Progressive Mass is turning 10! Join us for our 2023 annual meeting where we will review accomplishments from the past year, talk about our legislative agenda for the new session, and host a variety of breakout sessions focused on building skills and digging deeper into policy and action.
~Agenda~
1:00 – 1:25: Welcome & Business Segment
1:25 – 1:30: Announcement of new Legislative Agenda
1:35 – 2:20: First round of breakout sessions
How to Take Action at the City Level, with panelists City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, City Councilor Helen Moon, and City Councilor Vincent Piccirilli
How to Take Action at the Town Level, with panelists Select Board Member Raul Fernandez, School Committee Member Melissa Pearrow, and Select Board Member Hanna Switlekowski
Organizing for Progressive Causes in Purple Areas, with panelists State Sen. Becca Rausch, Crisayda Belén (campaign manager for Yes on 4), and Liz Speakman (South Shore coordinator for Yes on 1)
How to Do Effective Digital Organizing, with panelists Maia Baker (former digital director for Yes on 1), Paul Bologna (former digital director for Ed Markey), and Kaitlyn Solares (former digital director for Yes on 4)
Next Steps for Improving Democracy in MA, with panelists Vandinika Shukla (advisory board member) and Brittany Buford (managing partner for partnerships) from Partners in Democracy
2:20 – 2:25: Special Guest: Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
2:25 – 3:05: Plenary session on Multi-Racial Organizing and Coalition-Building, facilitated by Mystic Valley Progressives co-chair Zayda Ortiz with panelists Carolyn Chou (executive director of the Asian American Resource Workshop), School Committee Member Andre Green, Kristen Halbert (political strategist and community activist), Dálida Rocha (executive director of Renew US and former field director for Yes on 4)
3:05 – 3:50: Second round of breakout sessions
Fair Share: What We Learned & What’s Next?, with panelists Phineas Baxandall (policy director of Mass Budget) and Shanique Spaulding (executive director of the Massachusetts Voter Table)
A Transformative Bill to Empower Students & Schools to Thrive; Time to Stop State Takeovers, with panelists Jeremy Shenk (member engagement coordinator at AFT-Mass) and Vatsady Sivonxay (executive director of the Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance)
Mass Power FORWARD into Climate and Environmental Justice, featuring Claire Karl B.W. Müller (movement builder director at UU Mass Action)
Toward Housing for All, with panelists Jesse Kanson-Benanav (executive director of Abundant Housing Massachusetts) and Mark Martinez (staff attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute)
Putting Justice into the Criminal Legal System, featuring Criminal Justice Reform Working Group co-chair Caroline Bays
We’ve come a long way in 2022. Back when Progressive Mass started, many politicians didn’t want to touch the word “progressive.” Now, more and more of them are embracing the term.
But that makes our work harder — and more important. Because it means greater attention to — and accountability for — what “progressive” actually means.
In a time when more politicians are calling themselves “progressive”, Progressive Mass has a critical role to ensure the term doesn’t lose meaning.
We define it through our candidate questionnaires that shape the conversation of progressive policy, such as explicit support for the Fair Share Amendment and the Work and Family Mobility Act.
We evaluate it through our scorecards, which show whether politicians are living up to their professed values.
We close the gap between our State’s progressive image and reality by keeping activists like you updated on the State House
We support local chapters, including two new chapters in Salem and Western Norfolk County, to put principles into practice through local policy advocacy, municipal candidate questionnaires and interviews, forums, book groups, and other community contacts
We help voters differentiate information from disinformation on crucial issues through posts and blogs, and thousands of voter contacts.
We’re in a great position to grow and we hope you’ll support us. Will you consider becoming a monthly donor?
Monthly donors allow us to consistently and effectively:
Support activists to launch new chapters to bring coordinated pressure to more legislators
Bring organizing muscle to statewide advocacy coalitions
Educate, engage, and mobilize activists and potential activists around the state on policies that would make our Commonwealth more equitable, just, sustainable, and democratic
Building tools to better enable constituents to hold their legislators accountable
I would be grateful for your support, we have much more work to do and your donation could make all the difference.
This year, like every year, we are thankful for you. We look forward to many years of progressive grassroots organizing to come.
Last Sunday, the last day of the formal Legislative Session, the MA Legislature sent a lightly amended climate bill back to Governor Charlie Baker, accepting a few of his amendments but rejecting others. (See the changes here.)
