Save the Date!
Mass Union’s Fall 2025 Convention will be held at the Best Western in Marlborough, MA. Programming will be offered on Friday, October 3, Saturday, October 4, and the morning of Sunday, October 5. Stay tuned for details!
Save the Date!
Mass Union’s Fall 2025 Convention will be held at the Best Western in Marlborough, MA. Programming will be offered on Friday, October 3, Saturday, October 4, and the morning of Sunday, October 5. Stay tuned for details!
Featuring Keynote Remarks from Secretary Ed Augustus, Senator Adam Gomez, Representative Carole Fiola, Tenant Leaders, and More!
Civic Engagement Workshop with Commonwealth Seminar
Meetings with Policy-Makers
Make your voice heard to support fair funding for public housing, Access to Counsel for tenants facing eviction, protection for tenants undergoing redevelopment, and more. Join public housing tenants and their allies from across the state at Public Housing Day at the Massachusetts State House!
Parking information below.
$100 per tenant is requested to cover the costs of Breakfast, Lunch, T-shirts and Interpretation
$125 per non-tenant
Sponsorship is your opportunity to reach diverse public housing leaders and join with other corporations, institutions, and allies who stand for dignified public housing. Your support improves tenants’ rights and homes, and creates more equitable communities across the Commonwealth for everyone! Contact us or donate here.
Affordable housing is the #1 issue for Massachusetts’ families, communities, and economy. Safe secure public housing provides more than a place to live; it is the cornerstone that helps low-income families build educational and economic opportunity. Skyrocketing rents across the state create an unaffordable burden for many. For over half a century, public housing has provided affordable homes for thousands of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable seniors, families, veterans, and persons with disabilities.
The resident-members of the Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants, Mass Union, have successfully advocated for the preservation and improvement of public housing in our state themselves for over fifty years. We invite you to join MassSave, Eastern Bank, The Boston Foundation, Local Housing Authorities, and many others who have supported Mass Union, with a sponsorship for the Fall Conference.
“I was hesitant to attend Mass Union’s Fall Conference but I am so glad I went. I got lots of great information for our newly founded Local Tenant Organization. It really was an excellent experience. Thank you, Mass Union!”
– Ellen Jacobson, Member
PRESENTING SPONSOR – $10,000.00
Keynote speaker
Invitation to offer a Conference Welcome.
Mass Union representative to present a lunch and learn at your location.
Deliver your message in a dedicated email to 700 residents on our statewide mailing list.
Conference vendor table and four lunches.
Premium full-page Program Book ad on back cover or inside front cover.
Prominent logo on event signage and swag.
Prominent logo on Mass Union website, event emails and social media.
PLATINUM SPONSOR – $5,000.00
Sponsor the Conference luncheon
Invitation to offer remarks during lunch at the Conference.
Conference vendor table and three lunches.
Full-page Program Book ad.
Prominent logo on event signage and swag.
Prominent logo on Mass Union website, event emails,
and social media.
GOLD SPONSOR – $2,500.00
Two opportunities available to sponsor buses that transport Conference participants
Logo on the bus.
Conference vendor table and free lunches.
Half-page Program Book ad.
Logo on event signage and swag.
Logo on Mass Union website, event emails, and socials.
SILVER SPONSOR – $1,000.00
Conference vendor table and one lunch.
Half-page Program Book ad.
Logo on event signage and swag.
Logo on Mass Union website, event emails, and socials.
CONFERENCE VENDOR TABLES – $500.00
Conference vendor table and one lunch.
Listing in Program Book.
Please email info@massunion.org for more information on advertising in our Program Book.
Thank you to the Housing Authorities supporting tenants this Fall Convention!
Springfield Sheraton, One Monarch Place, Springfield MA, 01144
Saturday, October 19, 2024, 11AM – 4PM
Breakfast and lunch provided
Spanish interpretation provided
Hotel rooms available on Friday night for an additional fee
CONVENTION AGENDA AND WORKSHOPS
Join us for Mass Union’s one-day Fall Convention! As always we will provide learning and networking opportunities. Additional agenda items include:
Vans/buses are heading to the Convention from Fall River, Brockton, Cambridge and Salem. A limited number of seats are available on some of the vans/buses. Contact us for details and to reserve a spot! lilith@massunion.org, 617.825.9750
At the Convention on May 19, there will be an Officer election to fill the five Officer positions: Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and Assistant Treasurer. The Officer election is open only to the current members of the board. Officer nominations are posted here and were sent to affiliates in the snail mail April, along with the Director nominations.
The Mass Union Board of Officers and Directors has decided to hold a special election to fill four open Director seats on the board. The election will be held at the Spring Convention on May 19, 2024. Please see information about eligibility on page 6 of our bylaws.
As adopted by the Election/Nominating Committee, May 10, 2024, 1pm
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Nicole Beckles, Chair and Board Member, Boston; Bret Perkins, Board Member, Quincy; Jessica Quinonez, Board Member, Springfield; Ellen Jacobson, Affiliate, Lenox; Susan Lanzikos, Affiliate, Bridgewater. Also present: Lilith Dyke and Sarah Byrnes, Mass Union staff.
ELECTION RULES
BYLAWS ARTICLE VI SECTION 4
“Elections: The affiliates to the Mass Union shall elect the members of the board. At the Spring Convention, held in odd numbered years, the affiliates shall elect at least nine members and a maximum of thirteen board members. At the Spring Convention, held in even numbered years, affiliates shall elect five officers from the current membership of the Board. Officers are elected by the affiliates from current board members. If the Board has the minimum number of nine Board members, there is no need to have a special election in the even numbered years to expand the Board.”
