UPDATE! On 1/16/2014, the Mass. Senate voted overwhelmingly for an incredibly robust Election Reform bill, which included very strong reforms: voter registration, early voting, pre-registration for 16 year-olds, post-election audits of voting machines, Election Day registration, permanent voter registration and inactive voting reform. The bill now goes back to the House, which passed a much more limited reform bill, and if they don't pass it as is, it will go to Conference Committee. So the journey is not yet over.

Earlier this year the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, a major protection against racial discrimination in voting. After that decision, many states passed anti-voter legislation. And North Carolina repealed Election Day registration, cut back early voting, and got rid of pre-registration for teens. People were outraged. But all North Carolina did was return to Massachusetts-level election laws. Massachusetts has never had any of those voting reforms.

In November 2012, Massachusetts voters waited in lines of up to two hours to cast their votes. Others could not wait and left without voting. Still others could not vote because of inactive voting lists, registration glitches, or their inability to obtain an absentee ballot. Massachusetts -- a trailblazer for democracy and a technological innovator -- should be the leader in holding smooth, efficient, and fair elections. Instead, unnecessary roadblocks deter legitimate voters. Massachusetts lags far behind much of the country in election modernization. States such as Idaho, Indiana, Wyoming and Louisiana do better.

In November, 2013, the House passed a disappointing election reform bill. Since then Progressive Mass and other advocates have pushed our friends in the Senate to adopt additional reforms like pre-registration for 16 year olds, audits to protect the integrity of our elections and even, election day registration.

Today we learned that expanded early voting and pre-registration are in the bill. And Senator Anthony Petruccelli will be filing amendments to cover post-election audits and election day registration.

The vote is this Thursday.

It's not too late to call your Senator and tell them to support a strong election reform bill that includes online voter registration and early voting as well as pre-registration, post-election audits, and Election Day registration.

At a time when voting rights are under attack across the country, shouldn’t Massachusetts take a stand to expand voting rights?

Election Reform Calls to the Senate

Massachusetts -- a trailblazer for democracy and a technological innovator -- should be the leader in holding smooth, efficient, and fair elections. Instead, unnecessary roadblocks deter legitimate voters. Massachusetts lags far behind much of the country in election modernization. States such as Idaho, Indiana, Wyoming and Louisiana do better.

Thursday we have a chance to fix that.

That's when the Senate will take up election reform. And what they pass will depend on your calls.

Find your Senator here.

Speak to your Senator or a member of their staff. Make sure to identify yourself as a constituent from their district. Tell them:

I want an election reform bill that includes early voting, online registration, pre-registration for 16 year olds, post-election audits AND Election Day Registration.
Pass S1975 and Senator Petruccelli's amendments adding post-election audits and election day registration.
I want Massachusetts to be a leader in election reform NOT a laggard.
Please vote yes for S1975 and amendments to add pre-registration, post-election audits AND Election Day Registration.

Report the results of your call here so that we know which Senators we were able to reach and where they stand.

Senate Passes Significant Election Reform Bill

Author: Deborah Shah

Date: January 18, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/senate_passes_significant_election_reform_bill

It was an amazing moment; sitting in the Senate Gallery, awaiting the debate on election reform. A disappointing bill had come over from the House but Chairman Barry Finegold, his Chief of Staff, Caitriona Fitzgerald, and the entire Election Modernization Coalition had worked hard to improve it with pre-registration and better early voting provisions. In addition, we had lined up an unusual but powerfully diverse array of amendment sponsors led by Senator Anthony Petruccelli of East Boston to file post-election audits, election day registration and, at the last minute, permanent registration which allows one's registration to move automatically with one's mailing address.

We settled in for a long afternoon. 54 amendments had been initially filed, including several calling for voter ID which we opposed.

The vote is this Thursday.

At a time when voting rights are under attack across the country, shouldn’t Massachusetts take a stand to expand voting rights?

Senate Passes Significant Election Reform Bill

Author: Deborah Shah

Date: January 19, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/senate_passes_significant_election_reform_bill1

We settled in for a long afternoon. 54 amendments had been initially filed, including several calling for voter ID which we opposed.

But suddenly, in less than two hours, a nanosecond for the Senate, it was all over.

Post-election audits passed on a voice vote.
Election Day Registration passed 30-8 (Democrats voting "no" - Keenan, D. Moore, R. Moore, Timilty)
Even permanent registration passed 28-10 (Democrats voting "no" - Joyce, Keenan, Kennedy, D. Moore, R. Moore, O'Connor-Ives)
And then the final vote - a substantially improved election reform bill - perhaps the best in the nation - passed overwhelmingly - 37 -1 (only Hedlund voting "no")

Many have asked - how did it happen? what factors led to such an substantial victory?

Several come to mind:

The coalition (ACLU Massachusetts, Common Cause Massachusetts, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, MASSPIRG, MassVOTE, the MA Voter Table, the MIRA Coalition, and Progressive Massachusetts) worked hard for over a year building a strong sense that election reform's "time had come". In the last month alone, we called on 25 Senators, some more than once.
Over-reaching by Republicans at the Federal level and outrage over the Supreme Court's decision on pre-clearance clearly helped to move Democratic support - even from more moderate Dems.
Speculation that Senate President Murray is looking to build her legacy. We disagree with her on welfare reform but with that, minimum wage and now election reform, it is obvious she is trying to do big things.
A sense that the Senate could and should be bold perhaps because the House hadn't been and a compromise would need to be struck in conference.

Special recognition must go to Ben Wright for rounding up 20 votes in support of EDR last spring - and for pushing constantly to ensure the coalition stretched for the largest, most comprehensive bill possible rather than settling for the least they could get.

We now move to conference committee and await the naming of conferees. Stay tuned - and stay ready to have your voices heard again.

Protecting Massachusetts Children

Author: Deborah Shah

Date: January 19, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/protecting_massachusetts_children

The Welfare Conference Committee is deciding what to include in the final welfare bill.

Both the House and Senate bills would –

Allow the state to impose work requirements on thousands of disabled parents and take away the benefits for their children if they can’t comply.
Deny public housing to many immigrants, including some Haitian earthquake survivors, domestic violence survivors, and crime victims with special visas, among many others.

In addition, the Senate bill would –

Require applicants for cash assistance to prove they have looked for work before they can get welfare benefits, even if they don’t have child care, money for transportation, or cell phone minutes.
Deny benefits to former recipients who reapply and can’t prove they complied with a welfare plan done months or years earlier when they received assistance.

PLEASE MAKE TWO CALLS:

1. Call your State Senator.

Message: “Please urge the Senate President and the welfare conference committee to keep the disability, housing, job search, and welfare plan changes out of the welfare bill.”

2. Call your State Representative.

Message: “Please urge the Speaker and the welfare conference committee to keep the disability, housing, job search, and welfare plan changes out of the welfare bill.”

To find your legislators, go to www.wheredoivotema.com or call 1-800-392-6090.

Thank you!

Fight Back on Unemployment Insurance

Author: Deborah Shah

Date: January 19, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/fight_back_on_unemployment_insurance

The Speaker (and even the Governor) continue to call for a "grand bargain" on minimum wage that would link a raise for hundreds of thousands of working poor to cuts in unemployment insurance.

The RaiseUp Coalition has taken a strong stance against this linkage.

First, we will never trade off a raise for the working poor for cuts to those who are unemployed and struggling to get by. This is bad economics as well as morally unjust.

Second, there is absolutely no evidence that any proposed changes will actually save significant money for the Commonwealth.

We know that we can win on the ballot so we are urging everyone to contact their representative and tell them not to support the so-called "grand bargain".

You can read more about unemployment insurance here. Then join our legislative campaign.

Cambridge-Somerville for Change Kicks Off the Year

Author: Deborah Shah

Date: February 9, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/cambridgesomervillekicksofftheyear

Cambridge-Somerville for Change kicked off the year by hosting their first Community Meeting since voting to become a chapter of Progressive Massachusetts. Nearly 30 activists turned out ready to get working on the Raise Up MA campaign, election reform, and electoral forums.

And we got right to work!

Activists gathered to make calls to the legislator before watching the State of the Commonwealth and State of the Union. We got over 100 calls in to the Statehouse before the end of the night, sending a clear message that we want to raise the minimum wage, but without cutting unemployment insurance! This event got national press coverage from an AP report about the progressive response to President Obama’s speech.

And our Cambridge and Somerville activists have been having meetings with their Representatives and Senators over the past few weeks, encouraging them to continue their progressive politics in the Statehouse.

And the Cambridge City Council passed a Policy Order Resolution calling upon the Massachusetts Legislature to adopt an increase in the minimum wage to $11 per hour without any corresponding cuts to unemployment insurance.

Our next CSFC Community Meeting is February 18th at 7:00pm.

Malden/Melrose Gearing Up

Author: Deborah Shah

Date: February 9, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/maldenmelrosegearingup

Activists in Malden and Melrose watched the State of the Commonwealth and State of the Union speeches together, building a progressive community and discussing how the priorities related to the economic and social justice issues championed by Progressive Malden/Melrose.

Malden activist Linda Thorsen wrote a column in the local paper urging her community to participate in politics. You can read it here.

Medford Meets with Progressive Champion Sciortino

Author: Deborah Shah

Date: February 9, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/medfordmeetswithsciortino

Medford activists worked long and hard on the Carl Sciortino for US Congress campaign, a Progressive Massachusetts’ endorsed candidate. While he did not win, we now get to keep him in the Massachusetts state legislature!

And we have been keeping him accountable to his progressive platform!

Medford activists have been actively working for economic justice issues. We met with Representative Sciortino on January 13th to discuss raising the minimum wage without cutting unemployment benefits.

Needham Holds In-District Meeting with Rep Garlick

Author: Deborah Shah

Date: February 9, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/needhammeetingwithrepgarlick

Progressive Needham kicked off the new year by visiting Representative Garlick for the Raise Up MA campaign. We discussed raising the minimum wage without cutting unemployment insurance.

Follow Progressive Needham on twitter here.

Helping Over Half a Million of MA's Working Poor

Date: February 26, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/halfamill

Over at Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, they have crunched some numbers about who will be affected by a Massachusetts restoration of the minimum wage to $10.50 an hour (returning to its 1968 value). The results are staggering:

Increasing the minimum wage would give hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts workers a raise and provide them and their families with additional resources to pay for basic necessities. A full-time minimum wage worker in Massachusetts makes $16,000 in 2013, about $5,000 less (when adjusted for inflation) than he or she would earn if the minimum wage had maintained its value since 1968 (which was equal to about $10.72, or $21,440 a year, in today's dollars).

Increasing the minimum wage to $10.50 by 2016 would raise the wages of approximately 568,000 workers.

568,000!

Restoring the minimum wage? That just may be the single most influential action the Legislature could take to help the greatest number of Massachusetts's working poor.

What are we waiting for?

It's time to raise up Massachusetts -- with no price exacted from the backs of the unemployed.

The_Regional_Impact_of_a_Minimum_Wage_Increase___MassBudget.png

Tax Fairness Commission recommends a Graduated Income Tax

Date: February 27, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/gradincometax

Yesterday, the Tax Fairness Commission announced its recommendation that the State Constitution be amended so that Massachusetts can institute a graduated income tax, to address the regressivity of our current tax structure, which looks like this:

A system in which the very poorest pay much more in taxes as a percent of income than the wealthiest is both immoral and unfair. A progressive income tax, like we have at the federal level, corrects this imbalance. Unfortunately for Massachusetts, a true graduated income tax requires a Constitutional amendment, as suggested by the Tax Fairness Commission.

In our Shared Prosperity agenda, we call for a Constitutional amendment to address our revenue needs and fix our unequal burdens.

We asked all of the statewide office-seekers their stances on a constitutional amendment to allow a graduated income tax. You can review their responses here:

Candidates for Governor on Graduated Income Tax
Candidates for Lt. Governor on Graduated Income Tax
Candidates for Attorney General on Graduated Income Tax
Candidates for Treasurer on Graduated Income Tax

You might also want to check out the rest of their answers on the "Revenue and Taxation" sections of the questionnaire. What do you think of the candidates' responses?

Boston Globe Editorializes on the Tipped Wage

Date: February 18, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/globeservicenotincluded

BOSTON GLOBE TAKES A LOOK AT THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY

FEB. 16: IGNORED RIGHTS

Unpaid work, threats of deportation, and outright wage theft plague the restaurant industry.

