Boston – Former Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, now U.S. secretary of labor, recently joined Massachusetts building trade unions, substance use recovery leaders, and union members to help promote the launch of the newly-created Massachusetts Building Trades Recovery Council (MBTRC).
The council will bring together a number of initiatives that unions affiliated with the Massachusetts Building Trades Council have been leading in an effort to reduce the stigma endured by those who are struggling with addiction, and to support their recovery efforts.
A statewide public education campaign was also announced. The campaign will promote a wide range of resources including counseling and treatment, weekly peer-to-peer support meetings at union halls, and personal facilitation and advocacy by union recovery leaders and coordinators. A recent report conducted on these programs was shared by the newly formed MBTRC.
“As a former construction worker and someone in long-term recovery, I am grateful to my partners and friends at the Massachusetts Building Trades Council for taking their support for recovery to the next level. This report and these new initiatives will help countless workers get access to recovery services, reduce the stigma that prevents people from getting help, and advance our fight to end the epidemic of addiction that impacts every part of our country,” stated Walsh.
Through a newly created online resource, members will be able to easily connect with their union’s recovery coordinator, supports, and regular meetings.
“The work being done to combat substance use and dependence in Mass. building trades unions is historic, and the path has been paved by the leaders who have come before us. Building Trade Union leaders have fought substance use stigma and helped found a culture of recovery among the trades,” noted Frank Callahan, president of the Massachusetts Building Trades Council.
