Steward Spotlight of Preble Street Worker Ann Maksymowicz (MSEA-SEIU 1989)

Shop steward Ann Maksymowicz (MSEA-SEIU 1989) has been working as a case manger in one of the social service nonprofit Preble Street’s permanent housing programs for over a year. But her career in the field stretches back to the early 2000s. Originally from Illinois, she got her start in social services, working with women who had experienced domestic violence. She then moved on to AmeriCorps, where she was placed at a drop-in center for people experiencing homelessness and living with substance use issues and severe mental health issues.

"I was grateful for the opportunity to meet people where they were at in the moment with dignity and compassion. After my year of service I was hired full-time at the same program and joined the UAW," she said. "My maternal grandparents were also both UAW members at John Deere. Growing up I saw how the union helped provide for them but I never thought I would have the opportunity to join a union as a social worker."

Prior to working at Preble Street, Maksymowicz also worked union jobs in social services, first as a UAW member in Chicago and then as a SEIU member in Boston.

“The worksite in Boston was pretty tough since the program stressed quantity of billed services over the quality of services provided," she said. "I was briefly a steward there and I served on the negotiations team. I left for another job since it was unsustainable for me to remain with the agency."

But Boston became too expensive and she and her family moved to Maine where her husband is originally from. After taking a break from paid employment to raise her children, Maksymowicz returned to the workforce and got a job at Preble Street.

“I was very excited that they were already unionized and so I wanted to find a way that I could be more active in my union,” she said. “When I found out that my program had been without a steward for a while, I asked around if anyone was interested. After getting support from my coworkers, I just jumped right in."

The job was challenging because there was a period where there were multiple staff asking for support, from workplace health and safety to investigations happening and disciplinary actions at the same time. However she said she enjoyed having the opportunity to support her fellow staff members at the organization.She attended a steward training in Augusta, but much of what she learned was on the job. One of the major issues was around workplace health and safety.

One of the major issues was around workplace health and safety. She says the unhoused people she works with often struggle in adjusting to living in the apartment building the nonprofit manages. Burst pipes flooded the building and negatively impacted staff work areas, tenants didn’t know what to do about it. Staff also expressed concerns  about pest infestations and the risk of inadvertently bringing home bed bugs and cockroaches. Staff with health conditions like asthma have expressed concerns about breathing second hand smoke from tenants and dust from construction debris.

“I’ve worked to make sure that we have high quality air purifiers in all the staff areas and that filters are replaced regularly,” Maksymowicz said. “We’ve also been making other improvements like reducing pests and working with tenants to help them make sure they are making safer choices. We’ve had a lot of positive changes in all of the areas, which has been a big win.”
 

She says that it’s important for stewards to take members’ complaints and concerns seriously even if they don’t necessarily agree with them.

“Even if I don’t feel the same way, that doesn’t mean that their concern isn’t valid, that we shouldn't work on making changes,” she said.

Maksymowicz says it’s also important to stay consistent when dealing with any management and disciplinary actions and support members during investigations and grievances. That includes consistently showing up and being there so that management knows that the steward is going to see it through. She said just because the organization has a wonderful mission it doesn’t mean that management is necessarily going to have great interactions with the staff who help uphold and carry it out. One of the hardest parts, she says, is her tendency to second guess herself.

“Sometimes I would just sort of gaslight myself into thinking ‘maybe I shouldn’t be pushing this hard for someone; versus being able to step back and look at the ways in which the agency systematically failed our employees, especially these people who are being investigated,” said Maksymowicz.

She says it has been challenging to make her coworkers feel more empowered to voice concerns because they are worried about putting their jobs at risk or having management see them in a negative light.

“It’s certainly been a process of encouraging them to feel more comfortable to find their voice, but also recognizing that they may not feel comfortable about something and it’s my job to use my voice for the collective,” she said.

Social Service nonprofits like Preble Street have opposed unions because they believe better wages and benefits take away resources from performing the organization’s mission. They believe management alone should make decisions in the best interest of the organization and employees.

“Even though we’re doing this important work, it doesn’t mean that we don’t deserve to be adequately compensated for the labor and effort that we’re putting in,” said Maksymowicz.

The Preble Street workers are currently on their second contract after winning their union in 2019. Maksymowicz says the union and management still have a lot of work to do to navigate and adjust to their changing relationship, particularly after all of the investigations and disciplinary actions this past fall and winter. She says the organization still pushes back on how to follow the contract. But she is hopeful that as the workers continue to build their union and gain experience they will be able to make meaningful, systematic changes.

“Knowing as a steward that I have the opportunity to help give voice to my fellow coworkers who may not feel comfortable using their voices and giving them  support and space to grow in their union, it’s really rewarding,” she said.