FEB. 17: TIPPING

Meant as a reward, tips instead make up much of a worker’s pay — if the money even gets to them.

FEB. 18: FAST FOOD

Higher wages for fast-food jobs would benefit workers, business, and government.

FEB. 19: UNIONS

Restaurant workers need to fight for their rights. So why aren’t they organizing?

MA House of Representatives to Raise the Minimum Wage

Author: Shaina Kasper

Date: March 14, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/raiseupupdate

Our powerful grassroots pressure is working! We have pushed the House of Representatives to release a proposal to increase the minimum wage. Speaker DeLeo outlined his minimum wage proposal today that increases the minimum wage to $10.50 an hour.

There's More Work to Be Done

But the proposal doesn't link the minimum wage to the rising cost of living, and doesn't do enough for tipped workers, who haven't gotten a raise since 1999.

Thanks to your amazing work, we have pushed the House to release a proposal to increase the minimum wage. Speaker DeLeo outlined his minimum wage proposal today that increases the minimum wage to $10.50 an hour. This happened because nearly 5000 people from over 100 community, labor, and faith based groups collected 282,000 signatures of voters last fall. It happened because we have generated over 3000 calls and set up dozens of legislator meetings, lobby days, and events. And $10.50 an hour minimum wage would provide greater financial stability for working families.

But we can’t stop here. Both Speaker DeLeo and the Raise Up MA campaign want to raise the minimum wage to $10.50. But we want the minimum wage to be pegged to inflation while Speaker DeLeo's proposal is not. Additionally, we want to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers to 60% of the minimum wage but the House proposal has a much smaller increase for tipped workers.

What can I do?

We still need the ongoing powerful grassroots pressure to the Statehouse. If you haven't yet called your Representative, call them now. If you have already called your representative, call them again, and tell them we need a higher minimum wage that is tied to the cost of living and does more for tipped workers.

Find your representative: Visit www.WhereDoIVoteMA.com to find your legislator. Enter your address to see your results, and make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page. You should see your State Representative listed.
Call the legislative switchboard at (617) 722-2000: Follow the instructions to be directed to your legislator.
Speak to your legislator or a member of their staff. Make sure to identify yourself as a constituent from their district. Tell them that you are calling in support of:

Raising the minimum wage to at least $10.50 an hour.
Ensuring that the minimum wage keeps pace with the rising cost of living by indexing future increases to inflation.
Raising the minimum tipped wage for restaurant workers, who haven’t gotten a raise in fifteen years. Our proposal would set tipped pay to 60% of the minimum wage.

Other Raise Up MA Campaign Actions coming up:

This coming Tuesday, March 11 at 6pm in Newton: Newton, Needham, and Wellesley activists are hosting a hubdialer for the Raise Up Campaign, also promoting the film screening of Inequality for All.

Wednesday, March 26th 10am at The Church on the Hill, Boston: The Raise Up MA Campaign is holding a Rally and Lobby Day at the State House.

And be ready to continue to the next phase of the Raise Up MA campaign:

We have to gather a second set of required signatures from May 10 - June 15 to qualify for the ballot. If we get these signatures, we keep our seat at the table toward getting either a good bill in the legislature or taking it to the ballot this fall.

Mount Holyoke Hubdialer

Author: Taylor Anderson

Date: March 18, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/mount_holyoke_hubdialer

Progressive Massachusetts worked with Mount Holyoke Democrats to make calls for the Raise Up MA Campaign. Here's what they have to say.

"In collaboration with Progressive Massachusetts and Raise Up Massachusetts, the Mount Holyoke College Democrats held an on-campus phone-bank event this March, calling Massachusetts voters and encouraging them to contact their representatives and ask them to support raising the minimum wage in Massachusetts without cutting unemployment benefits. As Democrats, we believe that every person who works full time should be able to make ends meet. Over 1 million Massachusetts workers currently earn the minimum wage. Increasing this wage would not only allow these workers to better support themselves and their families, but would also allow for more market purchasing, boosting the Massachusetts economy.

"In the fall, our group worked to collect signatures to bring an increased minimum wage and earned sick time to the 2014 Massachusetts ballot. The petition was a huge success and over 200,000 Massachusetts residents added their signatures. However, though the petition was successful, the fight is not over. The MA House of Representatives has decided to advance a bill tying an increase in the minimum wage to a cut in unemployment benefits. Overall, the cuts would outweigh the wage increase and Massachusetts residents would be making a net loss.

"The Raise Up Massachusetts phone-bank event allowed the Mount Holyoke College Democrats to continue advocating for an increased minimum wage in MA. Our group of about ten volunteers used an outreach tool called Hubdialer to contact Massachusetts voters who signed the petition in the fall and ask them to reach out to their state representatives about the issue. Not only did Hubdialer dial phone numbers for us, allowing us to make 1,142 dials in a little over an hour, but if the person we called was responsive, Hubdialer gave us the option of patching him or her through to their representative directly. This not only ensured that the voter would actually make the call to their representative, but made the phone-bank more efficient. (And, as an added bonus, Hubdialer calls you, so it doesn't require the use of your personal cellphone minutes.)

"I have participated in many phone-banks for a variety of causes. I can confidently say that at the Raise Up Massachusetts phone-bank, the responses that I received were the most positive responses I have ever encountered. Massachusetts voters understand that raising the minimum wage will only improve quality of life for hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents and improve the Massachusetts economy overall. Because responses are so positive, this is the perfect issue for those who have not phone-banked before and I encourage anyone who is interested to participate in a Raise Up Massachusetts phone-bank event. It’s fun, easy, and a way to help Massachusetts residents’ voices be heard loud and clear. If representatives receive many calls from their constituents asking them to support increasing the minimum wage without cutting unemployment benefits, they will not be able to ignore the calls. Massachusetts has long been a leader on progressive issues and it is time for Massachusetts to lead again and increase the minimum wage."

***

Taylor Anderson is a Proud Minnesotan, Mount Holyoke junior Mathematics Major, and President of Mount Holyoke Democrats. You can find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mhcdemocrats and on Twitter @MHCDemocrats.

Busy Progressive Newton!

Author: Robert Fitzpatrick

Date: March 18, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/busy_progressive_newton

Progressive Newton has been busy in the early months of 2014! An update from Robert Fitzpatrick.

Progressive Newton has been busy in the early months of 2014!

Last fall nearly 100 organizations in the Raise Up Massachusetts coalition collected 285,000 signatures statewide to put raising the minimum wage and earned sick time on the 2014 ballot. Progressive Massachusetts volunteers collected over 17,000 of those signatures – over 4,000 by our Newton team!

Thanks to those efforts, the Senate passed a strong minimum wage bill in November. All eyes turned to the House, where Speaker Robert DeLeo indicated he wanted to combine the minimum wage bill with changes to the Commonwealth’s unemployment insurance system. Some of the proposed changes, long sought by business groups, would make it harder to qualify for unemployment or decrease the length of time an unemployed worker could collect benefits. We oppose those changes: you shouldn’t “raise up” low-wage workers by taking from those who have no wages at all.

We’ve met with Rep. Kay Khan, Rep. Ruth Balser, and Rep. John Lawn to remind them of what’s at stake and the challenges faced by minimum-wage workers trying to get by in our expensive state. For several months now we’ve also been holding regular phonebanks to educate voters about the Speaker’s plans. The public has been enormously receptive and our little group has connected dozens of people with their representatives to express this simple message: Raise the minimum wage, leave unemployment alone!

Our efforts are working: this week Speaker DeLeo outlined a House proposal that does not cut unemployment benefits. It’s a lot closer to our position than originally feared, but it’s not quite close enough:

Unlike the Senate bill, it does not index the minimum wage to inflation. That means low-wage income workers will see their purchasing power eroded over time, and we’ll have to fight regularly for future minimum wage increases.
It raises the minimum wage for tipped workers (which has been a paltry $2.63 since 1999!) to only $3.75, far below the $5.50 in the Senate bill or the $6.30 in our ballot question. With a base wage of $3.75, the average tipped worker in Massachusetts will still earn only $10 an hour – less than the proposed new minimum wage.

In the coming weeks we’ll be making our voices heard again to improve the House bill. And then during conference committee, as the Senate and House merge their two different bills into one. If it’s still not good enough, we’re ready to go to the ballot just as we’re planning to do with the earned sick leave initiative.

As the Raise Up Massachusetts campaign continues, we’re also discussing our next projects, including the important 2014 elections and Progressive Massachusetts’s broader agenda for a fair economy. We’re also excited about the Progressive Massachusetts’ 2nd Annual Policy Conference on April 6 and seeing Robert Reich’s filmInequality for All with our friends in Needham and Wellesley on March 22.

If you’re a progressive in Newton who’d like to help make Massachusetts better, we want you on board! Just contact us at (617) 340-9527 or progressivenewton@gmail.com.

***

Robert Fitzpatrick has been involved in progressive campaigns in Massachusetts, New York, and Washington, D.C. since 1994. Most recently he participated in Governor Deval Patrick’s 2006 and 2010 campaigns, and the campaigns of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Rep. Joe Kennedy. He is on the Steering Committee of Progressive Newton and is also active in the Newton Democratic City Committee. He is a lawyer and lives in Newtonville.

Indexing to Inflation

Date: March 25, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/indexing

When the minimum wage stays the same, year after year, it loses value because of the rising cost of inflation. $8 today buys less than it did 5 years ago, and will buy even less 5 years from now.

Massachusetts does NOT index our minimum wage to inflation, unlike 11 other states. That’s why every few years we have to hike the minimum wage-- because its value, fixed at a certain dollar number, is not worth as much as it formerly did:

When the minimum wage does not increase from year to year, but prices and the cost of living do increase, minimum wage workers have less and less ability to purchase the same goods and services as in previous years. On paper the wage they earn may look the same, but its real value has declined. (Mass Budget)

When the minimum wage is “indexed to inflation," it means that the dollar amount will rise with the rising cost of living -- keeping its purchasing power intact. Indexing “would help to prevent further erosion of the purchasing power of minimum wage workers. Raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation would both restore some amount of value and prevent further decline in value” (Mass Budget).

Tying the wage to the cost of living makes sense for employers too, creating predictability about future costs, which come in small, routine increases, versus erratic large jumps every several years. Even pro-business Republican Mitt Romney agrees that we should index the minimum wage to inflation.

STATUS REPORT: WHERE DOES 'INDEXING' STAND?

[last update 6/4/2014]

6/4/2014: The minimum wage bill is currently in Conference Committee, where the Senate and House minimum wage bills are to be reconciled. The House bill did not have indexing; the Senate bill does. Indexing is one of the elements that could be negotiated away by the conference committee. We know that there is strong opposition to it, especially in the House, driven by the business lobby.

We are not content to simply wait, and so we are going forward with the second phase of signature gathering to get an increased and indexed minimum wage on the November ballot.

Prior Updates

3/28/2014:

Today (3/28/2014) is an important inflection point in the battle to get MEANINGFUL minimum wage reform out of the Massachusetts Legislature.

Read more here: progressivemass.com/raiseupcall

In brief: today at 5PM, members of the Massachusetts House must choose whether or not to sponsor Amendments to the main minimum wage bill -- which does NOT include indexing.

Without indexing, even when the wage is raised, it will immediately start losing value. And this is why it's so important that legislators hear from all of us TODAY, asking them to do the right thing. Sign on to Amendments to index the minimum wage to the cost of living.

Raise Up Calls to Legislator

[updated 3/30/2014]

TIME CRITICAL: VOTE ON KEY MINIMUM WAGE PROVISIONS ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2!

After months of waiting, the House released its minimum wage legislation. The vote on the bill (H3983) is WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2. As Speaker DeLeo has long indicated they would be, the minimum wage provisions have been curbed in deference to the business lobby. Specifically:

No indexing to cost of living (guaranteeing the wage will lose value every year)
Inadequate increases for tipped workers

THOSE PROVISIONS CAN BE RESTORED VIA TWO AMENDMENTS, filed by Rep. Holmes and Rep. Farley-Bouvier. But the grassroots must push Legislators to vote for them, and push back against increasing institutional momentum to pass a diminished minimum wage bill.

CALL the legislative switchboard 617-722-2000 -- ask to be transferred to your State Representative's office.

SCRIPT/TALKING POINTS:

BILL H3983, Rep. Holmes's Indexing Amendment #50, Rep. Farley-Bouvier's Tipped Wages Amendment #88.

