrade awards Ten sons and daughters of Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (GCC/IBT) members were selected to receive the last four-year

Anthony J. DeAndrade scholarships to ever be awarded.

Under the merger agreement with the Teamsters, the DeAndrade Scholar-

ship Fund was scheduled to be end after this year. Only the outstanding payments for former winners will continue to come out of the fund.

Children of GCC/IBT members now are eligible to apply to the Teamsters’ DeAndrade Scholarship Fund.

Information for applying for awards from the Teamsters’ scholarship fund is available on the IBT Web site at www.teamster.org. The site includes details on eligibility and requirements, as well as application forms that can be downloaded in PDF format.

Noting that the DeAndrade Scholarship Fund was named after a past president of the International Printing Pressmen and Assistants’ Union (IPPAU), GCC/IBT President George Tedeschi said, “There is a certain sadness to ending the DeAndrade scholarship program. Over the years, the fund has helped hundreds of members’ sons and daughters to fulfill their dreams of going to college and beginning the careers of their choice.”

“But I have confidence that our GCC/ IBT members’ children will find similar benefits with the Teamsters’ scholarship fund,” Tedeschi said. “I want to wish this year’s winners every success in their pursuit of higher education and in their careers.”

A. Ralph Mollis Secretary of State

The DeAndrade scholarship awards are for $500 each year for four years. Applicants were required to be sons, daughters, stepsons, stepdaughters, or legally adopted children of GCIU members with more than one year of continuous membership.

The two winners from each of five regions were selected by an independent committee of professional scholars on the basis of the applicants’ SAT or ACT scores, high schools grades, and activities. Applicants also were required to write an essay for the panel of judges. ______

Winners of the 2009 DeAndrade scholarships are: Region 1: David McCloud, son of Robert Belka, Philadelphia; and James J. Mignone Jr., son of James J. Mignone, Nassau County.

Region 2: Chelsea Burkart , daughter of Douglas Burkhart, Des Moines; and Maureen Hellstrom, daughter of Guy Hellstrom, Chicago.

Region 3: Irene S. Joseph, daughter of John Joseph, Atlanta; and Nicholas G. Price, son of Kathryn Price, Cleveland.

Region 4: Patrick M. Casey , son of Steven Casey, Kansas City; and Monica Van Curen , daughter of Debra Van Curen, Wichita.

Region 5: Rachael Ing, daughter of Joanne Ing, Honolulu; and Tracy Tan, daughter of Mah-Soon Tan, Toronto. ________

Could you have a sleep disorder?

• Did you know 1 in 6 people experience Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDA) on a regular basis?

• SDA has been linked to major conditions such as high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and Diabetes.

• Many patients experience positive results after treatment of their sleep disorders.

Epoch Sleep Centers has locations at: East Greenwich Medical Center, Suite 430, Unit B 1407 South County Trail East Greenwich, RI 02818 Lincoln Medical Center 6 Blackstone Valley Place Building 7, Suite 705 Lincoln, RI 02865 ENT Center 55 Lambert Lind Highway Warwick, RI 02886

401-541-9188 • www.epochsc.com

Page 18

Common Ground

JANUARY 2010

DIRECTORY OF UNION SERVICES BARBERS & HAIRDRESSERS Some barbers and hairdressers are organized by UFCW Local 328.

For a list of union barber shops and hairdressers, please contact Local 328 at (401) 861-0300 or www. ufcw328.org BUILDING TRADES For home and business construction, repairs, or additions please contact one of the following unions for a reputable contractor in your area.