The next step is simple: Charlie Baker needs to sign it.
If he signs it or even if he takes no action, it becomes law. If he vetoes it, it is dead until next year unless the Legislature comes back into session.
Call Baker’s office at 617-725-4005 and urge him to sign the climate bill.
Here’s a sample script you can use:
“I urge you to quickly sign H5050: An Act driving clean energy and offshore wind into law. This bill will support much needed progress to reduce our state emissions 50% by 2030 as required by law. It will expand clean energy, transportation electrification, and building decarbonization measures while creating jobs and helping reach statewide emissions reduction targets.”
Tell the Legislature: Finish Your Job! A few weeks ago, the Legislature was on track to end the Legislative Session with important victories of passing a five-year prison moratorium and No Cost Calls legislation. The five-year prison moratorium, passed in a bond bill, would have put a pause on new prison construction in order to allow time for communities to focus on building alternatives. Prisons and jails cannot guarantee public safety; only investing in community well-being and stability can. Even more, no one builds new prison capacity without a desire to use it: every new prison built is a commitment to lock up individuals for decades into the future. Moreover, right now, families are charged exorbitant fees to maintain vital connections with incarcerated loved ones (sometimes $5 or $6 for a 15-minute call). This is a regressive tax on the most vulnerable populations of the Commonwealth that also harms public safety by limiting communication and weakening community bonds. The No Cost Calls legislation, passed via the budget, would have ended this predatory practice and provided such calls for free. But both victories are now at risk due to Charlie Baker’s malice and the Legislature’s delays.
Yesterday, Charlie Baker shamefully vetoed the prison moratorium language. With the Legislature not in session, they are unable to override him.
Last week, Baker also tried to hold the No Cost Calls language hostage to his effort to expand pre-trial detention and take away due process rights. While the House rightly rejected Baker’s push, the Senate insisted on passing a still harmful, narrower version of Baker’s bill, dooming No Cost Calls for the session. (Read our write-up of what went down — and how your legislators voted — here.)
We are joining our allies at Families for Justice as Healing and the #KeepFamiliesConnected coalition to demand a special session in September to 1) override Baker’s veto of the Prison Moratorium and 2) pass No Cost Calls with no amendments.
Script: “Hello my name is _________________ and I’m your constituent. The legislature left too much business unfinished this session. I am asking you to call for a special session in September and stay in session until you 1) override Governor Baker’s veto of the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium and 2) pass no cost calls with no amendments that will expand criminalization or pretrial incarceration. We already know incarceration has failed to create safety and well-being. There is an active contract to study and design the new women’s prison- so we can’t wait for next session. Please do everything in your power to ensure the Prison Moratorium and No Cost Calls are passed into law.”
*Express disappointment and frustration that they would ignore the demands of organizations led by survivors and formerly incarcerated women who opposed the amendment and vote for expanding criminalization and pre-trial detention which will disproportionately impact people of color. The Senators who voted “yea” knew their vote would derail No Cost Calls.
*Thank your Senator for supporting No Cost Calls and opposing the regressive, reactionary amendment that will only increase racial disparities.
The primary in Massachusetts is just five weeks away, and voters will start casting their ballots soon (indeed, some already may have). And the general election is only 14 weeks away.
Amidst the many races on the ballot this year, we want to spotlight one that can be too often overlooked: District Attorney.
The office of the DA is critical to implementing criminal legal reform and ending the culture of mass incarceration. It has the power of oversight over the prosecutors and staff who handle cases, as well as having power regarding sentencing decisions which can alter people’s lives. We, as voters, can elect DAs who want to change the system, or ones who seek to entrench it.
That’s why we’re proud to endorse Ricardo Arroyo for Suffolk County DA and Rahsaan Hall for Plymouth County DA. Both received more than 98% of the vote in our recent member poll.
Ricardo Arroyo for Suffolk County DA
Ricardo brings strong first-hand knowledge to the DA’s office from his role as a public defender and as city councilor. As a public defender, he worked to help stabilize and connect people to the resources necessary to give them a chance to break cycles of inequity. As a councilor, he sponsored and passed ordinances to ban the use of facial surveillance technology by the Boston Police Department, increase oversight of surveillance acquisition, create the Office for Police Accountability and Transparency, limit the use of rubber-covered bullets and tear gas by BPD, and declare racism a public health crisis. He is running to continue the reform work of DA Rachael Rollins in ensuring that we are not criminalizing poverty, addiction, and mental illness and approaching the work with a systems perspective and a rigorous commitment to data.