My name is [YOURNAME] and I live in [YOURTOWN]. I am calling to find out if [YOURREP] will become a champion for a strong minimum wage bill:

I understand that Minimum Wage debate is on Wednesday.
Will [YOUR REP] VOTE YES on Rep. Holmes's amendment to index the minimum wage to inflation?
(Bill H3983, Amendment 50)
Will [YOUR REP] VOTE YES on Rep. Farley-Bouvier's amendment to raise the tipped wage higher?
(Bill H3983, Amendment 88)

Take notes! Then, let us know you’ve called (so we can track outreach) and whatever you find out about your Rep’s disposition.

>> Report the results of your call here

You already know -- this kind of grassroots action is most powerful when others join us. Please tell your networks about the urgency of the issue and ask them to call ASAP!I

Inequality for All = Mobilizing in Wellesley!

Author: Progressive Needham

Date: March 25, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/ifareport

On Saturday, Progressive Needham, Progressive Newton, and the Wellesley and Needham Democratic Town Committees sponsored a screening of Robert Reich’s Inequality For All, which explores how the middle class and working poor are being systematically squeezed by an economic system ruled by privileged elites and corporations, and abetted by politics corrupted by money.

Over 80 people came to watch the film, and participate in dialogue afterward with Mac D’Alessandro, about the scale of the problem and how we start mobilizing to make changes. (take a look at the Storify of the event!)

Three hours seemed like enough time when we first started organizing, but it wasn’t nearly enough to get to everything we needed. We hope to continue the conversations, now and into the future, because we know that these problems weren’t invented in a day, and will take our long-term attention and organizing to resolve.

Do you want to be part of community discussions about how we move forward? Let us know you're interested, and let’s see what we can pull together!

Mac D'Alessandro leading discussion after "Inequality for All"

A good next step is meeting up again at the Progressive Mass “Shared Prosperity” Policy Conference on April 6. The topic couldn’t be a better follow-up to Inequality for All -- the morning panels feature policy experts addressing root causes and solutions to inequality, and the afternoon focuses on legislative strategies, and features State Reps and Senators.

In the coming days, we’ll update this space with resources relevant to the topics discussed during our meeting. We also hope to get a YouTube video up of the discussion! Keep checking back.

In the meantime, let’s take that outrage we felt after the movie, and channel it into making sure we get the best minimum wage bill possible (one that includes indexing) because it will dramatically improve the lives of half a million people in Massachusetts!

Tools to help make your call -- including script and reporting form are available here.

RESOURCES (last update 3/28):

Handouts from screening

- half sheet / calling script
- take home / resources

Raise Up Recap

Date: March 26, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/raiseuprecap1

As activists head to Beacon Hill today to advocate for a strong minimum wage bill, let’s do a quick recap of where we are.

We’ve been waiting for quite a while for the House to release its language. And, the Speaker has been very forthright that any increase in the minimum wage would be paired with concessions to the business lobby.

The House will be releasing its final language within the next few hours. Due to the tenacity of some progressive representatives, especially Rep Ken Gordon (our endorsed candidate in 2012), we anticipate some non-minimum-wage provisions in the bill that are actually pretty good.

But, as far as the minimum wage goes, we have every reason to expect that it will be short of what we want a minimum wage bill to be, specifically, the following provisions:

No indexing to cost of living (guaranteeing the wage will lose value every year)
Inadequate increases for tipped workers

So, what’s next?

When the legislation finally comes out, we will continue to push for the best policy, by pushing legislators in the House to co-sponsor Amendments that:

Index the minimum wage to the cost of living to ensure purchasing power over time
Set the tipped wage to 60% of the minimum wage

Each and every State Rep should be asked by their constituents:

Will you cosponsor an amendment to index the minimum wage to inflation?
Will you cosponsor an amendment to set the tipped wage to 60% of of the minimum wage?

We’ll have more specific details about that process (amendment numbers, supporters and obstacles) when it comes up, so stay tuned and be ready to call your Representative.

In fact, why don’t you put your Rep’s phone number in your speed dial now?

Don’t know your Rep? Check here: http://wheredoivotema.com

CSFC Pi(e) Day

Author: Cambridge-Somerville for Change

Date: March 26, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/csfc_pie_day

CSFC held a Pi(e) Day event on March 14th (Pi --3.14 -- Day!) to eat and talk about growing and sharing the pie with other activists!

We talked about the need for a progressive issue-based advocacy organization to make Massachusetts live up to its name of being a true Commonwealth and what Progressive Massachusetts is doing to make this vision a reality.

And, being Cambridge and Somerville, of course we also talked about Pi .

Malden's Latest Election -- Jason Lewis Wins!

Author: Alicia Garza

Date: March 27, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/malden_s_latest_election

Progressive Massachusetts's Chapter Progressive Malden's activist Alicia de la Garza writes about working for endorsee Jason Lewis's campaign, and what's coming up!

More than just about any other community, Malden has borne the brunt of the political domino effect that started with the U.S. Senate vacancy created by John Kerry's confirmation as Secretary of State in January 2013. Late last fall, with Katherine Clark's election to the CD5 seat looking increasingly imminent, many of us were intently surveying the potential roster of candidates for the 5th Middlesex state senate seat quite early on. For some of us, this election felt deeply personal. Many of us had worked very hard on Elizabeth Warren’s U.S. Senate campaign back in 2012, and now with rumors swirling that our own state rep, Chris Fallon--a conservative Democrat now infamous for endorsing Scott Brown over Elizabeth Warren that year, might be seeking the seat, it seemed even more imperative that we quickly coalesce behind the most progressive candidate so we could hit the ground running as soon as the primary date was set.

Among the current electeds eligible to run for the 5th Middlesex seat, one stood out to me as particularly promising and that was Jason Lewis, a Winchester rep who, based on what I could tell from the Massachusetts Legislature's website, was leading sponsor on a pretty impressive slate of progressive bills ranging on everything from earned sick time and single-payer to environmental issues and animal welfare. Several weeks later, as many people were finishing up last minute Christmas shopping, or like me, getting ready to leave town for the holidays, a small group of local activists, including myself, met with Jason over a couple of hours late on a Sunday morning at a Wendy's in Malden. I think we all left feeling deeply impressed not only by Jason's commitment to progressive values; we were left with the distinct impression that this was a person with a remarkable work ethic who would work tirelessly to provide effective representation for the richly diverse communities of our district, and who had an innate talent for policy, despite being a relative outsider to Beacon Hill from the private sector.

Amanda Smith in Malden Since the beginning of the year I've canvassed almost every single Saturday and Sunday for Jason and have rarely missed a single phone bank. And on March 4, after countless hours of hard work and hundreds of doors knocked throughout the district, we won the primary by 7%. While Fallon swept his native Malden by a pretty wide margin, Jason won the district overall by about 800 votes, about the same number of votes he garnered in Malden. I'd like to think that good old-fashioned shoe-leather campaigning, going door-to-door and talking with our neighbors about our shared progressive values, coupled with the unflagging ambition of our local volunteers, contributed in no small part to that margin.

Screen_shot_2014-03-27_at_3.16.06_PM.png However, our work isn't done yet. The 5th Middlesex is a conservative leaning district that was held for twenty years by Republican Richard Tisei, so victory is not a foregone conclusion. Turnout will be made even more unpredictable by simultaneous town elections in four communities in the district.

Alicia de la Garza has been involved in Progressive candidate campaigns in her native Malden for years and has been an incredible activist with Progressive Malden and Melrose since the very beginning.

Raise Up Recap: Minimum Wage Amendments (House)

Date: March 29, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/raiseuprecap2

Grassroots organizers and the Raise Up MA campaign has been working hard over the last week to make a mediocre House bill better, through the Amendment process.

April 3 Update: Yesterday, the House voted to raise the minimum wage to $10.50. We stopped cuts and restrictions in benefits to UI and we won a number of progressive changes that will make it easier for unemployed workers to get training and protect minimum wage workers against wage theft. And as part of the bill, the House also passed one of the 1st domestic workers bill of rights in the country. However, we did not win on indexing and on tipped workers. We generated nearly 1,000 calls into the House after their proposal was released and our 41 co-sponsors on the tipped wage amendment spoke loud and clear and will strengthen our hand in conference.

AMENDMENTS, ROUND 1

Thanks to your efforts and organizing, Rep. Farley-Bouvier filed a "tipped wage" amendment (#88) to House Bill H3983, and we persuaded 40 other State Reps to sign on as co-sponsors. (is your Rep. one of the co-sponsors? See the list at the end of this post)

Co-sponsorship is an important indication of a bill or amendment's support inside the chamber, and as such is also an important metric of its likelihood to pass.

Unfortunately, the House has frustrated our efforts to get meaningful traction on indexing the wage to inflation -- which is a key component of making sure the minimum wage retains its purchasing power over time.

As of a few days ago, we couldn't even find someone to file an indexing amendment. So we are deeply grateful to Rep. Russell Holmes for stepping up to sponsor an indexing amendment (#50).

But no other Representatives signed on for co-sponsorship before the first round of deadlines on Friday. Unless your Rep. is Rep. Holmes, your State Rep. did NOT sign on to the Indexing Amendment.

IN THE WEEDS

We want to be frank.

The politics of this policy have become complicated and convoluted, and we have had to fight this out over parliamentary and process minutiae. This is all part of the legislative path for passing good policy, and it can be both tremendously opaque, confusing and frustrating for even the most engaged citizen advocate to stay meaningfully informed. And, the field of debate and struggle and advocacy can change from one day to the next.

So, we are incredibly grateful to YOU for sticking with it and making sure that this extremely important policy is hammered out with as much citizen input and sunlight as we can manage. We will attempt to provide as much clarity as we can, and let you know what the most recent and persuasive action is, as it changes.

But while the politics may be complex, the policy is not. The minimum wage was worth $10.50 in 1968, and it should be returned to that level now. It should be indexed to inflation so that it doesn't lose value and retains purchasing power. The tipped employees' wage is too low, and should rise with the minimum wage. That's it.

Raise the wage
Index it to inflation to preserve its value, eliminating the need for future dramatic increases
Set tipped wages to 60% of the minimum

The policy is sound, popular and so uncontroversial that Mitt Romney and Florida (among other states) are ahead of us on minimum wage policy!

As you advocate with your Reps, keep reminding yourself -- and your Rep -- how simple this issue really is.

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT

Debate on the bill and its amendments will start on Wednesday. As the Amendments of interest come up, we will see which Representatives will stand up for the best minimum wage policy, which means voting YES on increasing the tipped wage, and YES on indexing. We will include any roll call votes on these amendments in our 2013-2014 Scorecard.

Once the bill passes, as expected (with or without the amendments), the bill will move into Conference Committee, six members of the Senate and the House, selected by Leadership, where differences and compromises will be made between the Senate version and the House version. Our efforts to push for indexing and a higher tipped wage will shift to those members.

AMENDMENTS, PART 2 - VOTE YES!

Getting more votes than expected on Indexing and Tipped Wage amendments strengthens our hand in conferencing committee. Now that Amendments are filed, it's time to make sure your elected Representative votes to make the House bill as good as it can be.

So contact your Rep again and with these asks:

"Indexing is a key part of minimum wage reform.
Will you VOTE YES on Rep. Holmes's Indexing Amendment (#50) on the minimum wage bill (H3983)?"

and

"Tipped workers haven't had a raise in 15 years.
Will you VOTE YES on Rep. Farley-Bouvier's Tipped Wage Amendment (#88) on the minimum wage bill (H3983)?"

Let us know what you learn!

_______

*COSPONSORS to REP FARLEY-BOUVIER'S TIPPED WAGE AMENDMENT:

Andrews, Balser, Benson, Brady, Cabral , Calter, Canavan, Cantwell, Cullinane, Cutler, Decker, Devers, Donahue, Fox, Garballey, Hecht, Honan, Kaufman, Keefe, Khan, Lawn, Lewis, Livingstone, Mahoney, Malia, Mark, Miceli, Moran (Frank), O'Day, Provost, Rogers (David), Rogers (John), Sannicandro, Sciortino, Silvia, Smizik, Swan, Toomey, Turner, Vega.

