The Mass Union Board of Directors has approved $12,000 in scholarships for our affiliates! We are hoping for a big turn out and lots of new faces.

Scholarships will cover the full cost of the Convention from 8am on Saturday until 1pm on Sunday. This covers all meals and sessions, the Jack Cooper Retirement Gala on Saturday, and a shared room on Saturday night. Registration and Breakfast open at 8am on Saturday and the Morning Plenary begins at 10am.

To request a scholarship, email info@massunion.org by April 13 at 5pm. Tell us:

1. The name of your tenant group and your Housing Authority.
2. Which one or two people would like to come and their contact information. You can apply for a scholarship as one or two individuals.
3. Please write one sentence about why you want to attend and why you need funds. All answers are acceptable! We appreciate your honesty.

Process

1. CONTACT US! Email us with the information above by April 13 at 5pm.
2. RAFFLE! We will draw names on a live Zoom meeting on April 14 at 9am. Join us then for the fun! You do not need to be present on the Zoom Raffle to win a scholarship. We will notify you that day. If more than two people from one town/city apply, we will provide scholarships for the first two names drawn.

Scholarship Eligibility

1. You must be an affiliate or have applied for affiliation by April 7. Read about becoming an affiliate.
2. If you have paid to attend the Convention in the past, we urge you to please use the same funding again! If you can access funds from your LTO, RAB or Housing Authority, please, please do. There are many people who cannot access these types of funds and we hope to offer the scholarships to them. This will allow as many tenants as possible to attend. We especially want to welcome new members and people from small Housing Authorities who usually cannot afford to come. Thank you for your understanding!
3. If you win a scholarship, you must participate in the Convention! Join workshops, discussions, and bring your best self. 🙂 Thank you!

Hello from Mass Union! My name is Sarah Byrnes and I am delighted to be the new Executive Director here at Mass Union. I started on Wednesday March 1 and it has been an excellent first week! I want to thank the board and staff for their very warm welcome.

Many of you know me from my time at the Mel King Institute, where I worked for over six years running the Public Housing Training Program. Through that work I was fortunate to get to know many residents and their advocates.

I will be holding an Open Zoom Meeting for affiliates and residents on March 23 at 10am to introduce myself to the community. Please join me and other members of the MU team then! Contact Info@MassUnion.org for the Zoom link.

At the session, you will have a chance to get to know me and other residents, learn about Mass Union’s upcoming Convention, and provide your input about the direction of Mass Union.

Speaking of the Convention, please Save the Date!

Mass Union Spring Convention
May 5, 2023 – May 7, 2023
Best Western, Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center
181 Boston Post Road
Marlborough, MA

Registration information will be coming soon.

Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for being part of the Mass Union community.

Jack Cooper announced at the 2022 fall convention his retirement plans as of November 30, 2022.

Jack Cooper has been at the helm of Mass Union for 37 years. This year, he announced his retirement plans as of November 30.

Please Review our Proposals!

In the Fall, Mass Union Board will convene the Fall 2022 Convention where we will vote on by-law amendments. Before the convention, we want to give Mass Union affiliates an opportunity to review and give feedback on proposed by-law amendments.

Here are links to the:

1. By-laws with the Proposed Amendments
2. Summary of Proposed Amendments for the Spring 2022 Convention
3. An Online Survey

Mass Union is also mailing all of these materials to affiliates.

Chance to Review

MUPHT will be rescheduling its online zoom meeting for affiliates to review proposed by-laws. Stand by for more information.

Affiliate Feedback

There are two ways to give the Board feedback:

1. mail in the hardcopy survey by August 10 or
2. submit the online survey by August 17 at https://bit.ly/3bHUY9K

Update on Spring 2022 Convention

Click for an update on votes taken at the Update on Spring 2022 Convention

Keynote Speaker

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll

Distinguished Speakers

Secretary Ed Augustus | Senator Brendan Crighton | Representative Carole Fiola

What is a Lobby Day?

Lobby Day is a special day for tenants to meet with legislators face-to-face and tell them how important it is to protect and improve public housing. By showing up together at the State House, we show our elected leaders that we are fighting for our rights and we are paying attention to how they vote.

This spring, the Massachusetts legislature is debating a once-every-five-year “bond bill,” as well as the FY25 budget. The bond bill, known as the Affordable Homes Act, provides $1.6 billion for public housing repairs and capital needs. While more is needed, this is a great start in the right direction! We need to ensure that our representatives do not weaken this bill before it passes in the summer!

How it Works

Tenants will arrive at the state house around 9:30 on May 20 and the programming will begin at 10:00am. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. (See information about transportation and interpretation here.) In the morning, we will hear from the distinguished leaders listed above, as well as our partners at MassNAHRO.

After the full group morning session, tenants will break into smaller groups and meet directly with either their elected representatives or members of the House and Senate leadership, or their staff. Our team will arrange these meetings with support from consultant Elaine Almquist, and you will be trained and provided with talking points before you meet with reps. No one will have to speak unless they are comfortable doing so! Each small group will have designated leaders to make this work well.

During the free time between your small group meetings, we will provide other optional activities such as informational sessions with our partners, chair yoga, and lunch. Buses will then depart the state house around 2:30.

Lobby Day is free for tenants! For others, we suggest a $50 donation to cover the costs of lunch and transportation.