Here’s what some of our members said about Ricardo:
“Having a former public defender as district attorney will speak volumes about as well as actualize Suffolk County’s purported commitment to criminal justice. Ricardo Arroyo has been an excellent Boston City Councillor and it will benefit us all to see him continue this work as DA. “
“Ricardo Arroyo’s vision and plans would be transformative for Suffolk County, advancing the culture of the DA’s Office toward community justice. I’m especially impressed with his plans for mental health and ‘crimmigration’ departments, and his policy and training plans to make the reforms sustainable.”
“We need a person in the DAs office who will prioritize anti-racist work to ensure our criminal legal system advances justice and does not perpetuate racist norms.”
Rahsaan brings an wealth of experience to the DA’s office including his work as an Assistant DA in Suffolk County where he worked intensively with community stakeholders on developing a coordinated public safety agenda. He also worked to advance criminal legal reform and racial equity at Lawyers for Civil Rights and ACLU Massachusetts. Rahsaan led the ACLU’s “What a Difference a DA Makes” public education campaign, where he engaged with residents and community groups on how the DA’s offices can address injustices and use harm reduction approaches to provide true public safety by addressing people’s underlying needs. He is a national leader in understanding what power lies within the DA’s office and how to make the office a force for reform and a holistic vision of public safety.
Here’s what some of our members said about Rahsaan:
“Rahsaan has done an incredible job as the director of ACLU Mass’s racial justice program. What a truly special experience it would be for Plymouth County to see him continue that work as district attorney!”
“Rahsaan Hall has been a state and national leader on legal system reforms that prioritize justice and community safety. Plymouth County needs his vision, experience, and skills!”
“Rahsaan’s work with the ACLU and as an ADA shows his deep commitment to justice.”
Learn more about Rahsaan at https://www.hall4da.com/.
The end of the legislative session is coming up fast, and today we wanted to highlight one email that you can send to your state senator and one to your state rep to advance a more equitable commonwealth.
One Email to Your Senator
Your senator needs to hear from you about two simple but transformative steps MA can take to advance gender equity.
(1) We Need Wage Equity Now
In 2016, the Massachusetts Legislature passed an equal pay law, aimed at closing the gender wage gap. But without good data and tracking, the law is hard to implement: indeed, some numbers point to a widening of the gap since then.
That’s why passing the Wage Equity Now bill (S.2721)is so important. The bill would require all employers — private, non-profit, and governmental — with 100 or more employees to report the average wages by gender, race, and ethnicity for the entire organization, and to publish wage ranges in job applications and postings. This data would offer a vital tool for creating accountability and measuring progress.
The bill is currently sitting in the Senate Ways & Means Committee, and your senator needs to hear from you about the importance of bringing it to the floor.
(2) Gender Justice & Housing Justice
The Senate is taking up an economic development bill later this week. Last session, the Legislature passed a version of the HOMES Act, which would create a process for sealing eviction records. Governor Baker vetoed it, and the Legislature didn’t have the time to override him.
The housing crisis is a gender equity issue. Studies have shown that women, and especially women of color, face higher rates of eviction than men, and households headed by single mothers have some of the highest eviction rates.
Currently, in Massachusetts, even if a tenant wins in eviction court, their eviction record is public and permanent, creating a lasting impact on their ability to find housing and jobs.
That’s why State Senator Lydia Edwards filed Amendment #18 to the Senate’s economic development bill. Amendment #18 will protect tenants from being unfairly marked with an eviction record and establish a fair process for tenants to petition the court on a case-by-case basis and provide that:
Tenants can petition to seal immediately after a case is dismissed or there is a judgment in their favor.
Tenants facing a no-fault eviction can seal their records after the conclusion of the case.
Tenants facing a non-payment eviction can seal their record within 14 days of satisfying a judgment.
Tenants facing a fault eviction can seal their records after 3 years.
Tenant screening companies cannot report and landlords cannot use a sealed court record to screen tenants.
On July 7th, the Senate voted unanimously to pass bill S.2973, An Act to Expand Access to High-Quality, Affordable Early Education and Care. This bill is a significant step forward in transforming the child care system in MA, including more affordability for families, early educator raises, and stability for child care providers.