Northampton Minimum Wage & Earned Sick Leave Legislative Forum

Date: April 7, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/northamptonforum

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Friday, Northampton held a Raise Up Legislative Forum with Living Wage Western Mass with the Raise Up Massachusetts Campaign. Over 50 people were in attendance including Representative Kocot, aides from Rep. Vega, Rep. Mark, and Rep. Story’s offices, several current and past Northampton City Councilors, and the Mayor and former Mayor of Northampton. Academics, city councilors, and activists told stories and gave statistics on why the two issues of raising the minimum wage and providing earned sick time for all are so important. At the end of the presentation, Representative Kocot spoke at length about how the grassroots Raise Up campaign has shaped the legislative process and how it will move forward.

Policy Conference Summaries

Date: April 8, 2014

Link: https://www.progressivemass.com/pcsummaries

Our Second Annual Policy Conference at Worcester State University featured experts, advocates and legislators discussing our shared prosperity agenda priorities in an opening plenary. Read summaries by our members of the day's panels:

Opening Plenary

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In the morning we heard from Congressman Jim McGovern about his efforts – and frustration – in fighting for his constituents amidst the dysfunction in Washington.

(Watch Rep. McGovern's talk below)

Noah Berger of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center then demonstrated, in clear and concise terms, how unequal income distribution has become, nationwide and in Massachusetts, over the last 35 years. The facts are sobering, but important to know if we’re going to reverse these trends – in this case ignorance is not bliss.

Robert Fitzpatrick is an attorney and a member of the steering committee of Progressive Newton.

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Senator Elizabeth Warren's welcome remarks:

Morning Policy Sessions

Jobs

Marjorie Kelly, who recently published Owning Our Future: The Emerging Ownership Revolution, discussed how experiments with new forms of ownership, like cooperatives and employee-owned businesses, point toward the possibility of a "generative economy... whose fundamental architecture tends to create beneficial rather than harmful outcomes." Elyse Cherry, CEO of Boston Community Capital, discussed such strategies as investing in low-income entrepreneurs and individual development accounts. Session participants engaged in a lively debate about the role of these strategies and approaches in addressing the larger problems of unemployment and low-paying jobs in Massachusetts.

Education

The morning policy session on Education focused on community colleges, an important component in Progressive Mass.’s goal of making college education freely available to all residents. The panel demonstrated that, despite Governor Patrick’s emphasis on community colleges, much work remains to be done. The three panelists were in general agreement on ways to help community college students succeed in meeting their goals, which, as Elizabeth Pauley of The Boston Foundation noted, vary widely. Elizabeth Baylor of the Center for American Progress discussed practices from other states worth studying here and the importance of holding for-profit colleges – a growth sector – accountable. I was struck by Ira Rubenzahl, president of Springfield Technical Community College,, stating frankly that Massachusetts community colleges are doing the best they can, but don’t have the resources necessary to serve their students the way he’d like to – the way they need. He pointed out that state funding per student at community colleges is about three-fifths of per-student funding for state colleges, which in turn is about three-fifths of per-student funding for UMass. This three-fifths ratio, reminiscent of the shameful three-fifths clause in the original Constitution, is all the more troubling because black and Latino students are disproportionately likely to start out at community colleges.

Robert Fitzpatrick is an attorney and a member of the steering committee of Progressive Newton.

Housing

Housing economist Eric Belsky, of the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, described the stark challenges facing Massachusetts residents seeking housing. Progressive Massachusetts has set a goal that no one pay over 30% of their income for housing, a common benchmark for assessing the burden of housing on families' budgets. Not only do many of the state's poor spend well over this 30% mark, but many spend over 50% of their income ("severe cost burden"), and the resulting reduction in spending for other critical necessities is significant. It was enlightening to learn that even many middle-income renters face these high cost burdens, and that low-income homeowners are facing similar challenges as renters, without any option for the subsidies often available to renters. Chrystal Kornegay, CEO of Urban Edge,, described the work her Jamaica Plain firm does to create affordable rental housing in the surrounding communities. They purchase underutilized buildings, and coordinate affordable housing subsidies in order to create housing affordable to working people with low incomes. Many of the fastest-growing job categories do not pay enough to afford market rate housing. One interesting tactic Urban Edge uses to assist their residents (who work full time) in affording housing is to help them collect other government services they may not realize they are eligible for. Some policy solutions described were both capital subsidies and rental subsidies, as well as more dense zoning for multi-family use.

Andrew "Gumby" Breton is an economist, author, and leader of the Medford chapter of Progressive Massachusetts, Medford for Mass.

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Health Care

In the morning Healthcare session two presenters gave their unique perspectives on the healthcare system in Massachusetts. Dr. Rachel Nardin - Chief of Neurology at Cambridge Health Alliance and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, gave a compelling argument for shifting Massachusetts’s healthcare towards a single payer system. She noted that the cost of the current system is unsustainable from the States budgetary standpoint, and that the cost to individuals makes the goal of insuring everyone, unattainable. She also noted that although the recent healthcare reform has succeeded in providing more accessibility to healthcare, it leaves far too many people uninsured and underinsured. The ideal system would be; universal, continuous, affordable, and provide proper care for patient needs. Richard Kirsch - Senior Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute and the author of Fighting for Our Health: the Epic Battle to Make Health Care a Right in the United States, spoke of the long fought battle to get National Healthcare in this country. He sees a split in the ranks of those who support healthcare reform, placing at odds, those who want to build on the current system, and those who want to move to a single payer system. Although Single Payer may be the ultimate goal, he believes the Public Option, provided through the ACA, is the more realistic next step. The problem with the Public Option may be implementation though. The more variety in the system offerings, the more complicated it becomes to administer across the board. Other items touched upon briefly included; the financially regressive nature of the current mandates, global payments for hospitals, paying doctors a set salary rather than fee for service, providing incentives for quality care, alternative care treatments, and the need to create health plans with specific health goals.

Stacie Shapiro lives in Needham Heights and is on the steering committee of Progressive Needham..

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Afternoon Action Session

Jobs

In the action session on jobs Senator Dan Wolf spoke passionately about reviving economic opportunity in Massachusetts and in the United States, laying out a four-part blueprint. He called out Democrats who fail to follow the party platform, saying that the Democratic Party must work for poor and working-class people, and stating – point blank – that being satisfied with the House minimum wage bill, which fails to index the wage to inflation and raises the minimum wage for tipped workers to only $3.75 per hour, should be disqualifying for a gubernatorial candidate seeking our support. Lew Finfer of MCAN, co-chair of the Raise Up Massachusetts coalition, stressed the need for continued coordination between organizations working toward a more Progressive Massachusetts. He noted that the leading business lobbying groups in Massachusetts meet regularly to coordinate strategy; by doing likewise Raise Up Mass. has had considerable success. The key is to maintain that momentum for all the challenges we will face beyond November. The session reinforced for me the impression that Progressive Massachusetts is very much needed at this point in our history, and will play an important role in building a strong and sustained movement for economic justice.

Robert Fitzpatrick is an attorney and a member of the steering committee of Progressive Newton.

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Education

The afternoon Action Session on Education focused on our Shared Prosperity Agenda goal of free, publicly-funded higher education (community, vocational, or four-year college) within five years. Tom Sannicandro, State Representative and Chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education, opened the session with some statistics about higher education in Massachusetts -- the only state with more private than public higher education institutions. He noted how the percentage of the budget which goes to higher education is going down, and how the current legislative goal is for 50% of the price of higher education should be from the school (including tuition costs), and 50% from the state. Colleen Avedikian, Vice President of PHENOM (the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts) also spoke about the future of higher education in the Bay State including innovative approaches to college access. The two panelists concluded by fielding questions from the audience including college readiness, the Strike Debt campaign, and Pell Grants as a portion of college funding.

Shaina Kasper is from Somerville and is a Field Organizer for Progressive Massachusetts..

Housing

This action forum was led by three speakers - Sen. Jamie Eldridge, chair of the Joint Committee on Housing; Diane Sullivan, the Policy Director of Homes for Families; and Rachel Heller of CHAPA (Citizen's Housing And Planning Assoc.). They discussed policy successes and policy goals related to affordable housing in Massachusetts. Diane shared her personal account of navigating public housing programs, and how poor policy can waste taxpayer money and rob families of dignity. A missed $1000 rental payment resulted in nearly $50,000 of excessive state costs when her family was evicted and stayed in shelters and motels. Examples like hers illustrate how rental vouchers & subsidies can prevent waste while helping families and preserving dignity. She also described the recent victory to regain a significant portion of lost funding for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program(MRVP). Sen. Eldridge described some key bills in support of affordable housing: 1)zoning reform for more dense & affordable units, 2) the requirement of judicial review to protect owners from bank foreclosures, and 3) public housing authority reform to crack down on those authorities that might mistreat residents and mishandle funds. Heller, from CHAPA, described several policy initiatives they are promoting, including an increase in the MRVP budget, zoning requirements, various subsidies, and budgeting for several existing housing support programs. Participants in the audience also mentioned useful programs, including some from the Mass Alliance Against Predatory Lending.

Andrew "Gumby" Breton is an economist, author, and leader of the Medford chapter of Progressive Massachusetts, Medford for Mass.

Health Care

At our second health care session, Representative (soon to be Senator) Jason Lewis described the various state efforts to control costs and improve quality, highlighting public health efforts like the first-in-the-nation Prevention and Wellness Trust as well as payment and delivery system reforms recently signed into law. Virginia Ryan of Mass Care spoke about the need to pass single-payer legislation in Massachusetts and how essential it is that we move toward that system. And a Vietnam veteran Paul Caswell spoke at length about his personal experiences. In Vietnam, he had been shot and injured -- rushed to the MASH unit and saved. He asked us to question why it is that he could get that kind of quality care in a war zone, but individuals back at home could not receive any care because they are uninsured. He demanded that we see in our health care system the human face of what it means to be uninsured.

Ari Fertig lives in Medford, is the Information and Marketing Coordinator at Health Care For All and helped start Progressive Massachusetts.

Introducing the Gubernatorial Candidates

If the opening hour laid out some of the (large) challenges we face, the closing hour showed one path to success. The four leading candidates for the Democratic nomination for governor all felt the need to answer the Progressive Massachusetts questionnaire, and to come to the conference to face hard questions about their responses. Slowly but surely – as evidenced by all of the people in attendance at the conference, and by our victories over the past year – we are organizing to hold the political leaders who seek our support accountable when they fail to advance our interests. This is how we get from where we are to the true Commonwealth we should, and will, be.

Robert Fitzpatrick is an attorney and a member of the steering committee of Progressive Newton.

Tax Day Rally and Forum

Author: Daniel Habtemariam

Date: April 14, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/tax_day_rally_and_forum

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Progressive Newton was in attendance on Saturday as activists and organizers from around the Commonwealth convened in Boston for a Tax Day rally and forum in support of the Budget for All.

The theme of the day was, “We pay our taxes. Are we getting what we need?”

The day featured a broad array of speakers from political, social, and faith-based groups that each highlighted the inequities inherent in a tax code rigged to favor the privileged and the powerful and the consequences of an American budget increasingly being pushed to favor militarism and devalue social and societal needs.

Protesters began the day outside Bank of America, denouncing it for paying no federal taxes in 2013, a practice made possible by loopholes carved out in tax law for companies like Bank of America, General Electric, and Exxon Mobil, which are among the largest and most profitable companies in the world. The crowd was vibrant and with banners and posters flying high drew the attention of hundreds of passersby and elicited more than a few honks and waves from members of the public.

In the afternoon, the group marched to a nearby church and held a forum to hear from community and political leaders about how we got to this point and what we can do about it. Speakers ranged from Senator Elizabeth Warren (by video) to Grace Ross from the National Alliance of HUD Tenants to the venerable civil rights activist and former state representative Mel King to freshman Congresswoman Katherine Clark. A framework for action included a diverse set of initiatives, including immediate measures like collecting signatures for the Raise Up Massachusetts minimum wage and earned sick time ballot initiatives, as championed by Harris Gruman of the SEIU State Council, to medium-term measures like lobbying the six Massachusetts congressmen who voted NO to the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ Better Off Budget last week, as championed by Michael Kane, to more long-term initiatives like proposals to wipe out childhood poverty in Massachusetts, as championed by gubernatorial candidate Don Berwick.

Progressive Newton is no stranger to the Raise Up Massachusetts ballot initiatives, as it helped to collect thousands of signatures in the first round of petitioning last fall. The day ended with thanks from the organizers, and the crowd dispersed with a renewed vision for the future of our society and an enriched understanding of the trickle-down consequences of a budget that favors the few.

