'Somerville Stands Together' Kicks Off With City Hall Rally

SOMERVILLE, MA – The following press release was submitted by "Somerville Stands Together."

Citing rising rents, stagnant wages, and irresponsible development, hundreds of residents with "Somerville Stands Together" kicked off their campaign Thursday night with a march on City Hall, urging city leaders to start putting local families first.

The broad new coalition, including local public service and construction workers, as well as community activists, is highlighting the growing disconnect between Somerville's values of inclusion and equality, and the city's current budget priorities and policies.

"Somerville stands for fairness, equality, and opportunity. But City Hall has lost its way. It's not enough to talk the talk. When it comes to economic, social, and racial justice, we need to walk the walk," said Somerville resident Penelope Jennewein.

The group said Somerville is heading in the wrong direction. One concern is wealthy, out-of-town developers who receive tax breaks from the city but don't adhere to community standards.

"Developers are making a mint, and we should be getting something in return-- good jobs for our families," said Jaril Gauthier, a Somerville resident and building trades union member. "Instead City Hall is turning a blind eye as out-of-town developers use non-union labor, where exploitation, safety violations, and wage theft runs rampant. The city should insist that all new construction projects use local union labor, so we can keep good construction jobs for local families right here in Somerville."

The coalition also raised concerns about the city's failure to negotiate fair contracts with the hard-working men and women who protect and serve the city. Most of Somerville's public service workforce- including firefighters, police, and librarians- don't have contracts and haven't had a raise in years. At the same time, they're facing sky-high rents and are increasingly at risk of being displaced.

"City Hall is balancing the budget on the backs of public service employees and our families," said Ed Halloran, a Special Heavy Equipment Operator with the Somerville DPW, who's worked with the city for 25 years. "They keep telling us to wait- but we can't wait anymore. The bills keep piling up."

At the event, members of "Somerville Stands Together" said that City Hall is taking Somerville in the wrong direction, and urged local leaders to sign on to the following priorities:

• Invest in new and existing affordable housing, to safeguard residents against displacement.
• Ensure respect and fair contracts for our city's municipal workers.
• Update and enforce Somerville’s existing fair labor ordinances.
• Allow employees to form unions and hold free and fair elections at businesses that are given tax breaks by the City of Somerville.
• Hire local union labor on construction projects to ensure high standards for safety and training, and to provide career pathways for workers.

"Our public employees don't have contracts, but the city has the money for tax breaks for wealthy developers," continued Jennewein. "Meanwhile these developers are pricing out local families and paying their construction workers substandard wages. This is not the Somerville we love."

Image via Shutterstock