We have been working on the Raise Up Massachusetts Campaign with 100 other faith, community, and labor organizations across the Commonwealth to provide a raise in the minimum wage and access to earned time off for all workers. A few months ago, we won on minimum wage, raising it to $11 over three years. But there has still been no legislative action on Earned Sick Time.

That’s why we are going to pass it on the ballot on November 4th.

Over the summer, we are highlighting aspects of our Shared Prosperity Agenda. Our members are sharing their experiences and expertise on Education, Healthcare, Housing, Jobs and Wages, and Progressive Revenue.

This week we are focusing on Jobs -- Within five years, every job in Massachusetts should pay at least $15/hour, and everyone should have access to safe, affordable transportation; a good first step would be an increased minimum wage, indexed to inflation, and earned sick time.

Stacie Shapiro is an activist in Needham. This letter to the editor was published in the Needham Times on July 24, 2014.

Today, nearly one million employees working in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts receive no paid sick time from their employers. Since taking time off to see a doctor or staying home to recover from an illness will result in a loss of pay, for many of these employees, taking time off is simply not an option they can afford.

This November, thanks to a coalition led by Raise Up Massachusetts, there will be a question on the ballot that [question 4], if passed, will ensure that workers across the Commonwealth will have the right to earn a limited number of paid sick days per year.