Join the Common Start Coalition in calling on the House to advance their version of the bill, H.4795, and to bring it to the floor for a vote by the end of the legislative session on July 31st.
The November 2020 US election was arguably the most consequential since the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln—and grassroots leaders and organizers played crucial roles in the contention for the presidency and control of both houses of Congress.
Power Concedes Nothing, a new collection edited by Linda Burnham, Max Elbaum, and Maria Poblet, tells the stories behind a victory that won both the White House and the Senate and powered progressive candidates to new levels of influence. It describes the on-the-ground efforts that mobilized a record-breaking turnout by registering new voters and motivating an electorate both old and new. In doing so it charts a viable path to victory for the vital contests upcoming in 2022 and 2024.
Massachusetts progressives engage in grassroots electoral politics in a variety of campaigns. In this program, contributors to Power Concedes Nothing will present national lessons from the 2020 election cycle. They will be questioned by several Massachusetts progressive organizers.
Jacob Swenson-Lengyel served as the director of communications and narrative at PA Stands Up from 2020 to 2021. Previously he was a program manager at Narrative Institute, served as deputy director of communications at People’s Action, and worked at Interfaith Worker Justice. He is on the editorial board of Convergence.
Rafael Návar served as the California state director for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign starting in 2019 and was subsequently appointed to lead Sanders’ campaign in New York. He was the only Latinx state director for the Sanders campaign, and was senior advisor for Mijente and Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights’ historic outreach to Latinx communities in the 2021 Georgia runoff election. From 2012 to 2019 he served as the national political director for the Communication Workers of America, and he is a cofounder of Mijente.
Linda Burnham served as national research director and senior advisor at the National Domestic Workers Alliance for nearly a decade and co-authored, with Nik Theodore, Home Economics: The Invisible and Unregulated World of Domestic Work. She was a leader in the Third World Women’s Alliance in the 1970s, and co-founded, with Miriam Ching Louie, the Women of Color Resource Center, serving as the organization’s executive director for 18 years.
Moderator:
Elvis Méndez is Executive Director of Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts. He has worked as an Organizer for Warehouse Workers for Justice, Coordinator and Director of Organizing for the Immigrant Worker Center Collaborative, and Lead Organizer for the National Guestworkers Alliance among others.
This legislative session, our allies at Families for Justice as Healing and the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls filed groundbreaking legislation to establish a 5-year moratorium on jail and prison construction and expansion (S.2030 and H.1905).
The 5-year Moratorium would provide organizers the opportunity to focus on releasing women, implementing real alternatives, and investing in community-led solutions that create real safety and well-being rather than move forward with a new women’s prison in Middlesex County or elsewhere. (Learn more at nonewwomensprison.org)
The House passed the Moratorium as part of the Infrastructure Bond Bill (H4790) on May 19 with only a few small changes from the original bills.
However, the Senate has passed inadequate Moratorium language that would not stop the women’s prison construction project as it’s currently written. It also fails to restrict jail construction.
These bills are currently in Conference Committee, where six legislators (3 state senators and 3 state representatives) are negotiating the final details. That means there’s still time to make your voice heard.
Here’s what you can do, per Families for Justice as Healing:
(1) Call and email the SIX Infrastructure Bond Bill Committee members to include the House version of the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium in the final bill!
“Hello, my name is _______________ and I’m calling to ask you to include the House version of the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium language in the final version of the Infrastructure Bond Bill. The House language will prevent the new women’s prison project and allow a 5-year pause on new jail and prison construction so we can focus on implementing alternatives and investing in community-led solutions for real safety and well-being. Passing the House Moratorium language is what’s best for women, families, and communities. Thank you.
(2) Call and email your own State Rep and Senator and ask them to tell the Infrastructure Bond Bill Committee members to include the House version of the Moratorium in the final bill!
“Hello, my name is _______________ and I’m your constituent. One of my top priorities this session is making sure the strongest possible version of the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium passes into law. Please let your colleagues on the Infrastructure Bond Bill Conference Committee know to include the House version of the Moratorium language in the final version of the Infrastructure Bond Bill. The Senate Bill has too many loopholes, but the House language will prevent the new women’s prison project and allow a 5-year pause on new jail and prison construction so we can focus on implementing alternatives and investing in community-led solutions for real safety and well-being. Passing the House Moratorium language is what’s best for women, families, and communities, so please make sure you do everything you can to make that happen. Thank you!”