For general questions or help please call Build RI at (401) 553-2100 or www.BuildRI.org Boilermakers Local No. 29 (617) 328-8400 Bricklayers Local No.1 (401) 946-9940 Carpenters Local No. 94 (401) 467-7070 Elevator Constructors Local No. 39 (401) 423-2293 Glaziers Local No. 1333 (401) 781-4736 Heat and Frost Insulators Local No. 6 (617) 436-4666 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local No. 99 (401) 946-9900 International Union of Operating Engineers Local No. 57 (401) 421-6678 Iron Workers Local No. 37 (401) 438-1111 Laborers Local No. 271 (401) 331-9682 Painters & Allied Trades District Council 11 (401) 467-7010 Plaster & Masons Local No. 40 (401) 943-1185 Plumbers & Pipefitters Local No. 51 (401) 943-3033 Rhode Island Building Trades (401) 438-1111 Roofers & Waterproofers Local No. 33 (781) 341-9192

Teamsters Local No. 251 (401) 434-0454 BUS SERVICES RIPTA - Rhode Island Public Transit Authority 265 Melrose Street Providence, RI 02907 (401) 781-9400 www.ripta.com Peter Pan Bus Lines Corporate Headquarters P.O. Box 1776 Springfield, MA 01102-1776 1-800-237-8747 ext. 1209 www.peterpanbus.com

Sprinkler Fitters Local No. 676 (860) 666-4447

Biltmore Hotel 11 Dorrance Street Providence, RI 02903 (401) 455-3027 Scott Connery, Director of Catering Brown University 45 Prospect St. Providence, RI 02912 (401) 863-1075 Cynthia Schwartz, Director of University Event Bryant University 1150 Douglas Pike Smithfield, RI 02917 (401) 232-6921 Sheila Guay, Director of Events

CHILD CARE PROVIDERS To arrange on-site child care coverage for your meetings or conferences, or to locate a DCYFlicensed home-based child care provider in your neighborhood or near your workplace, contact the union of home-based child care providers, District 1199 SEIU, at (401) 457-5099 or www. seiu1199ne.org CREDIT UNIONS Credit union employees are organized by UFCW Local 328.

Rhode Island Credit Union www.ricreditunion.org Providence Branch 160 Francis Street Providence, RI 02903 (401) 751-7440 Cranston Branch 570 Pontiac Avenue Cranston, RI 02910 (401) 941-8770 Bristol Branch 390 Metacom Avenue Bristol, RI 02809 (401) 253-1313 URI Branch URI Memorial Union Kingston, RI 02881 (401) 789-0253 Dexter Credit Union www.dextercu.org 1 Village Plaza Way North Scituate, RI 02857 (401) 934-7600 934 Dexter Street Central Falls, RI 02863 (401) 724-6200 First Trade Union Bank www.ftubhb.com 14 Jefferson Park Road Warwick, RI 02888 1-800-242-0272 Woodlawn Federal Credit Union 744 Main Street Pawtucket, RI 02860 (401) 728-8300

DELIVERY SERVICES Sheet Metal Workers Local No. 17 (401) 831-7150

FUNCTION FACILITIES

United Parcel Service The Teamsters Local 251 represent Rhode Island’s UPS workers. For the outlet nearest you, or to schedule a home pick up, please contact UPS at www.ups.com or 1-800-PICK-UPS. United States Postal Service Your local post office is represented by the NationalAssociation of Letter Carriers,the American Postal Workers Union and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (a divisionof the Laborers Union.) www.usps.com

Community College of Rhode Island Knight Campus, Warwick Flanagan Campus, Lincoln Liston Campus, Providence Newport Campus, Newport CCRI Downcity (401) 825-2015 Edna Mattson Dunkin Donuts Center 1 LaSalle Square Providence, RI 02903 (401) 331-0700 ext. 150 Robert Sturm, Event Manager Newport Grand 150 Admiral Kalbfus Road Newport, RI 02840 (401) 849-5000 ext. 157 David Rollin Providence College 549 River Avenue Providence, RI 02918 (401) 865-1000 ext. 2070 Victoria Mocshu Rhode Island College 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue Providence, RI 02908 (401)456-8022 Kathy Sasso RI Convention Center 1 Sabin Street Providence, RI 02903 (401)-458-6002 Antonia Anthony, Director of Event Services Roger Williams Park Casino 1000 Elmwood Avenue Providence, RI 02905 (401) 785-9450 ext. 240 Lisa Gonzales, Casino Event Planner Roger Williams University 1 Old Ferry Road Bristol, RI 02809 (401) 253-1040 ext. 3793 Allison Chase-Padula Twin River 1600 Louisquisset Pike Lincoln, RI 02865 (401) 723-3200 ext. 8497 Alana Barts University of Rhode Island Kingston, Alton Jones Campus Providence Campus (401) 874-2214 Sherry Davis The Westin Providence 1 Exchange Street Providence, RI 02903 (401) 598-8245 Alan Swerdolff, Director of Sales and Marketing HOSPITALS UNAP members work at the following locations: • Fatima Hospital • Greater RI Visiting Nurse Service • Homestead Group • Kent Hospital • Landmark Medical Center • Memorial Hospital