The Rise of the Progressives

Date: April 29, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/bostonglobetheriseoftheprogressives

“Less than three years after his stunning win, Brown lost to Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat who held herself out as a true progressive. Last year, Stan Rosenberg, liberal stalwart from Amherst, sewed up the Senate presidency well over a year in advance of its anticipated vacancy. Meanwhile, political observers have noted a striking fact about this year’s Democratic gubernatorial field: No one is a moderate.” -- Rise of the Progressives

Boston Globe columnist Tom Keane seems to know what matters to progressives throughout the Commonwealth: civil rights, income inequality, protecting the poor and the middle class, the state budget... in fact, it seems as though Keane has seen our Shared Prosperity Agenda!

Keane argues that Massachusetts election results will shift progressive, because progressives have “proven they can manage an economy while at the same time offer up positions on civil rights and the middle class that resonate with voters.”

He notes that when we talk about our values, we win; read the whole thing on the Boston Globe website.

But the column misses one important angle: how the progressive movement is succeeding.

Progressive Massachusetts was started by volunteers in a living room, with the idea that by connecting grassroots activists across the state, we can pull our Commonwealth back onto a progressive path. We know that these encouraging progressive advances described in “Rise of the Progressives” didn’t just happen by accident but are the result of tireless hard work of everyday activists.

At Progressive Massachusetts, our activists help us win. Our activists work on our issue campaigns like Raise Up Massachusetts to raise the minimum wage and provide earned sick time for all by getting it on the ballot, and our work to modernize elections; we contact our representatives to hold them accountable; we participate in a daily priority action; we vote for true progressives by seeing where our representatives have voted in our scorecard and roll calls; we vote to endorse the best candidates.

“The Rise of the Progressives” is sparking a discussion among Massachusetts citizens. Help shape the narrative -- add a comment online or in our comments section below. Share your experiences: what’s working in your community to advance the progressive agenda?

Then spread the word: Massachusetts Progressives are on the rise.

UPDATE

Did you catch the letter from Ben Wright, our Exec. Director, in today's Boston Globe (May 2, 2014)?

Progressive Newton is Gearing Up for Round 2

Author: Robert Fitzpatrick

Date: May 6, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/prognewtmayupdate

Progressive Newton is gearing up for Round Two of signature gathering for the Raise Up Massachusetts campaign. On April 30 we had a great crowd at Neysha and Robert’s house for our strategy meeting, led by Progressive Massachusetts’s Executive Director, Ben Wright. Our group committed to collecting 1,000 signatures between May 10 and June 18 to get the minimum wage and earned sick leave initiatives on the ballot this November. People had a lot of great ideas about the best ways to reach that goal, and particularly – because repeat signers aren’t allowed – how most efficiently to reach voters who didn’t sign the petitions last fall.

We’re excited to kick off this newest signature drive this Saturday, from 2 to 4 p.m. outside the Starbucks near Centre and Beacon Streets in Newton Center. Over the next five weeks we’ll be all over Newton, and beyond, as we help complete the last task needed to bring these two critically important questions before the voters of Massachusetts. We’ll also be keeping an eye on what’s happening in the Massachusetts legislature, and identifying the next issues on which we’ll focus once signature gathering is finished.

As always, we’d be thrilled to have your help! If you’re interested in collecting petition signatures to raise the minimum wage and provide earned sick leave for a million Massachusetts workers, contact us at (617) 340-9527 orprogressivenewton@gmail.com.

Robert Fitzpatrick has been involved in progressive campaigns in Massachusetts, New York, and Washington, D.C. since 1994. Most recently he participated in Governor Deval Patrick’s 2006 and 2010 campaigns, and the campaigns of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Rep. Joe Kennedy. He on the Steering Committee of Progressive Newton and is also active in the Newton Democratic City Committee. He is a lawyer and lives in Newtonville.

First Weekend of the Second Round of Signature Collection

Author: Shaina Kasper

Date: May 12, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/firstweekendraiseup2_0

Wow. What an incredible first weekend of signature collection. We are well on our way to win a higher minimum wage and earned sick leave for all workers in Massachusetts.

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On Wednesday, the petitions were released from the Secretary of State. We were waiting at the door to get them as soon as they opened. The petitions were sent straight to the printer to make thousands of copies to send out all over the state. Then on Friday, we distributed petitions to faith, labor, and community groups all over the state for the first weekend of signature collection.

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We started it off strong with signature collection at UMass Commencement in the rain, collecting hundreds of signatures from over 50 of the351 cities and towns.in the Commonwealth with UFCW, Jobs with Justice, and new Progressive Mass staff Johannes Raatz.

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Then, other activists collected signatures at the PDA 10th Anniversary conference on Friday night and Saturday.

Malden activists held an incredible kick-off, thanks to the tireless organizer Amanda Smith.

Newton activists collected petition signatures in Newton Centre, thanks to Susan Davidoff.

Governor's Endorsement

Date: May 21, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/govendorsement

If you're not excited about this governor's race,

you must not have met Don Berwick yet!

-Andrew “Gumby” Breton, Medford

We are a grassroots organization -- our members are central to our vision and our work, and that is why our members get to decide who we endorse. And it was overwhelming: We voted to endorse Don Berwick for governor.

He received over 70% of the vote, surpassing by far our 60% minimum threshhold. In a contest with four other candidates seeking endorsement, this is a remarkable achievement.

We begin our endorsement process by offering all candidates questionnaires, based on our Shared Prosperity Agenda. Candidates must respond in-depth on the issues which our membership can then read in full.

When I reviewed the Progressive Massachusetts candidate questionnaire, Don stood out as well as the candidate most consistently in agreement with Progressive Massachusetts's goals of advancing social justice in health care, education, housing, taxation, and the economy writ large.

-Jonathan Cohn, Boston

Progressive Massachusetts and our chapters have organized several forums, offering opportunities for members and progressives to hear from the candidates themselves and to ask questions. Hundreds of members took the opportunity to hear from the five candidates seeking Progressive Massachusetts's endorsement in Jamaica Plain, Cambridge, and Worcester:

I've seen all five in person in at least two settings where all were asked to speak and all were asked questions. Consistently, Don Berwick’s answers were the most thoughtful and most progressive. Of all the candidates, his answers are most thorough, not platitudes and rhetoric. I think he has vision of what he wants the future to be.

-Mimi Gordon, Medford

While there is quite a bit to admire about each of the candidates, Berwick really stands apart upon closer examination. The contrast between the candidates was quite evident, for example, during the Candidate Forum at the Progressive Massachusetts Policy Conference in Worcester.

Seldom--perhaps never before--have I heard a politician so forthrightly discuss and express unabashed commitment to progressive ideals. I believe his candidacy represents our chance to substantially change the political landscape here in Massachusetts and realize those ideals of shared prosperity and justice for all in the state.

-Bill Taylor, Haverhill

And one of our chapters, JP Progressives, has already endorsed Don Berwick for Governor:

As co-chair of JP Progressives we were proud to endorse Don Berwick. The choice was clear, he is a true progressive that will bring this State a compassionate, intelligent, bold leader.

-Anne Rousseau, Jamaica Plain

Berwick’s experience also impressed our members:

As a health services researcher, I continue to be impressed by the impact Dr. Berwick has made in the healthcare field through his work at CMS and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, developing accessible and actionable tools and frameworks for bettering health and health care for all Americans. I am excited at the prospect of Dr. Berwick bringing this expertise to other policy areas, and the governorship is an exciting platform for him to continue his work.”

-Bevin Croft, Watertown

But overall, fundamental progressive values which Don Berwick forcefully champions is what earned him over 70% of our members' votes:

His vision for a more just, more fair, and a more prosperous Commonwealth for families and communities to live and thrive in is so closely and so deeply connected to the tenets underlying our Shared Prosperity Agenda that the two are virtually the same.

-Daniel Habtemariam, Newton

Gov Patrick Signs Election Modernization Bill

Date: May 22, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/gov_patrick_signs_election_modernization_bill

This afternoon, Governor Deval Patrick signed into law significant reforms to modernize our elections and expand voting rights in Massachusetts. The law includes online voter registration, early voting, pre-registration for 16 year-olds, post election audits of voting machines, and inactive voting reform.

Congratulations to everyone in the Election Modernization Coalition: Common Cause Massachusetts, ACLU of Massachusetts, MASSPIRG, League of Women Voters, MassVote, the MIRA Coalition, and Progressive Massachusetts.

However, the bill lacks in one aspect -- Election-Day Registration (EDR). Same day registration is shown to dramatically increase voter turn out. Nevertheless, the bill is a huge step and we are pleased to see it move forward after so many years of work. This progress is thanks to the strong coalition of grassroots organizations. We look forward to coming back next year and working on same-day registration!

Building a Progressive Grassroots Movement

Date: May 29, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/buildingamovement

Progressive Massachusetts was created with the central premise that to create the kind of transformative progressive change the Commonwealth (and the nation) needs, we must build, sustain and invest in grassroots infrastructure.

We’re not in this for one cycle. With you, progressive activists and citizens, we’re trying to build a movement.

And this is why we do endorsements a lot differently from other organizations. A small executive committee of political insiders, horse-trading alliances, doesn’t make the decision to endorse. Instead, our sustaining members, who are invested in our long term vision, choose whom — if anyone — deserves the Progressive Massachusetts endorsement.

Not only do we think this member-driven decision-making is crucial to our long-term commitment to a truly grassroots statewide organization, we also think that our endorsement represents a much more relevant and accurate perspective into electoral races. Our grassroots endorsement voters take us outside the bubble of the political insiders, and offer a better evaluation of candidates’ principles and values.

Not Just Elections

Our grassroots supporters' endorsements have included Elizabeth Warren, and State Legislative progressive candidates like Senators Jason Lewis and Linda Dorcena Forry and Representatives Jay Livingstone and Mary Keefe, and our most recent endorsement of Don Berwick for Governor.

But electoral races are just one part of the work we are doing to build a progressive Massachusetts and restore our Commonwealth as the leader for the nation.

We are proud of the work that Progressive Mass has been engaged in over the past two years. We’ve advocated for the highest possible minimum wage, pushed back against punitive welfare law changes, helped lead a coalition for a comprehensive election reform bill, and took a stand for a progressive tax package this legislative session, while also creating a legislative scorecard to help voters see where their legislators stand on crucial progressive votes.

And that's just some of the highlights.

A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION MUST BE FUNDED BY THE GRASSROOTS

We are a movement-focused organization. Members’ contributions sustain the organization and make our work possible. As politics becomes increasingly driven by an ever smaller percent of billionaires, professionalized political insiders and corporate interests, we cannot stress enough how important it is to fund grassroots organizations with a broad base of smaller contributions.

All of this grassroots organizing, campaigning and issues work don’t just happen on its own. It takes labor and resources. In addition to our staff, Executive Director Ben Wright and our tireless Field Director, Shaina Kasper, we rent an office in downtown Boston, and we pay for all of the usual things that a political organization pays for.

With all this in mind, we hope you will join Progressive Mass as a grassroots supporting member, and perhaps even make a large donation, if you like the work that we’re doing.

Support our work and help build a truly grassroots organization working for a progressive Massachusetts!

progressivemass.com/membership

Don Berwick for Governor

Author: Ben Wright

Date: May 29, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/berwickforgov

Last week, on the steps of the State House, Progressive Mass proudly endorsed Don Berwick for Governor. While there are many qualified candidates for governor, Don has articulated a unique, progressive vision for economic prosperity for all, universal health care, combating global warming, and reducing poverty and homelessness. He is the only Democrat in the race to oppose casino gambling in Massachusetts, speak out unequivocally in support of a progressive income tax, and to advocate for single-payer healthcare. He is running an inspiring, grassroots campaign that has fully embraced liberal values.

Don Berwick is not only the strongest progressive in the race, he is also the strongest Democrat to take on Charlie Baker in November. But don’t take my word for it: recent history shows that when an outsider Democrat expresses a clear progressive vision, we can win. This is how both Deval Patrick and Elizabeth Warren ran and won, and Don Berwick is poised to do the same.

At our Policy Conference in April, house parties, issue forums and candidates’ debates across the state, Progressive Massachusetts members have seen first hand how Don Berwick’s message and vision inspires. And we have consistently heard from activists that in our candidate questionnaires, Don demonstrated the most comprehensive understanding of the issues facing the Commonwealth, and articulated the strongest plan to address them. That’s why our members gave over 70% of their votes to endorse Don Berwick---an incredible showing with five candidates.

