10.21.2006

There’s A Role for Every Member in this Strike
Join One of Our Special Strike-Related Committees

Winning a strike is a team effort requiring participation by every member. We have established a number of committees that will be working on different aspects of our strike campaign. Please review the list below, and if one area of action appeals to you, email or call the chair of the committee to become involved.

ACTION COMMITTEE
This committee is responsible for planning special events (i.e. Halloween on the picket line), rallies and other meetings and activities that energize and mobilize our members and supporters.
Contact: Sandy Guerard at sandy2156@charter.net; 508-341-5288

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
This committee, working closely with the MNA Division of Communications, is responsible for producing letters, leaflets and other communications tools that explain the issues of the strike, provide notice of important events and activities, and to draft letters to thank those who have offered their support to our cause.
Contact: Beth Keenan at bkeenan@towmisp.com
or Wendy Lathrop at Skimom125@aol.com; 508-393-9052

EDUCATION COMMITTEE
This committee will work closely with the MNA Division of Nursing to be prepared to assist members in meeting their educational needs and in securing temporary employment. This will include meeting with members to assess their educational needs; organizing and scheduling continuing education programs for nurses including ACLS, CPR, etc. This group will also identify and inform members about job opportunities, and plan job fairs to secure per diem work for members.
Contact: Pat Giangrande at pattigiagrande60@hotmail.com; 508-757-5831

FINANCE/STRIKE RELIEF COMMITTEE
This committee, working in conjunction with the Fundraising Committee, is responsible for creating, maintaining and overseeing the accounting and management of the UMass Nurses Strike Fund, which is a fund created to provide financial relief and support to those members who encounter financial distress during the strike. This committee will be responsible for developing and implementing a system to identify members in need of support and to distribute loans to individual members.
Contact: Judy Smith Gogoen at gogos384@msn.com; 508-450-6590

FOOD AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
This committee is responsible for transporting people to and from picket lines, coordinating food for the office and the picket lines, and rubbish removal at the picket sites. This is a good committee for members with pick up trucks and vans.
Contact: Sally Charest at macsac56@verizon.com; 978-464-2372

FOOD BANK COMMITTEE
This committee, working in conjunction with the Region 2 Community Organizer, will be responsible for working with labor and community groups to establish a food bank for striking nurses. Members will plan the collection and distribution of foodstuffs for the bank, as well as work with the communications committee to inform members of how to access the bank.
Contact: Doug Cook at dcook72@msn.com; 508-529-9008

FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE
This committee is responsible for identifying and contacting groups to raise funds to support our strike fund. They will also plan special fundraising events, identify and coordinate the appearance of union members at meetings of target groups to solicit support, and will work with the Communications Committe to make sure thank you notes and letters are sent to contributors.
Contact: Patti Williams at pwilliams@mnarn.org; 781-363-0705

MEDIA COMMITTEE
This committee, working in conjunction with the MNA Division of Communications, is responsible for coordinating and delivering our message to the press throughout the strike. It will also work on identifying newsworthy issues and stories that develop throughout the strike and help in identifying other union members who would be comfortable sharing their personal perspective with the media.
Contact: Kathie Logan at KathieMLogan@aol.com; 508-685-1435

PICKET LINE COMMITTEE
This committee is responsible for maintaining the picket line, assigning picket captains, and organizing the picketers to cover all appropriate sites and entrances.
Contact: Leona MacDonald at leonamacdonald@aol.com; 508-414-8743

POLITICAL/LABOR COMMUNITY COMMITTEE
This committee will work closely with the MNA Divisions of Communications, Legislation and Government Affairs and the Region 2 Community Organizer to identify and reach out to local and state public officials, labor and community groups. This group is responsible for educating our community leaders about our issues and how people can support our strike.
Contact: Judy Smith Goguen at gogos384@msn.com; 508-450-6590
or Margaret McLaughlin at marge86@townisp.com; 508-797-1178

RUMOR CONTROL COMMITTEE
In every strike, rumors tend to spread like wildfire, with much of this false information generated by management. This committee is responsible for keeping track of the rumors, to find out the truth of the situation, and work with the Communications Committee to disseminate information to communicate the facts to members.
Contact: Sue Morris-Smith at Suemsmith@aol.com; 508-579-8673

SCAB PATROL
This committee is responsible for identifying and keeping a record of those who cross the picket line. This group will work with the Division of Communications to coordinate the posting of the names of confirmed scabs on the MNA web site.
Contact: Charlie Borgstrom at charlyb@charter.net; 508-764-0424

STRIKE OFFICE COMMITTEE
The MNA has established a strike office at the new Region 2 headquarters, located at 365 Shrewsbury St., in walking distance of the University campus. The strike office is the information/resource center and situation room for the strike. This committee is responsible for organizing, staffing and running the strike office 24/7. The strike office number is 508-756-5800
Contact: Karole Grandinetti at KWGrand@aol.com; 508-864-4248
or Kathie Logan at KathieMLogan@aol.com; 508-685-1435