(3) Post on Twitter to boost public pressure on the Conference Committee!
Option 1
I support a five-year moratorium on jail and prison construction in MA, so I urge you to include the HOUSE language in the final Infrastructure Bond Bill. @nickcollinsma @WBrownsberger @DWGregoire @RyanFattman Rep Gonzalez and Rep Vieira
#NoNewWomensPrison #MApoli
Option 2
The Senate version of the Jail and Prison Construction Moratorium falls short. Conference Committee members, please include the HOUSE language in the final bill.
The Massachusetts state primary is now less than 10 weeks away: Tuesday, September 6. And the general election is less than 19 weeks away: Tuesday, November 8.
With those dates rapidly approaching, we are proud to release our first group of legislative endorsements for this cycle.
Before rolling out the list, a few words about our process:
You can find all of the comprehensive questionnaires we have received from candidates this cycle so far hereand here.
As we believe in the importance of small “d” democracy, all of our endorsements get voted on by our members, and candidates must receive at least 60% of the vote for an endorsement.
This list will be growing soon! We are planning to release more endorsements in the coming weeks, and endorsements in primary challenges or races where we have an active chapter conducting their own process are mostly still to come.
But now the endorsees….
Norfolk, Worcester & Middlesex State Senator Becca Rausch
State Senator Becca Rausch has a 100% on our Progressive Scorecard, and she’s earned it. She has been a powerful advocate for reproductive justice, climate action, public health, voting rights, and government transparency. She has put forth the most comprehensive plans to modernize our election laws and was one of the most outspoken voices against the inequities of the state’s COVID response, introducing the most comprehensive legislation to advance vaccine equity. She’s an independent voice in a Legislature where independent voices are rare and centers the most marginalized in her policymaking. She’s done great work in her two terms so far and will continue to do so if re-elected. Read Becca’s questionnaire here.
State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven has a 100% on our Progressive Scorecard, and it’s not hard to see why. She is best known as the House’s most vocal advocate for transparency (vital in a chamber that could use some sunshine), but is far more than that. She has put forth the boldest legislation on addressing the climate crisis, championed labor rights and worker ownership, and fought to make sure big companies and large institutions are paying their fair share of taxes. An outspoken voice on housing justice and decarceration as well, she understands that a state like MA needs to be passing agenda-setting policy to meet the urgency of the crises before us. Read Erika’s questionnaire here.
When you talk with Central Mass activists, you’ll often hear Robyn Kennedy’s name. She’s known as a champion of progressive women running for office, helping with all the behind-the-scenes work necessary for first-time candidates to get up and running. She’s also a force in the community: as the Chief Operating Officer of the YWCA of Central Mass, she has played a key role in securing resources for the unhoused during COVID. With deeply held progressive values and the depth of policy and government experience that comes with being the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Children, Youth and Families, she would be an excellent state senator. Read Robyn’s questionnaire here.
James Arena-DeRosa has an impressive background in public service. Whether as a regional director for the Peace Corps, a regional administrator for USDA Food and Nutrition, or a director of policy advocacy for Oxfam America, he has consistently advocated for the most underserved. His activism spans from the local to the national, from serving on the local Finance Committee and the board of Mass Farmers Markets to advising Democratic presidential candidates on food insecurity and nutrition policy. He understands how issues like poverty and climate change are systemic problems in need of systemic solutions and is ready to fight for them. Read James’s questionnaire here.
Where’s the District? Holliston, Hopkinton, Millis (Precincts 2, 3), Sherborn
Vivian Birchall is a first-generation immigrant from Uganda and a persistent champion of accessible government. When in Uganda, she mobilized members of the Ugandan parliament to pass transparency and anti-corruption legislation. Locally, she produces shows on local and global issues with ActonTV and works with the Town of Acton to increase public access to information about town projects. She has fought to close racial and gender disparities in health care access and empower students of color to use their voices for change, and she would be a powerful voice for economic and racial justice on Beacon Hill and a state representative eager to strengthen small “d” democracy. Read Vivian’s questionnaire here.
