Traditionally, the Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO award six $500 scholarships to high school seniors in the spring. Due to the low response this year, we have two $500 scholarships still available. At the October monthly meeting, the body voted to offer the two remaining scholarships to college freshman who are children of members of unions affiliated with the Central Labor Council.
We conduct the program “in house” with two local impartial judges not affiliated with any local union associated with the Central Labor Council. For this round, they will judge the applicants primarily on a 500-or-more-word essay entitled “The importance of unions today and their impact on my family”, and secondarily on their school and community activities.
The application must be signed by the applicant, by a union-member parent (any PVAFLCIO Union Member who takes care of the applicant like a parent, i.e ., stands in loco parentis per the Family and Medical Leave Act), and by that parent’s union official.
Applicants must send the application and all supporting materials, postmarked by December 19, 2014, to PVAFLCIO Scholarship, 640 Page Boulevard, Springfield MA 01104