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Teamsters Joint Council 10 New England
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COVID-19 CRISIS TEAMSTERS JOINT COUNCIL 10 MEMBER ASSISTANCE INFORMATION

NewEnglandTeamsters

COVID-19 CRISIS TEAMSTERS JOINT COUNCIL 10 MEMBER ASSISTANCE INFORMATION

As of MARCH 23, 2020

 

THANK YOU GOVERNOR BAKER AND THE LEGISLATURE FOR PASSING EMERGENCY LEGISLATION TO EXPEDITE BENEFITS FOR THOSE IMPACTED

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S2599 to extend Unemployment Insurance benefits for workers affected by COVID-19

 

CHECK BACK FOR FURTHER UPDATES

THE ONE WEEK WAITING PERIOD FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS IS SUSPENDED EFFECTIVE TUESDAY MARCH 10, 2020

Members should file for unemployment immediately upon notice from company regarding your employment status

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE (updated 3/18/20)

MEMBER EAP ASSISTANCE

FOOD ASSISTANCE

HEAT ASSISTANCE

PAYING OTHER UTILITIES

RENT/MORTGAGE, CHILD SUPPORT, MASSHEALTH, LEGAL

GENERAL BUDGET ADVICE

DEALING WITH CREDITORS

  

UNEMPLOYMENT

SPECIAL COVID 19 UNEMPLOYMENT INFO

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-covid-19-unemployment-information

Apply for unemployment online: https://www.mass.gov/unemployment-benefits-for-claimants If you get stuck because you can’t remember an old password or Telecert PIN number, call 617-626-6422.

You can Apply for unemployment over phone: (617) 626-6800 if you need to CHECK A CLAIM call (617) 626-6800

To apply for unemployment, you need to provide personal information including your Social Security number, birth date, home address, email address (optional), and phone number.

You also need information about your employment history from the last 15 months, including:

  • Names of all employers, plus addresses and phone numbers
  • Reasons for leaving those jobs
  • Work start and end dates
  • Recall date (if you were laid off but have a set date to return to work)

 MASSACHUSETTS GUIDE TO UNEMPLOYMENT

https://www.mass.gov/doc/what-to-do-if-youve-become-unemployed-in-massachusetts/download

 

Download unemployment help guide pdf here for step by step instructions.

 

Attention Massachusetts Teamsters Local 25 Members with CDL A and CDL B Licenses

Massachusetts CDL holder that’s license expires between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020 will receive an automatic 60-day extension.  This extension will apply to CDL permit holders as well.  Information can be found here:
www.mass.gov/info-details/rmv-covid-19-information

Additionally, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles will open the RMV service centers in Milford and Wilmington to exclusively perform commercial license/permit transactions.

Hours at the CDL-Only Branches will be 9am-5pm as of Monday March 23, 2020

Wilmington Branch 355 Middlesex Avenue Wilmington, MA 01887

Milford Branch 14 Beach Street Milford, MA 01757

For the latest on FMCSA regulations please click:
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/expanded-emergency-declaration-under-49-cfr-ss-39023-no-2020-002-relating-covid-19

 

TEAMSTERS LOCAL 25 MEMBER (EAP) ASSISTANCE

The Teamsterscare EAP team is available to offer emotional health assistance. Please ask staff, members and family members to contact EAP at 1-800-851-8326 with any issues or concerns. https://www.teamsterscare.com/coronavirus-outbreak-teamsterscare-tips-and-resources/

 

FOOD ASSISTANCE

Apply for SNAP/Food stamps. (877) 382-2363 or go online https://www.mass.gov/snap-benefits-food-stamps

To apply for SNAP benefits, you need to provide personal information. This includes your Social Security number, birth date, home address (if you have one), income, and expenses. SNAP has certain income guidelines. You can view the SNAP eligibility charts to find the guideline that applies to your household.

 

  1. a) Healthy Incentives Programearn money when buying healthy food
  2. b) WIC: https://www.mass.gov/wic-information-for-participants

 

Find a food bank: https://www.gbfb.org/need-food

City of Boston Food Map: City food https://www.boston.gov/departments/food-access#food-resources-maps

 

HEAT ASSISTANCE

 

  1. NATIONAL GRID IS SUSPENDING ALL COLLECTIONS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE EVERSOURCE IS SUSPENDING ALL DISCONNECTIONS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
  2. Apply for Fuel Assistance. (800) 632-8175 https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-home-heating-and-energy-assistance
  3. City of Boston resources: https://www.boston.gov/departments/311/home-heating-help-tenants
  4. Other cities and towns: Service Providers by Town

 

PAYING UTILITIES

  1. Electric
    1. Neighbor energy fund: http://www.magoodneighbor.org/assistance.html
    2. Other financial assistance: Mass SAVE https://www.masssave.com/ or Citizens Energy: http://citizensenergy.com/assistance-programs
    3. Pay something. Pay what you can. Depending on your bill and your account, even making a partial payment may cause them to just roll over the rest of the bill to the next month.
    4. Defer your payments. Once you miss a payment, you can call and arrange for a payment plan where they will take your current bill and split it up over six months.
  1. Cable/Phone Companies
    1. Lower your bill. If you qualify for any type of assistance from state or federal government, you can apply for and receive a 12-month low income discount on your cable bill.
    2. Call to negotiate a lower rate. Tell them you will cut off the cable if you can’t negotiate a lower rate. They will move you to a different number where you will get new, lower options for your service.
    3. Defer your payments. Call and explain your current situation and that you would like to negotiate a different, lower payment for now.

