華埠居民會七日晚舉行本年度月例會。華人前進會報告全食超市新聘28名亞裔，塔芙茨醫療中心送年曆，亞裔醫療指南，透露和波士頓醫療中心合併之議，尚無定論。
七日晚，儘管大波士頓氣溫驟降，仍有四十餘人出席會議。華埠居民會共同主席余仕昂，梅陳月嫦都表示十分感動。
華人前進會的營運主任劉衛恆，組織主任陳秀珍在會中重述，華埠社區和發展商，以及全食超市等機構協商的主要目的，是促請他們儘量雇用本地居民，提供長期性工作機會，以穩定華埠社區。
陳秀珍並提醒出席居民，從今年一月一日起，麻州的法定最低時薪已調漲為每小時九元。
他們的要求包括發展商及企業聘用員工時，能達到波士頓居民51%，有色人種51%，婦女50%的比例，每月公開報告一次招聘情況，聘請雙語主管，以因應招聘英語水平不高員工之需要，要提供就業培訓基金，提供包括醫療保險等福利的好工作機會等。
他們表示，華埠社區過去以來的發展項目已為地方創造了2000個建築工作機會，另有幾百個正在陸續浮現。零售，服務業方面的工作機會，現有預定於一月九日開張的全食超市（Whole Food），預定二月開張了羅氏兄弟（Roche Brother），以及預定於九月落成的廟街（Temple
Place）59號酒店，將為華埠社區提供工作機會。
其中的全食超市是一家在美國，英國，加拿大，共有400家分店，主要出售自然和有機食物的連鎖超市。一月九日將在南端（South End）的墨水塊（Ink
Block），也是波士頓前鋒報舊址所在地開張的新店，將是該連鎖超市在波士頓地區的最大分店。
該店共聘有207名員工，其中98人是從其他分店調來的，新聘有108人。這些員工的起薪為每小時十一元或以上，只要每週工作廿小時以上的員工，都可享有福利。
全食超市提交的招聘結果報告為，全店有58.2%為男性，41.18%為女性。以居住地區來分，新聘員工中，45.37%住在波士頓，18.52%住在唐人街；以族裔來分，新聘員工有25.93%為亞裔，29.63%為非洲裔或黑人。全店族裔比例分佈為亞裔18.18%，非洲裔或黑人22.46%，拉丁裔16.58%，白人42.25%，兩種以上族裔混血0.53%。
在回應出席居民提問時，劉衛恒表示，全食超市的南端新店共有207名員工，其中新聘亞裔約廿八人。
劉衛恒提醒華埠民眾，即將於二月開張的羅氏兄弟超市，仍在招聘員工，有意求職者，可到夏日街100
號面試。華人前進會為協助民眾獲取超市工作機會，將與波士頓華埠社區中心（BCNC）合作，從二月廿三日起開辦為期三個月的職業英語班。
塔芙茨醫療中心執行長華格納（Michael
Wagner）當晚特地出席會議，送上年曆與中文版的亞裔醫療指南，向華埠居民拜年，並即席回答問題。
陳秀珍指出，去年十二月，英文報章曾傳言塔芙茨醫療中心和波士頓醫療中心要合併。華格納回應道，醫院之間確曾討論此事，但迄今並未簽署任何協議。
圖片說明：
華埠居民會執委和嘉賓合影。（菊子攝）
七日晚大波士頓氣溫很低，華埠居民會出席熱情不減。（菊子攝）
左起，華人前進會的陳秀珍，劉衛恒報告全食超市招聘進展。華埠居民會兩名共同主席余仕昂，梅陳月嫦仔細聆聽。（菊子攝）
CHINATOWN/SOUTH END COLLABORATIVE
OPENS PATHWAY TO WHOLE FOODS JOBS
BOSTON, MA –Chinatown/South End organizations and Whole Foods released hiring results as the new Whole Foods store in the South End opened at the Ink Block development.
The Chinatown/South End Collaborative launched an effort last year to increase local and minority hiring at new retail stores in the neighborhood. Led by the Chinese Progressive Association, the effort included the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Castle Square Tenants Organization, Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, Massachusetts Worker Education Roundtable and BEST Corp. The group worked with City Councilor Ayanna Pressley and the City's Office of Economic Development to advocate for local hiring goals, ongoing monitoring and reporting, an early notification/First Source agreement, and a multilingual application and interview process.
The store opens with over 200 employees, of which about half are existing employees transferred from other stores. In total, 108 people new hires were made with 64% living in the City of Boston with 19% living in the Chinatown and South End area. The new hires are also particularly diverse with 75% of them being people of color. Asian Americans are 18% of storewide employees and 26% of new hires.
“What made this a bigger success story than in the past was the First Source agreement with clear monitoring and reporting points, combined with support to help people prepare and go through the application and interview process,” says Lydia Lowe, Executive Director of the Chinese Progressive Association. “And, of course, there has to be commitment from the top. This partnership with Whole Foods is an example of how an employer coming into the neighborhood can partner with community groups to open up job access for people in the community.”
Collaboration will continue beyond the opening of the store. Whole Foods, along with Roche Bros., another supermarket planning to open in February at Downtown Crossing, will partner with community organizations Chinese Progressive Association and Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center to provide a vocational English class and customer service training to Boston residents. The 14-week class will start at the end of February. People can apply at the Chinese Progressive Association.
The City of Boston played an important role in having the partnership come together and speaks to the potential city government can play in opening economic opportunities for its residents. The City of Boston, through the Neighborhood Jobs Trust, is funding the training. City Councilor Ayanna Pressley facilitated the meeting that formalized the partnership, and the group also received support from the Office of Economic Development.
The new Whole Foods at the Ink Block development opened Friday, January 9 at 10AM. Starting wages for workers will be $11/hour.
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