Don’s campaign organization is also impressive. Because of his national leadership on healthcare for over 25 years, including most recently as President Obama’s head of Medicare and Medicaid, his donor base is robust and deep. He has had consistently strong fundraising numbers, including significantly out-raising the other candidates May 1-15 (Berwick raised $105,143.24 in the first half of May, compared with $44,815.36 by Grossman, $68,760.87 by Coakley, and $40,606.88 by Kayyem).

Don Berwick’s campaign structure shows a sound understanding of grassroots strategy: empowering volunteer leadership, developing statewide grassroots strength and hiring enthusiastic, skilled and diverse staff. We know this investment in the grassroots will yield a strong showing at the convention. With strong progressive support, we see Berwick’s campaign expanding its place on the electorate’s radar and we know that when voters hear about his vision and plans, they get on board.

Finally, as a movement-based organization, Progressive Mass believes that Don will remain strongly connected to the grassroots as Governor. I am proud of the role our staff, members and volunteers have played in advocating for an increase in the minimum wage, earned sick time, comprehensive election reform and fair taxation, while also working to elect progressive legislators, such as Senators Linda Dorcena Forry and Jason Lewis and Representatives Mary Keefe and Jay Livingstone, to move the Legislature to the left. Deval Patrick ended 16 years of Republican control of the corner office and charted a progressive course that helped us weather a global recession as strong as any state in the country, but there remains so much more work to be done in Massachusetts. Don Berwick is the best candidate to take the helm and lead us in the next 4 years.

Progressive Mass Endorses Maura Healey for Attorney General

Date: June 11, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/maurahealeyforag

Our sustaining members have voted to endorse Maura Healey for Attorney General. Maura has the progressive record of leadership and the independence that we need in our next Attorney General - and has nearly 68% in our membership vote. Whether taking on big banks, defending access to women's health care, advancing civil rights, and marriage equality, Maura has shown what an engaged and progressive Attorney General can do. She will lead on criminal justice reform, protecting children, and reducing gun violence, with bold and new ideas for our state. We are proud to support her in this campaign.

Maura’s strong stand against expanded gambling in Massachusetts and her experience heading up the civil rights division in the Attorney General’s office were particularly persuasive to our members. And, while we are primarily concerned with electing the most progressive leadership, members made the strong case that our elected officials should reflect the diversity of the Commonwealth, and electing an openly gay woman is important to our shared goal of supporting diversity in state government.

As you likely know, we began with the central premise that to create the kind of transformative progressive change we need, we must build, sustain and invest in grassroots infrastructure. So we are building the activist infrastructure to pass important progressive legislation, and a part of this includes helping get progressives like Maura Healey elected to office.

100 Town Halls

Date: June 19, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/100townhalls

We just finished driving over 80,000 petition signatures for raising the minimum wage and for earned sick time to 300 City and Town Halls across the state.

And they heard us on Beacon Hill--

Last week the Senate passed the conferenced bill that would raise the minimum wage to $11 an hour, and yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon, the house passed it as well. Soon, it will be sent to the Governor's desk for his signature and passage.

Over 600,000 low wage earners will get wage increases.
These wage increases will total over $1.1 billion dollars to help these hard working people and to help our economy.
Massachusetts’ highest minimum wage law will be a beacon for other states -- encouraging other states to join the national movement to higher wages.
Read more about who a raise in the minimum wage will affect here.

This only happened because of the grassroots pressure -- because we collected over 360,000 signatures to get these two questions on the ballot in November.

The Raise Up Coalition is made up of thousands of volunteers from many hundreds of congregations, community organizations, and labor unions working together to collect over 360,000 signatures to qualify raising the minimum wage and earned sick time to be on the ballot. Progressive Massachusetts contributed over 20,000 of those signatures, the highest of any community group. Congratulations to everyone for their incredibly hard work!

As we know, the minimum wage bill that is going through the Statehouse is not inclusive of everything we asked-- while it does raise the minimum wage to $11 (we were asking for $10.50), but it doesn’t index the minimum wage to inflation, and it doesn’t have adequate increases in the tipped minimum wage. However, $11 an hour is an incredible win for the campaign, raising the minimum wage in Massachusetts to the highest in the nation.

We are continuing the signature turn in process to qualify minimum wage and earned sick time for the ballot as the bill would need to be signed by the Governor before our deadline in order for us to consider withdrawing our ballot question on minimum wage.

Meanwhile, the earned sick time ballot question is still not being taken to a vote -- this question is still going to the ballot in November.

Join us on Thursday, June 26 at 11 for a rally on the State House steps and then to march around the corner to turn in the petition signatures to the Secretary of State's office to qualify them for the ballot. Can you join us as we celebrate this accomplishment and start our ballot campaign?

Big thanks to everyone who helped us collect petition signatures with Progressive Mass and the Raise Up Massachusetts Campaign (far too many to list out here!)

And special thanks to Susan Davidoff, Robert Fitzpatrick, Alicia Garza, Dhruba Sen, Amanda Smith, Harmony Wu and Eileen Zalisk for helping us deliver petitions to city and town halls.

34th Middlesex Candidate Forum

Author: Shaina Kasper

Date: July 1, 2014

Legacy URL: https://www.progressivemass.com/34th_middlesex_candidate_forum

Medford for Mass, Cambridge Somerville for Change and Progressive Democrats of Somerville hosted the 34th Middlesex State Representative Candidate Forum on June 29th at Tufts University.

The forum was moderated by former State Representative and current Executive Director of the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Carl Sciortino.

Christine Barber and Sharon Guzik both answered questions at the forum; we thank them for coming and participating!

You can see the video here.

Happy Fourth of July from Progressive Newton

Author: Robert Fitzpatrick

Date: July 7, 2014

We’ve had a busy couple of months. Progressive Newton volunteers were right back out there collecting signatures for the second round of Raise Up Massachusetts’s drive to put a minimum increase and earned sick time for all Massachusetts workers on the November ballot. In the fall we collected over 4,000 signatures in nine weeks. This spring, between May 10 and June 18, we collected about 1,000 additional signatures. Thanks to all the volunteers and, of course, to all the voters who signed our initiative petitions.

We were pleased to see the state legislature pass an $11 minimum wage, the highest state minimum wage in the nation. This increase was motivated in large part by the hard work of the Raise Up MA coalition, collecting signatures to put a minimum wage increase on the ballot and meeting with legislators to discuss the issue. In the long term, we will continue to fight to index the minimum wage to inflation and to provide a higher base wage for tipped workers, two elements that were lacking in the final bill signed this week by Governor Patrick.

In the short term, however, we’re working to ensure the Earned Sick Time ballot question passes. As in the fall, Raise Up MA collected far more valid signatures than needed and the question is going to the ballot! We’ll be taking the case to our friends and neighbors that Massachusetts should follow Connecticut’s lead on this key issue, championed in the House by Newton’s own Rep. Kay Khan.

The ballot question will allow employees to accrue sick time based on hours worked, up to a maximum of five days per year. This modest measure is designed to ensure that nearly one million Massachusetts workers no longer will have to risk being fired if they are sick, or if they need to care for a sick child.

In the midst of all that activity, nine of our steering committee members were delegates to the Massachusetts Democratic Convention held in Worcester on June 14, and many of us are engaged in campaign-related activities.

It’s not all work, though: two weekends ago a group of us gathered at Neysha and Robert’s house to celebrate our Raise Up MA success and making it through the convention. Soon we’ll meet again to plan our activities in support of the Earned Sick Time initiative and discuss what other issues we want to turn to next.

As always, if you’re a progressive in Newton who’d like to help make Massachusetts better, we want you on board! Just call (617) 340-9527 or email progressivenewton@gmail.com.

Education: Massachusetts Throwing Away Money

Date: July 7, 2014

For the next few weeks, Progressive Massachusetts is highlighting one aspect of our Shared Prosperity Agenda, having our members write their perspectives on why Education, Healthcare, Housing, Jobs and Wages, and Progressive Revenue are important to them. For our first week, we are focusing on Education -- Within five years, we want free, publicly funded education for all residents from pre-K through Community, Vocational, or Four-Year College; A good first step would be universal, publicly funded pre-K available for all residents.This is part one of our three-part series on education written by Susan Davidoff, Jane Franz, Maxwell Morrongiello, with input from several others. Thank you!

President John Kennedy once said “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.” Everyday, Massachusetts policy-makers have a choice: They can choose to act in creating economic prosperity and equality in the commonwealth by investing in Universal Pre-K and free Public Higher Education. Or they can do nothing, and forgo billions of dollars in economic growth.

The fact is investing in education is an economic issue. We all talk about the importance of investing in our children, but somehow this talk doesn’t translate into action. Somehow our policy makers have forgotten that when you invest in something, there can be a significant economic return.

Frankly, the biggest obstacle to investing in our children is short sighted thinking. If you ask for an honest answer from our politicians as to why we don’t have free public higher education they would say “We just don’t have the money.” That isn’t true. Raising revenue through progressive revenue reform, while difficult in the short term, will return more money through taxpayers in the long run through economic growth. Every tax dollar the government spends on education results in $4.50 in future tax revenue. That figure doesn’t even include the impact on the rest of the economy. Starting early by investing in Early Childhood Education yields eight dollars for every dollar spent.

By investing in the future of our children, we are essentially getting free money. And it’s not just our children who benefit. When they grow up, they spend their earnings, and invest them back into the local economy. By doing that everyone benefits. Mom and pop will be a little richer, as well as people who don’t have kids. Education and a better economy will also reduce the incarceration rate, at supports for public support, reducing the burden on taxpayers.

It’s time for Massachusetts lawmakers to choose.They take action and make the commonwealth a better place, while boosting the economy and state revenue as a result. Or lawmakers can squander the future of our children, our state checkbook, and our economy. We choose a brighter future.

Education: The Great Equalizer

Date: July 9, 2014

For the next few weeks, Progressive Massachusetts is highlighting one aspect of our Shared Prosperity Agenda, having our members write their perspectives on why Education, Healthcare, Housing, Jobs and Wages, and Progressive Revenue are important to them. For our first week, we are focusing on Education -- Within five years, we want free, publicly funded education for all residents from pre-K through Community, Vocational, or Four-Year College; A good first step would be universal, publicly funded pre-K available for all residents.This is part 2 of our three-part series on education written by Susan Davidoff, Jane Franz, Maxwell Morrongiello, with input from several others. Thank you!

Massachusetts is home to America’s oldest school -- Boston Latin -- and its oldest college -- Harvard. Today, Massachusetts has some of the most elite private colleges where students continually top the charts of the Department of Education rankings.

Yet over the past few decades, America’s best educated state is also the home to increasing income inequality. Massachusetts is leading the nation in education, but also in income inequality.

If education is known as the great equalizer, what’s the problem?

Massachusetts has some of the world’s best universities, but they are also the most expensive in the country. A four-year education at a public or private university here costs one-fourth more than the national average. College should be affordable for high-achieving students.

A solid K-12 education paves the way for college or other further education which all prepares students for jobs. However, Massachusetts school face inadequate and inequitable distribution of resources to many predominantly minority schools. This lack of resources fuels educational disparities -- too many of our neediest children lack access to programs that are essential to closing achievement gaps. Massachusetts currently has a waiting list of approximately 25,000 for financial assistance for early education and child care. We know that early childhood education provides a strong foundation to help children achieve later in life in a variety of ways.

In Massachusetts, our burdening legacy of racial economic and social inequality still persists. We can ignore it, or we can do something about it. Racial inequality costs the US economy one trillion dollars every year. Investing in education wouldn’t solve the problem, but it will definitely help.

Access to education is known as the great equalizer. Massachusetts should continue to be a leader in the fight for equality.

South Shore Supreme Court Decisions Discussion

Author: Susan Haley

Date: July 9, 2014

South Shore Progressives came out, and many voiced tremendous opposition to the Hobby Lobby decision. Some sent emails to be read and shared about their reactions and personal stories regarding how this decision impacts them. Some suggestions for actions to take included boycotting Eden Foods, looking into getting a table at Scituate Heritage Days,perhaps start the process for enacting a Constitutional Amendment, and have a social media workshop to better share information and actions. Many more actions were placed into the discussion for consideration. We anticipate the workshop happening within this month. We will let everyone know as soon as the availability of the room at the Library becomes clear.