 

PAYING RENT/MORTGAGE 

If you are facing unemployment, get a copy of the letter from your employer to let your landlord or mortgage holder know you are out of work. There is an eviction moratorium in effect in Boston for 90 days starting the week of 3/16. Massachusetts has an effective eviction moratorium in place because the MA Housing Courts are closed.  If your employer is uncooperative, please call your Business Agent 617-241-8825.

  1. MA Housing Court has a moratorium in place because they are closed. 
  2. Mortgage: Federal HUD helpline, available 24 hours a day: 888-995-HOPE
  1. Rental assistance and rehousing: MA Division of Housing Stabilization: 877-418-3308
  2. Local Mortgage Councilors: https://apps.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/fc/index.cfm?&webListAction=search&searchstate=MA&filterSvc=dfc
  3. Boston Renters: For Boston residents, go to https://www.boston.gov/how-respond-eviction in addition the following landlords will not be evicting Boston tenants throughout the crisis: Trinity Financial, Winn Companies, The Community Builders, and all CDCs,
  4. Other renters: https://www.mass.gov/eviction-for-tenants

If you have a notice to quit the premises and you work for a Teamsters Local 25 Employer that belongs to the Pre-Paid Legal, please call Regan Associates, LLC at 617-367-1100. If they can’t help and/or you need mediation services to provide conflict resolution with a landlord call Community Dispute Settlement Center, Inc: (617) 876-5476 or Somerville Mediation Program: (617) 625-6600

 

MASS HEALTH

  1. Eligibility is extended to April 25th
  1. Call (800) 841-2900 or go online https://login.mahix.org/app/index.html

  

CHILD SUPPORT ASSISTANCE

  1. Child Support: Call 211 or go to https://mass211.org/
  2. Child care support: Call 211 or go to https://www.mass.gov/guides/early-education-and-care-financial-assistance-for-families
  3. If you have a court order to pay child support and you work for a Teamsters Local 25 Employer that belongs to the Pre-Paid Legal Plan, please call Regan Associates, LLC at 617-367-1100.

 

OTHER LEGAL

If you work for a Teamsters Local 25 Employer that belongs to the Pre-Paid Legal, please call Regan Associates, LLC at 617-367-1100. Additionally, you may call Greater Boston Legal Services: 800-323-3205.


GENERAL BUDGET ADVICE

Living on a reduced income requires your utmost caution and skill in managing your money. There are many resources to help you, but first you must plan ahead.

 

  • Set up a realistic budget plan allowing for basic needs such as: food, shelter, utilities and medical care.
  • Prioritize your bills. When you do not have enough money to pay all the bills, pay these first: rent or mortgage, utilities, food and transportation.
  • Before your bills become due, notify your creditors, lenders and/or landlord that you are unemployed and cannot meet your payments. Explain your situation truthfully and ask for a written payment plan or discuss other ways to pay off your obligations.
  • Maintain accurate files. Before mailing your letters, make copies to keep for your files. If you must negotiate over the phone, keep detailed notes including the representative ‘s name, title, and phone number. Follow up any phone conversations in writing.
  • Stay organized. Keep everything in one place. Write a summary list of your financial plan for quick reference.
  • Keep your end of the bargain. If you are unable to make agreed upon payments, contact your creditors immediately to renegotiate.
  • Avoid making unnecessary purchases on credit.
  • Get budget counseling if you are having difficulty. For financial counseling, debt management and consumer education, call:

Action for Boston Community Development
Credit Advising and Financial Coaching
617-348-6583

  •  If you need help with a consumer problem, contact:

 

MA Attorney General ‘s Consumer Hotline
(617) 727-8400

 

Your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

While debt collectors do have the right to demand payment, and eventually take legal action if necessary, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) prohibits any kind of harassment.

The FDCPA applies to any personal, family, or household debt and covers debt collectors who regularly collect debt for others, but not the creditors themselves or their lawyers.

If you find yourself on the receiving end of a collection call, you might wish to know:

?  When can a collector contact me? Unless you give them permission to do otherwise, debt collectors can only contact you between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. They may not communicate with you by postcard.

?  Can collectors contact me at work? A collector may not contact you at work if they know your employer disapproves.

?  What constitutes harassment under the FDCPA? Collectors may not use profane language or threaten you with violence. In many instances, it prohibits the publication of a list of consumers who allegedly refuse to pay debts. Collectors may not threaten to take your property unless they are actually able to do it.

?  Can collectors contact my family or friends? Debt collectors can contact other people but only to ask for information on how to locate you. In most cases, the collector may not divulge the reason for the call to anyone other than you or your attorney.

?  Can I get a collector to stop contacting me? Debt collection agencies are required to honor written requests to stop contacting consumers. Please be aware that sending a “cease and desist” letter does not relieve you of your responsibility. You will still owe the money, and the company may pursue collection efforts.

 

Click here to download a PDF copy on the notice.