JANUARY 2010

Common Ground

Page 19

DIRECTORY OF UNION SERVICES • Rehabilitation Hospital of RI • Rhode Island Hospital • RI Community Living & Support Services • RI Dept of Human Services • RI Veterans’ Home • URI, CCRI, RIC Health Services • Westerly Hospital (Professional & Technical) • Westerly Hospital (Service & Maintenance) • Zambarano Hospital SEIU 1199 members work at the following locations: • Butler Hospital • Women & Infants Hospital JANITORIAL SERVICES Some janitorial companies are organized by SEIU Local 615. For a list of unionized janitorial services, contact the Local 615 office at (401) 521-6150 or visit their website at www.seiu615.org.

NEWSPAPERS Providence Journal www.projo.com Subscribe Call (401) 277-7600 Mail: The Providence Journal Subscriber Services 75 Fountain Street Providence, RI 02902 Pawtucket Times www.pawtuckettimes.com Subscribe (401) 722-4000 Woonsocket Call www.woonsocketcall.com Subscribe (401) 767-8522

Cogens, Inc. 1 Virginia Avenue Providence, RI 02905 Phone: (401) 421-4436 Fax: (401) 331-9032 Crownmark 109 Fletcher Avenue Cranston, RI 02920 Phone: (401) 943-1112 Fax: (401) 943-1113 Dorrance Engraving 635 Prospect Street Pawtucket, RI 02860 Phone: (401) 725-0504 Fax: (401) 725-0504 East Coast Screen Printing 22 Partridge Street Providence, RI 02908 Phone: (401) 272-1166 Fax: (401) 272-1167 Federal Signs 135 Dean Street Providence, RI 02903 Phone: (401) 421-3400 Fax: (401) 351-2233 Financial Innovations 1 Weingeroff Blvd.

Cranston, RI 02919 Phone: (401) 467-3170 Fax: (401) 467-3570 JB Foley Printing 1469 Broad Street Providence, RI 02905 Phone: (401) 467-3616 Fax: (401) 467-8309 Lamar Outdoor Advertising 360 Warren Avenue E. Providence, RI 02914 Phone: (401) 421-4504, Fax: (401) 421-4757

NURSING HOMES SEIU 1199 members work at the following locations: • Bannister House • Charlesgate Nursing Center • Country Gardens Skilled Nursing • Crawford Skilled Nursing • Greenville Skilled Nursing • Hopkins Manor • Pawtucket Skilled Nursing • Parkview Associates • United Methodist Health Care

Center PRINTERS, BANNERS & SIGNS

Mandeville Sign Co. 676 George Wash. Hwy. Lincoln, RI 02865 Phone: (401) 334-9100 Fax: (401) 334-7799 Regine Printing Co., Inc. 208 Laurel Hill Avenue Providence, RI 02909 Phone: (401) 943-3404 Fax (401) 944-1228 R.I. Litho Printing, Inc. 1395 Atwood Avenue Johnston, RI 02919 Phone: (401) 275-0760 Fax: (401) 464-6002

A.J.S. Fine Printing, Inc. 1333 Plainfield Street Johnston, RI 02919 Phone: (401) 944-9530 Fax: (401) 946-0460

Screen Works, LLC 62 South Main Street Woonsocket, RI 02895 Phone: (401) 692-0304

American Speedy Printing 635 Arnold Road Coventry, RI 02816 Phone: (401) 823-0090 Fax: (401) 823-0092

Sheahan Printing Corp.