How Public Schools Shaped My Life

Author: Maxwell Morrongiello

Date: July 10, 2014

For our first week, we are focusing on Education -- Within five years, we want free, publicly funded education for all residents from pre-K through Community, Vocational, or Four-Year College, but a good first step would be universal, publicly funded pre-K available for all residents.

This is part three of our three-part series on education written by Susan Davidoff, Jane Franz, Maxwell Morrongiello, with input from several others; this post is written by Maxwell Morrongiello. Thank you!

In the first part of this series, Progressive Massachusetts made a case for the economic argument of providing free Pre-K and Higher Education. This is a critical piece of our education policy, but it’s not the whole picture. Education is more than just graduating high school, in order to go to a good college, to get a good job. It is much more than that. We spend years of our lives in our school system, and our time there shapes not just our future success, but who we are as people.

School was very tough for me growing up. I was an outcast and had trouble fitting in. Later in my childhood, I was diagnosed with mild Asperger Syndrome, which is a less severe form of autism. I was viewed as different in school, and was ostracized for it. Life was a tough time for me growing up, but it shaped who I am as a person today, and would not change it.

I came to that conclusion later in life when I started attending college at a state university. I was taking a sociology class at the time which really opened my eyes as to how our society shapes us as people. Before, I was convinced that what I went through was my fault, and that I was the sole person responsible for my experiences. I was wrong. There is an expression that it takes a community to raise a child. Education is more than drilling facts into your head. People learn how to interact with each other in our school system. These interactions are key to our future development. When kids say bad things, or ostracize others, that are reflected not just of our education system, but are a microcosm of our culture. Our concepts of masculinity and competitiveness come from our time in our schools. These traits, while beloved by some, aren’t necessarily ideal. They influence our lives well into adulthood. If you want gender equality, it starts in our education system. If you want to end our “Greed is good” mentality, where do you think it comes from? It starts at childhood. Our schools need the resources for us not to just memorize facts, but to instil values, and show us how to interact with one another as a community. We need to teach not the values of testosterone, and over-confidence, but the values of evidence. Children grow through experience and role-play. But to do that, we need to fundamentally change the toxic culture of our schools system, of only focusing on standardized tests, and focus on the social and civil growth of our youth.

However, this will not be easy. My family had to fight tooth and nail to get the accommodations I needed to succeed. This is a fight that many parents face, pitting them against the school system. The school system resists because they don’t have the funding to do what is right. This is not just about special education. To change the culture, we need investment in the whole system. Unfortunately, the first thing to get the axe during budget cuts, are music, the arts, and other electives. This is a step in the wrong direction. In order to change the system, we to commitment for better funding, and to actually sit down and collaborate on how to redefine the fabric of our schools.

It’s no coincidence that I came to these conclusions during college at a public school. Higher Education for me wasn’t just about getting a job. I have always loved to learn, and college opened my eyes to the world. Everything I learned at different courses in college, though in different disciplines, was all related to each other some way. College taught me unique concepts, which were different lenses to view the world. To top things off, my social sphere blossomed in college. I had lots friends in college, after having none in high school. College, like K-12, isn’t just about the classes; it’s about learning your place in life.

It comes down to this, if we want our society to be a bunch of suits, that make a lot of cash, but find no fulfillment in life, then we are on the right course. But human beings yearn for fulfillment, fulfillment that cannot be obtained through material goods alone. We need to recognize that the goal of government isn’t just to provide economic prosperity, but allow us to enrich our lives with depth and meaning. Only then can we truly prosper.

~ Maxwell Morrongiello (ProgressiveMax)

“Medicare-For-All”: Saving Cost and Minimizing Bureaucratic Red Tape

Author: Enku Kebede-Francis

Date: July 14, 2014

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 Healthcare -- Within five years, we want quality, affordable health care covering all medically necessary treatment, a single-payer system similar to Medicare for all. A good first step would be a public option, enabling any resident to pay into an enhanced MassHealth system.

This is part one of our three-part series on healthcare written by Robin Akerman, Ken Farbstein, Ari Fertig, Shaina Kasper and Enku Kebede-Francis. Thank you!

Before the implementation of the 2006 health reform, Massachusetts had a fragmented health insurance scheme: many residents lacked coverage and those who were uninsured extensively overused hospital emergency rooms. Shortly after the law was enforced, the first in the nation, 98% of the residents were covered. Nobody can say it was an easy process and twice in 2008 and 2010, the original law was amended and currently Massachusetts is in the process of complying with the Federal program, The Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was modeled after the Massachusetts program.

The next changes that Massachusetts will need to make must be on controlling costs and changing the payment system. Although we have a universal healthcare system in Massachusetts, the current multiple payer system adds difficulties for patients, doctors, nurses and hospitals who have to navigate through layers of bureaucracy and state of Massachusetts pays substantial amounts of money and devote considerable amounts of time. But, fortunately, we have an alternative mode of payment that has worked very well that we could apply. Almost everyone would agree that Medicare is one of the most successful Federal programs and most importantly, according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid, its management only costs 1% of its budget.

In 1965, President Johnson and Congress created Medicare under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide health insurance to people age 65 and older, regardless of income or medical history.

We argue that if Medicare has worked for those who are age 65 and older, it should also work for those younger than 65. Ask anyone who is receiving Medicare, or their families. You will find out that even those who do not support a government run healthcare program would agree that this government run program, Medicare, has worked for millions efficiently and has kept its management costs to the absolute minimum.

If Massachusetts amends its health insurance payment system by replacing the multiple payment system with a single payer system, a Medicare-for-all, the patients and their doctors will only deal with a single payer and the money the state saves could be used for other programs including research, education, environment and transportation infrastructure, for example. This will not only benefit Massachusetts but the nation as well. If the Massachusetts health insurance scheme could be managed like Medicare and spends only 1-2 percent of its current budget, this group of bloggers endorse an amendment that promotes Medicare-for-all.

Progressive Massachusetts has proudly endorsed Dr. Don Berwick for Governor who believes patients, families, workers, businesses, health care providers, and the public treasury would benefit a great deal if the state’s health care costs are lower and, at the same time, the citizens of Massachusetts enjoy better health outcomes.

History of Healthcare Reform in Massachusetts

Author: Ari Fertig

Date: July 17, 2014

This is part one of our two-part series on Healthcare written by Robin Akerman, Ken Farbstein, Ari Fertig, Shaina Kasper and Enku Kebede-Francis. Special thanks to Ari Fertig and Brian Rosman for this post!

Since the 1980s, the state has tried a series of dramatic health policy endeavors, each of which has influenced national policy. To understand where we are going next, and if we want to enact our Shared Prosperity Agenda, it’s worth taking the time to understand the rich history of the health reform movement here at home. Below Ari Fertig has adapted a version of some of that history by Brian Rosman, Research Director at Health Care For All.

In 1988, under Governor Michael Dukakis, Massachusetts enacted far-reaching legislation establishing universal health coverage. The centerpiece of that law was the policy of “pay or play,” requiring most employers to either “play” – provide health coverage to their workers and families; or “pay” – pay an assessment to the state equal roughly to the cost of providing family coverage, which in turn would be used to provide subsidized insurance.

While the pay or play provisions of the law were never implemented, and ultimately repealed in 1996, the Dukakis law included a number of other policy experiments that influenced national policy, including expanded coverage for children, subsidized coverage for people with disabilities who are working, and funding health coverage for people receiving unemployment benefits. Another provision required all college students to have health insurance, the first instance of a state individual mandate. All of these provisions remain in Massachusetts state law today.

Every decade or so, Massachusetts undergoes an effort like this one to make quality, affordable health care available for all. In 1996, the state overhauled its Medicaid program, renaming it “MassHealth,” with greatly expanded eligibility, a simplified application process, and most members enrolled in managed care systems. The expansion was facilitated by a generous deal worked out with the federal government, using the Medicaid waiver process to allow Massachusetts to claim additional federal funds.

But after the recession in 2001, the number of uninsured grew. While the 1996 Medicaid expansion was successful in driving down the number of uninsured (from around 680,000 to 365,000), by 2004 the number of uninsured people had grown to about 460,000 people.

Second, with the growth of the uninsured came increased demands on the state’s Uncompensated Care Pool, a hospital reimbursement program funded by hospitals, insurers and the state. The program was designed to require minimal state funding, around $30 million. But growing numbers of uninsured patients showing up at hospitals led to increased state funding, reaching $206 million in 2006.

And so, a broad coalition of health care groups, organized by advocacy non-profit Health Care For All, formed to push for coverage expansions. The coalition, known as ACT! (Affordable Care Today), included the state’s hospital association, medical society, community health centers, and numerous influential civic and religious groups. Especially important was the role the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization played. A subset of ACT! gathered some 140,000 signatures to place a reform plan on the ballot, with the intent to force legislative action.

The plan worked. The legislature was interested in having its say – and did not want the ballot initiative to move forward. Governor Mitt Romney was interested in finding a market-oriented approach to covering the uninsured.

Governor Romney’s staff consulted with the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think-tank. They had advised him on a number of ideas that had also informed the early-90s Senate Republican alternative to the Clinton plan, centered around an individual mandate, a structured market for coverage, and sliding scale subsidies for private insurance.

These concerns coalesced in the legislative process that led to enactment of “Chapter 58” with virtually-unanimous majorities in both the House and Senate. Note that it was called Chapter 58 or “Massachusetts Health Reform” – nobody called it Romneycare until later, when it was cast as the state version of the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare.”

Governor Romney signed the law, with Senator Edward Kennedy looking over his shoulder, in the historic Faneuil Hall, with Romney campaign TV crews capturing the whole thing for anticipated use in Romney For President TV ads.

romney-healthcare-2006_custom-c9bd0f5c1a1ed524882cbb03ccfabfc92325cd53-s6-c30.jpg

The elements of the law included further expansion of MassHealth (Medicaid), mainly for children; sliding-scale insurance subsidies for low- and moderate-income adults (Commonwealth Care); a reformed individual health insurance market, with an exchange, called the Health Connector, to make it easy to compare and purchase plans; and requirements on employers to offer and individuals to obtain coverage, if it’s affordable.

This of course proved to be the model for the Affordable Care Act, the national story is worth a post unto itself. But what Chapter 58 did not truly address was the issue of costs.

In summer 2012, the legislature enacted a far-reaching bill, known as Chapter 224 or “payment reform,” aimed at controlling cost growth. The law’s major planks include increasing care coordination, using payment incentives to promote health and efficient care, and investing in public health prevention programs. The law also includes transparency provisions, malpractice reforms, expanded primary care and many other features.

Right now the state is working hard to implement the Affordable Care Act and Chapter 224 simultaneously. A new study suggests that due to the ACA, over 99% of Massachusetts residents have access to some form of insurance.

There is a lot of change coming to the Commonwealth in the way we are shifting paying for care and in the way that consumers will find affordable health care options. Advocates of the Shared Prosperity Agenda must be mindful of these changes and this history as we work to achieve our goals.

Setting the Table for Housing Reform

Author: Alex Lessin

Date: July 24, 2014

This week we are focusing on Housing -- within five years, we want affordable and decent housing in safe and vibrant neighborhoods, made possible with Universal access to housing that costs no more than 1/3 of our household income. A good first step would be increased rental assistance. In addition, Roosevelt Institute | Boston members voted to increase participation in town meetings, further strengthening our individual democracies and paving the way for increased development.

Roosevelt Institute | Boston is a civic volunteer group working give young people a seat at the public policy table and increase upward mobility in their communities. Thank you to Alex Lessin for writing this synopsis of their work!

In January of this year Roosevelt Institute | Boston decided to address the high cost of housing in Greater Boston by conducting a series of policy workshops. The goal of the workshops was to inform our network (primarily renters between the ages of 20 – 35) about the high costs of housing, identify the underlying policy causes, and determine potential solutions. We asked experts, “Why is housing in greater Boston so expensive for young people and young families?"

As the chart from the Boston Globe captures, home prices in the communities in and around Boston have skyrocketed in the eight years prior to 2013 – and they were not cheap to begin with. Not surprisingly, we learned the main drivers include increased demand to live in the area combined with a nominal increase in the supply of housing (as this chart from Tim Reardon at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council demonstrates):

Homeowners are looking good in this market; renters and buyers, not so much:

In the Greater Boston Area, more than 50% of renters pay at least a third of their income in rent, and 25% are paying at least half their income in rent, while the wait time for a rental voucher is over 10 years;
According to the US Census, Massachusetts Ranks 44th in Home Ownership (and 44th best in income inequality).

