A march and rally by members and supporters of the Somerville Stands Together coalition took place last week, leading up to a presentation to the Board of Aldermen. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Jim Clark

Last Thursday, April 26, a coalition of community and labor groups calling itself Somerville Stands Together marched to City Hall, where they held a rally asking civic leaders  to show more support for residents and their employment needs.

After arriving at the City Hall Concourse, representatives from the coalition spoke to the assembled crowd of supporters who had gathered alongside city officials, addressing the concerns and grievances of the group.

Coalition representatives were also invited into the Board of Alderman chambers to address the Board at its latest regular meeting and further explain their present agenda and future goals.

Prior to the presentation, Ward 7 Alderman and Board President Katjana Ballantyne put forward a resolution asking the new coalition to share with the Board their mission to support workers’ rights and other progressive issues in Somerville.

Somerville Stands Together representative Virginia Hussey laid out the issues of concern by the group for the Board.

Speaking in behalf of the group, Somerville resident and coalition representative Virginia Hussey told the Board, “I’m here today after a rally with hundreds of local firefighters, police officers, librarians, construction workers and community activists. We’re part of a new campaign called Somerville Stands Together.”

Hussey said that the group wants good jobs, fair contracts, and affordable housing, and that the message is simple: support local families, not out-of-town developers.

“You see, when we look around, we will see a real disconnection between Somerville values of inclusion and equality and the current budget priorities and policies of City Hall,” said Hussey. “Most of the city’s public service workers don’t have a contract and hasn’t had a raise in many years. Fat cat developers are getting rich off the tax breaks while driving down safety standards.”

Hussey said the coalition maintains that the city is here to protect and support workers. Living wages, responsibility contracts and wage steps are out of date and all too often not being enforced.

“As rent keeps going up, too many of us are at risk of being pushed out,” according to Hussey. She said she’s seen many friends and family members pushed out of Somerville because of rising housing costs. “We aren’t going to take it anymore.”

Hussy said that the group was calling on the city to commit its support to the following priorities: invest in new and existing affordable housing, to safeguard residents from 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; and hire local and union labor on major construction projects to ensure high standards for safety and training and provide career pathways for workers.

“Our coalition wants to hear from each and every one of you if you agree to sign on to this platform to help move Somerville forward,” said Hussey.

To learn more about Somerville Stands Together and its platform, visit them online at https://somervillestandstogether.com.