1 Front Street Woonsocket, RI 02895 Phone: (401) 273-7272 Fax: (401) 769-9206

B Sign Graphics 27 Libera Street Cranston, RI 02920 Phone: (401) 943-6941 Fax: (401) 943-2287

Sign Lite, Inc. 6 Corporate Drive N. Haven, CT 06473 Phone: 1-800-544-0854 Fax: (203) 234-8344

Best Printing, Inc. 17 Industrial Drive Smithfield, RI 02917 Phone: (401) 232-0094 Fax: (401) 232-0001

The Sign Shoppe P.O. Box 2296 Westerly, RI 02891 Phone: (401) 364-7442

Brown Printing Co., LLC 639 Admiral Street Providence, RI 02908 Phone: (401) 861-6106 Fax: (401) 331-8572

Tarvis Graphics Inc. 21 Sabin Street Pawtucket, RI 02860 Phone: (401) 726-5530 Fax: (401) 723-6420

PUBLIC SCHOOLS All public school employees are organized by the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals or the National Education Association of Rhode Island. The following Charter Schools are also unionized: • Laborers Charter School • Textron Charter School • Times 2 Charter School SUPERMARKETS Supermarket employees at the stores listed below are members of UFCW Local 328 or UFCW Local 791.

Super Stop and Shop • Bristol • Coventry • Cumberland • Johnston • Lincoln • Middletown • Narragansett • Newport • North Kingstown • North Providence • North Smithfield • Pawtucket • Providence • Richmond • Smithfield • Warwick • Westerly Shaw’s Supermarket • Barrington • Garden City • Cranston • East Providence • Riverside • Johnston • Middletown • North Providence • Pawtucket • Providence • Wakefield • Warwick • Lakewood • Westerly • Woonsocket Eastside Marketplace • Providence Brigidos IGA • Pascoag • North Scituate Grand Union Family Markets • South Yarmouth • Provincetown • Buzzards Bay • South Yarmouth C-Town Supermarket • Pawtucket TELEPHONE, INTERNET & CABLE SERVICES AT&T Wireless 1 (800) 897-7046 www.wireless.att.com Union members recieve special discounts on AT&T wireless service plans. For more infomation to to www.unionplus.org Verizon Verizon, whose employees are members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2323, can provide for all of your home and office internet, telephone and cable TV needs through Verizon’s new FiOS (Fiber Optic Service) network. Simply call 1-888-Get FiOS or 1-888-438-3467 or contact IBEW 2323 at (401) 946-2323.

Page 20

Common Ground

PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’ LOCAL UNION 1033 Representing the Public Servants who make government work!

JANUARY 2010

Partnering with Rhode Island’s Municipalities to Provide the Most Effective and Cost-efficient Public Employee Benefits

The Rhode Island Public Employees’ Health Services Fund

The Rhode Island Public Employees’ Leagal Services Fund

PUBLIC EMPLOYEES = PUBLIC SERVICE

The Rhode Island Public Employees’ Education, Training and Apprenticeship Fund

Cranston Crossing Guards

Town of North Kingstown Lincoln Highway Department Providence Community Action Program Providence School Department Lincoln Public Library Narragansett Bay Commission Town of North Providence City of Providence Narragansett Town Hall North Providence Crossing Guards Lincoln Water Commission Providence Civic Center Authority RI Department of Transportation Warwick Crossing Guards North Providence School Department Lincoln Town Hall

DONALD S. IANNAZZI, ESQ.

Business Manager

Donald S. Iannazzi, Esq. Chairman

VICKI A. VIRGILIO President

Vicki A. Virgilio Trustee

Pasquale T. D’Amico Trustee

Sharen Gleckman Trustee

Joseph F. Kenney Trustee

Betty Jackson Liaison

Chris Lombardi Coordinator

Rhode Island’s Union Built, Operated and Staffed Facilities ROGER WILLIAMS PARK CASINO

ACCOMMODATING 50 - 300 (401) 941-5640 (401) 785-9450

CITY CENTER SKATING RINK

ACCOMMODATING GROUPS FROM 10 - 400 (401) 331-5544 EXT. 5