Rita Mendes is a first-generation immigrant from Brazil who worked her way up through law school, a City Councilor At-Large in Brockton, and the first Brazilian-American to hold office in the city. She has been a go-to resource for new Americans in Brockton to navigate the homebuying process and the immigration system, and she has played a pivotal role in ensuring that underserved communities in Brockton were able to get the resources they need during the pandemic. Her lived experience and progressive values would make her a powerful advocate for racial and economic justice on Beacon Hill. Read Rita’s questionnaire here.
Where’s the District? Brockton (Ward 1 Precinct A; Ward 2; Ward 3 Precincts A, B; Ward 7)
As a Chelsea School Committee member and a political organizer at the Boston Teachers Union, Roberto Jiménez Rivera has been fighting to make sure that our state delivers on its promise to fully fund public education and ensure that all students have the resources they need to thrive. He has been a central player in statewide coalitions to push back against education privatization and was an active member of the Drawing Democracy Coalition that helped to expand the number of opportunity districts in MA, including this new Chelsea-based district. He understands the importance of organizing both inside and outside the building and will bring a strong equity focus to the work. Read Roberto’s questionnaire here.
Where’s the District? Chelsea, Everett (Ward 2 Precincts 1, 2A)
Sam Montaño brings nearly a decade of community-centered, tenant-focused organizing on issues of housing and equity in Jamaica Plain, bringing deep knowledge of housing legislation from their work with the JP Neighborhood Development Corporation. Beyond housing, Sam has been a community leader. As co-chair of the JP Neighborhood Council and its Public Services Committee, as a board member at the Hyde Square Task Force, as an advisory board member of the Southern JP Health Center, and now serving as the Organizing Director at the environmental justice organization Greenroots, Sam has been fighting for the most marginalized on the ground and will continue to do so in the State House. Read Sam’s questionnaire here.
Where’s the District? Jamaica Plain and part of Mission Hill in Boston (Ward 10 Precincts 4-9; Ward 11 Precincts 4-10; Ward 19 Precincts 1, 4-7, 9)
We’ve seen it coming for months (years, even), but it was still a gut punch to see the Supreme Court vote 6-3 today to overturn Roe vs. Wade, ending protections for legal abortion in the United States and taking our country back decades.
Here in Massachusetts, abortion is still legal, thanks to strong laws we have on the books (a thank-you especially to everyone who fought for the ROE Act two years ago).
But barriers to care—including exorbitant costs, complicated insurance coverage, and under-resourced providers—still exist, especially for low-income communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities.
And Massachusetts can do more for those who might need to leave other states to obtain abortion access. The Senate budget included strong language to protect reproductive health care providers who serve out-of-state residents, and it’s vital that that stay in.
Our allies at the Mass Beyond Roe Coalition (spearheaded by the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and Reproductive Equity Now) laid out a comprehensive agenda for reproductive justice. You can read about it — and get ready to advocate for it — here: https://massbeyondroe.com/.
As abortion access has always been most difficult for those with the least resources, please consider donating to one of the Commonwealth’s abortion funds:
The staff of the Massachusetts State Senate announced earlier this year that they had gathered the requisite number of authorization cards needed to form a union with the IBEW.
They are organizing to ensure fair wages, protection from workplace harassment, sufficient healthcare benefits and accountability from their management. Much of what happens in the State Senate would be impossible without the hard work of staffers. They respond to constituents, draft and redraft legislation, meet with advocates, organize scheduling and so much more.
However over half of House staffers and more than a quarter of Senate staffers earn less than $45,000/year—hardly a livable wage in a state with some of the highest housing and day-to-day living costs in the nation—costs now spiraling upward due to inflation. In addition, Senate staffers face a 60 day waiting period for health care benefits. Many staffers have to resort to second jobs just to make ends meet. On top of this, workplace harassment, and long working hours lead to burnout and high turnover rates.
This means that many individuals without independent financial means choose not to enter public service—depriving the state of a diverse workforce and the perspective that this brings to policymaking. Moreover, inasmuch as many staffers move on to run for office, this lack of diversity means that the statehouse will continue to be unrepresentative of the state’s population as a whole.
The right of workers to organize and bargain collectively is not only a cornerstone of American democracy, it is a core policy position of the Democratic Party, to which a veto-proof majority of the State Senate belongs.
It is high time for our State Senators to live up to the values they profess to admire and permit their staffers to unionize.