Please note that because this is an even-numbered year, we are holding an Officer election. Only current board members can run for the Officer seats, which are Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and Assistant Treasurer. The board also decided to hold a Special Election for Directors (non-officers) this year. We have six people running for four open seats.
BYLAWS ARTICLE V SECTION 6
Paragraph 1: “Each city or town from which there are affiliates present and entitled to vote at a Convention shall be entitled to cast six votes. If there are two or more affiliates from any city or town present and entitled to vote at a Convention, said city’s or town’s six votes shall be allocated equally between said affiliates. Votes may be cast as whole or as fractions thereof.”
When it is time for voting, Nicole will call through the eligible cities/towns, such as Belchertown, Boston, or Brockton. An eligible city/town is one where there is at least one paid affiliate. Each eligible city/town will allocate their six votes equally among paid affiliates. For example:
Paragraph 5: “Nominations for members of the Board may be made by a Nominating Committee or from the floor of the Convention by a member of an affiliate. The Nominating Committee, if any, shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the Mass Union, shall consist of three Board Members from different communities and two members of affiliates from other communities and shall report directly to the Convention. The list of recommended candidates proposed by the Nominating Committee shall be sent to affiliates twenty-one days in advance of the Convention. The committee shall make no changes in or additions to its recommendations after they are sent to the affiliates.”
Please note that because we are sent nominations to the affiliates in advance of the Convention, we will not be able to take nomiations from the floor of the Convention.
ADDITIONAL RULES
In addition to the rules listed above from our bylaws, the Committee has created the following two rules for this election.
1. You must be present at the Convention to run.
If extenuating circumstances arise and a candidate can no longer attend, the candidate can alert a board or staff member at Mass Union. Their circumstances will be explained to the affiliates for a vote, and the affiliates will decide whether to allow the candidate to run.
2. Candidates may distribute materials at the Convention, with three caveats:
ELECTION PROCEDURE
I. Call to Order
Chair Dave Underhill will call the meeting to order and pass facilitation to Nicole Beckles, Chair of the Election Committee.
II. Review of Election Procedure
Nicole will name and thank the Election Committee members and explain that we will be holding three rounds of voting. She’ll explain each as we get to it.
III. Uncontested Officer Election: Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and Assistant Treasurer Roles
1. MOTION TO VOTE AS A SLATE
Nicole will make the following motion and affiliates can vote yes, no or abstain.
“I am making a motion to allow the four uncontested officers to run as a slate. That means that each community will be able to vote for all four officers at once. This is a way we can save time today. Uncontested means no one is running against them. Here are the four uncontested officer races:
“We will go through each community and you will vote yes, no or abstain on whether to save time by voting for all four of these at once as a slate. Yes means one round of voting for all four, no means we will go through each office separately.”
Allow for someone to second the motion. Then take a vote (yay, nay, or abstain) from each community.
2. VOTING
Depending upon the outcome of the vote above, Nicole will go through the offices separately or all at once. Each city/town with at least one paid affiliate will allocate their six votes for the slate or the candidate, or they can abstain. (New nominees are not permitted.)
V. DIRECTOR ELECTION
Note that Lori Manzo has withdrawn from Mass Union and is no longer a candidate.
1. CANDIDATE SPEECHES
The six candidates will be invited to sit at the front of the room, and each will be invited to make a two-minute speech.
2. VOTING
VI. CHAIR RACE
The two candidates will be invited to sit at the front of the room, and each will be invited to make a two-minute speech.
2. VOTING
Hotel accommodations are not longer available but registration is open for our Lobby Day.
Lobby Day Registration (May 20)
ONLINE PAYMENT: RESIDENTS | NON-RESIDENTS
May 19: Convention at the Marlborough Marriot
75 Felton St, Marlborough, MA 01752
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Provided
Spanish Interpretation Provided
May 20: Lobby Day at The Massachusetts State House in Boston
Breakfast and Lunch Provided
Spanish Interpretation Provided
Please click here to see our Lobby Day info sheet.
Buses will transport residents from the Convention to the State House and back to the Marriot in Marlborough. The bus is included in your Convention registration, no need to register!
Mass Union is also organizing a Convention/Lobby Day bus from the North Shore! The bus will leave Salem at 7:45 in the morning of May 19 and take everyone to Marlborough for the Convention. The next day, it will take everyone to the state house for Lobby Day. After Lobby Day, it will take everyone home to Salem. The bus is included in Convention registration fees. To reserve your spot on the North Shore bus, email info@massunion.org.
Spanish interpretation will be provided.
And special thanks to the Housing Authorities who sponsored multiple residents for our Spring Convention!
PATRONS
Convention Registration (May 19)
Lobby Day Registration (May 20)
ONLINE PAYMENT: RESIDENTS | NON-RESIDENTS
Sponsored by
October 28, 2023
Best Western, Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center
181 Boston Post Road, Marlborough, MA
Registration and Continental Breakfast will begin at 8am
Programming will begin at 10am and wrap up at 5pm
Spanish Interpretation will be provided
Gold Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Resident Patrons
Sending 10+ Residents
Resident Sustainers
Sending 5+ Residents
Resident Sponsors
Sending 2+ Residents
Attleboro Housing Authority
Cambridge Housing Authority
Easthampton Housing Authority
Northampton Housing Authority
Watertown Housing Authority