General Scholarship Application & Instructions

Bruce Oliveira Memorial Scholarship

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The Bruce Oliveira Memorial Scholarship, is a $1,000 annual award honoring the life, service, and legacy of longtime Business Agent and Benefits Administrator for IBEW Locals 223 and 224 officer, and community leader Bruce Oliveira.

Bruce Oliveira - Union Biography

Bruce Oliveira was a proud son of New Bedford and a lifelong advocate for working people, public education, and community service. A graduate of New Bedford High School and UMass Dartmouth, Bruce built a distinguished career grounded in integrity and commitment. For more than 20 years, he served the IBEW Local 223 Health, Pension, and Annuity Funds, later continuing his work as a tax consultant with JL Warren & Co.

Even in retirement, Bruce remained deeply dedicated to public service—chairing the New Bedford Housing Authority board, serving on the School Committee, supporting civic and charitable organizations, and remaining an active, steady, and trusted leader within the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council. For many, he was a mentor, guide, and friend whose generosity and humility touched countless lives.

Bruce’s greatest devotion was to his family—his beloved wife Pam, their children Kevin and Karen, and his cherished grandson Liam. His love for community and commitment to lifting others up are values we hope to carry forward through this scholarship.

Application Instructions 

Submit a complete application packet by May Day/International Workers Day (May 1st) each year. Any late or incomplete scholarship application packet will be automatically rejected. One $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to the students selected as winners during the competition. Award decisions are made on the strength of the application and how the student demonstrates the values Bruce embodied:

  • Commitment to community service, civic engagement, or volunteering
  • Connection to labor values, working families, or worker rights
  • Strong personal integrity, humility, and reliability—qualities Bruce consistently embodied
  • Educational ambition, whether pursuing post-high school/GED technical programs, apprenticeships, higher education, or professional certification

All students MUST:

  1. Have a parent, stepparent, legal guardian, brother, sister, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or student applicant be a member of a labor union affiliated with the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council. NOTE: Please contact the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council at 508-436-0774 or at [email protected] if you have any questions or want to verify your union’s membership in the Greater Southeastern Mass Labor Council.
  2. Be a senior in high school, attending a vocational high school in Greater Southeastern MA, or the Cape & Islands
  3. Plan to attend college in the fall and have proof of acceptance
  4. Submit a completed scholarship application form that can be found here
  5. Submit a high school transcript
  6. Submit a completed essay

OLIVEIRA SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY 

Write a 700-word essay describing the history of your family’s union involvement and how you plan to use your education to benefit and strengthen the union movement. You MUST refer to the following five areas:

  1. How and why your family became involved in organized labor
  2. Describe any special moments in which you or your family have benefited from involvement in your labor union
  3. Describe what you believe to be the value of belonging to a labor union
  4. Explain your understanding of the union movement in America today
  5. How do you plan to use your education to benefit and strengthen the union movement?

Helpful hints in preparing your essay:

Get information from family members in labor unions, your family’s union shop steward and or business agent, and your teachers 

  • The essay must be typed using 12 pt. font. Margins should be no more than 1 inch on all sides.
  •  All lines must be double-spaced.  Please return the completed essay and completed application form by International Workers Day/May Day each year (May 1). Failure to submit any of the required items by the deadline will result in disqualification.
  • All recipients must have proof of acceptance to an accredited institution of higher education
  • All recipients must be present to be awarded a scholarship at a Labor Council meeting the third Monday of June each year, 6 pm-8 pm.

The Mission of the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council is: 

  • To fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the working people of America through the democratic process within the framework of our constitutional government.
  • To responsibly serve the interests of all the American people at the collective bargaining table, in the community, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
  • To pledge ourselves to be a more effective organization of working men and women; to the achievement of even higher standards of living and working conditions; to the attainment of security for all the people; to the enjoyment of the leisure which their skills make possible, and to strengthen our way of life and the fundamental freedoms which are the basis of our democratic society.

 

The application can be mailed to:

The Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council

560 Pleasant St.

New Bedford, MA 02740-6236

Or materials can be e-mailed to [email protected] with the subject line "Scholarship Application."