The experiences of our members mirror these statistics. Many of us chose to live in neighborhoods accessible to public transportation, and, for those lucky enough, close to our jobs. Our paychecks go towards rent and student loans – few to none of us are saving, and we do not yet have the income to afford the $20,000 - $50,000 down payment on a home.

Increased rental assistance would address this problem by supplementing the income of those struggling to afford to live here, allowing some to afford rent and others to save for the future.

Other efforts to reverse the above trends have been ongoing: the Commonwealth Housing Task Force identified the above concerns in 2003; since then, a panoply of organizations have attempted to influence the market through public policy in one way or another. These organizations include:

Professional Planners and Consultants -- like Metropolitan Area Planning Council, which acts as a regional planning organization for Eastern Massachusetts; and the Urban Land Institute an industry trade group.
Developers -- including private for-profit developers like Beacon Communities and non-profit developers such as The Community Builders and other Community Development Corporations, such as those represented by Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations. The latter groups may build public housing developments funded by the state or federal government; housing developments may also be constructed by public entities such as housing authorities.
Professional Housing Advocates -- these groups represent a wide variety of interests, including those focused on homelessness, such as Homes for Families; policy experts, such as Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership and the Smart Growth Alliance; and foundations such as the Boston Foundation’s Commonwealth Housing Task Force, which credits itself as laying the foundation for Smart Growth zoning reform and produces a yearly housing report card.

These actors are well represented in the housing policy discussion; many provided ample research support to Roosevelt Institute | Boston throughout our policy series. At the end of the day, however, it is local residents that largely make decisions regarding new development in their own neighborhoods.

Many of these decisions are made before a housing project is even proposed through zoning regulations. Zoning laws prescribe the lot size, house size, family size (multifamily vs single family), and other building characteristics. Zoning laws are largely determined and reformed at the local level, though generally require approval by the Attorney General (Boston is one significant exception). Local authority for zoning power is derived in General Laws Chapter 40A.

Through our research, we found that zoning has both positive and negative aspects. On the one hand, zoning separates and protects residential areas from noisy or polluting entities, such as industrial plants.

On the other hand, zoning laws and zoning board decisions are often used to stymie development. Unfortunately, misperceptions about the effects of Affordable or Smart Growth construction cause some property owners to believe that the value in their home will decrease with additional projects. Thus, to protect their investment, residents may oppose any development.

In Norwood, for example, a Smart Growth project that sought a zoning variance was voted down after 90 voted for and 73 against.

As seen in this example, exceptions to area zoning often requires a 2/3rds majority and the Norwood project did not have enough votes to push the project through. In many other cases, zoning regulations prevent multifamily housing development altogether.

It is for this reason members of the Roosevelt Institute | Boston voted to focus on increasing public participation of zoning meetings: we aim to bring more people out to vote for projects, thereby increasing the chance for development, increasing the supply of housing, and in the long run, lowering the overall price.

In the meantime, Progressive Mass members can contact the House Ways and Means Committee and urge them to pass zoning reform bill HB1859/4065.

Ballot Questions - November 4, 2014

Date: July 28, 2014

On the four very important referenda on the ballot on Tuesday, November 4, we strongly recommend voting

"NO-YES-YES-YES"

QUESTION 1 – Repeal indexing the gas tax? NO

QUESTION 2 – Expand the “bottle bill” to include water bottles, juice, sports drinks? YES

QUESTION 3 – Repeal the law allowing casinos in Massachusetts? YES

QUESTION 4 – Give all workers the right to earn sick time? YES

TAKE OUR RECS ON THE ROAD -- download/print our ballot question voting guide.

Share the word on social media: #MAVoteNYYY - Vote No, Yes, Yes, Yes

Download LIT PIECES from our field leaders for use in your canvasses.

QUESTION 1 – NO

Repeal indexing the gas tax, defunding road and bridge repair? NO

Voting no keeps the gas tax indexed to inflation providing funds for repairing infrastructure. On

bridges alone, 53% are now “structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.” Roads, bridges, and the T need to be repaired even when there’s inflation or the political winds shift.

Over HALF of MA bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, via SafeRoadsBridges.com
Allies on "No on 1":

Mass. Taxpayers Foundation says: vote NO on Question 1!
AAA of Southern New England: "It's a Safety Issue" (via SafeRoadsBridges.com)
Chambers of Commerce across MA (see full list of "No on 1" endorsees: saferoadsbridges.com/endorsements)

How your representatives voted on the gas tax
Where we stand on the gas tax
Our guest blogger Lizzi Weyant discusses question 1, here
CommonWealth Magazine - Gas tax indexing ballot question could stump voters - Sept 2014 - http://bit.ly/YlPsyc
RELATED: Time to get serious - CommonWealth Magazine - http://bit.ly/YW9f8s
THE ECONOMIST - America’s crumbling infrastructure: Bridging the gap - June 2014 - http://bit.ly/ZqY1bC

"Republicans—who control most statehouses and governorships—will have to stay their urge to shrink government and cut taxes. The party often argues that the federal government should spend less and let the states make more decisions about how to tax and spend. On infrastructure at least they have got their wish. Now is the time for them to show that they mean it."

QUESTION 2 – YES

Expand the “bottle bill” to include water bottles, juice, sports drinks? YES

Update the Bottle Bill to include what we now drink – water, sports drinks, tea... We recycle 80%

of beverage containers with deposits, but only 23% without deposits. Plastic is a resource when

it’s recycled; it harms the environment forever when it’s not. Plastic bottles are 99% petroleum,

so recycling decreases oil use. Towns and cities would save $6.7 million per year in trash disposal

costs; that’s why 209 have endorsed Yes-on-2.

FAQ on Question 2 (PDF): what changes, where does the money go?
Know who's funding the attacks against Question 2

"Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Bottle Bill?" Blog at Blue Mass Group, by PM member JCohn!
"Bottle bill foes hope you buy in" - Yvonne Abraham - The Boston Globe -
Ads with Inaccurate Data Aid Foes of Wider Bottle Law - The Boston Globe - http://bit.ly/1n2V5go

"beverages frequently cost more in New Hampshire, which does not have a bottle redemption law"
"if the question passes, [bottle revenue not redeemed by consumers] will be designated for environmental programs."
"nondeposit bottles outnumber deposit bottles by three to one in the litter found in public parks, even though they make up only 40 percent of the market."
"only 47%of Massachusetts cities and towns offer curbside recycling, reaching 64% of the population"
"the ads opposing Question 2 [are], fueled by nearly $8 million in contributions from the American Beverage Association and large supermarket chains."
"two spots that contain the inaccurate statistics have aired more than 500 times in recent weeks"
"Many of the TV stations that run the ads, which have been a lucrative source of income, did not return calls for comment. Bill Fine, president and general manager of WCVB-TV, said his station would continue to air the spots. He described the ads as “what has come to pass for customary political discourse.”"

QUESTION 3 – YES

Repeal the law establishing casinos in Massachusetts? YES

The house always wins - owners are the only real winners. Casinos’ business model depends on

fostering addiction. The human costs and municipal costs are huge with increased crime,

bankruptcy, and addiction. Local businesses and their jobs are lost. Forbes rated casino jobs as

among the worst-paying in America while Moody’s rated the industry as “poor” because of

oversaturation. There are other ways to revitalize!

Repeal the Casino Deal: repealthecasinodeal.org/
See how your representatives voted on expanding gambling legislation
Towns get revenue from the Lottery. Casinos will decimate lottery revenue.

"the state’s largest city, stands to lose at least $15.4 million in local aid from lottery revenues when casinos open. Worcester, the second largest city, could lose at least $3.4 million. And Springfield, the third largest city, could lose at least $3 million." Read more.

QUESTION 4 – YES

Give all workers the right to earn sick time? YES

Currently, one million workers in MA cannot earn sick time. Earned sick time improves employee

retention and productivity. A healthier workforce is better for everyone. The new law would apply to

businesses with 11 or more employees, and is part of a national effort.

GOING CANVASSING?

Bring along Lit. Pieces with "NO - YES - YES - YES"

The PROGRESSIVE MASS REFERENDA VOTER GUIDE (PDF) - print for your own reference or to share with your community. [single column to email or 3-column to cut/distribute]

Also check out excellent materials on the ballot questions produced by our local Chapters and talented grassroots organizers! Download fliers here:

JP Progressives (PDF/postcard size)
Progressive Needham (PDFs/bookmark size and full page)
Progressive Watertown (PDF/half-page)
W. Roxbury organizers (PDF/single-column; 3 column)
(in progress/check back) Progressive Lexington (bookmark-size)

DOWNLOAD IMAGES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

IN SPANISH:

The Editors at Blue Mass Group has also endorsed "No on One, Yes on the Rest"--

Tipped Workers

Author: Matt Szafranski

Date: July 30, 2014

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.

Matthew Szafranski, the author of this post, is the Editor-in-Chief of Western Mass Politics & Insight (WMassP&I), a Springfield-based political blog. Read more from WMassP&I here and contribute to the blog's fundraising campaign to maintain its operations through this particularly busy political 2014 cycle in Western Massachusetts.

Come January, tipped employees in Massachusetts will receive their first raise in over 15 years. The increase will be meager $1.12. The full minimum wage will rise to $11 from $8. Still, this time, the most vulnerable workers affected by minimum wage laws are not completely forgotten thanks in part to the work of Raise Up Massachusetts and the Shared Prosperity Agenda of Progressive Massachusetts.

The tipped wage came about in the 1960’s when workers who receive tips food service workers, were finally covered by in the federal minimum wage at 50% of the full wage. While the percentage changed over the years, it was cut off entirely on the federal level in 1996, freezing the federal rate at $2.13.

Inexplicably, Massachusetts followed suit in 1998. Other states did not. Connecticut had, until recently kept its tipped wage pegged to the full wage, such that it is currently a comparably robust $5.69.

The Massachusetts Senate’s minimum wage law raised the tipped employee wage to 50% of the full minimum wage, a total of $5.50 when the full minimum wage matured to $11. Instead, the tipped wage will rise, over three years, to $3.75 from $2.63. It is unclear what the senate got out tossing the higher tipped increase (as well as minimum wage indexing) out the window. House leadership seemed dead set against an increase higher than $3.75, such that they shut down Reps’ efforts to raise the wage. While still too low, the increase arrests decades of widening disparity between the full and tipped wages.

“Tips make up the difference,” restaurateurs argued. One Republicans member of the senate laughably said that a higher tipped wage was unjustified because, as the o-owner of a diner, waitresses were making more than he was. Even if true, beachside breakfast nooks are quite unlike chain empires.

At these large establishments, tips might make up for it…or not. The party that leaves five bucks on a $100 check certainly does not. Perfect service does not guarantee great tips. But, even as those chains will get paid for what they sell, tipped employees may have to fork over a set amount of money to other employees, regardless of what the server actually earned.

Anybody can sympathize with the struggling independent restaurant owner. However, it is the big guys who hide behind the little guys to avoid paying employees fairer wages. The Massachusetts Restaurant Association and its Big Brother the NRA (not the gun one) swoon over the thought of paying their tipped workers one cent more. It will bankrupt the small business owner!

That is probably not true. More importantly, tipped workers endure incredible demands. A sampling include no consistent income; forced sharing of tips (which is legally distinct from the illegal practice of tipped pooling); demands from guests and management; physical exertion; constant pressure to sell and more. The slightest wail from a guest can land a server in trouble or the unemployment line…if the boss does not try to disqualify him/her. Never mind that tipped workers are at huge risk for wage theft.

Meanwhile, tipped workers are not simply college students. Students constitute a huge share, but the stage a person is at in life should not be grounds for a lower wage. Secondly many of those college kids continue in their positions beyond graduation as they struggle to start long-term careers. Finally, many, many tipped workers, particularly outside the orbit of the sizzling Boston-Cambridge economy are not just starting out. Life happens and suddenly folks, well into their 50’s are raising a family, supplementing another job or the income of a spouse/partner or just struggling to pay their own expenses.

Massachusetts, despite its draconian tip wage, actually does better than some states. Employers cannot deduct the credit card service charge off of tips. Tip sharing is restricted to “service employees.” There is far more to be said about this issue and perhaps, around January, it may be time to agitate for a prompter or higher increase. For the moment, this increase was a long time coming…and it is an improvement. When not abused the tipped wage can work out for all parties, but there is still much room for progress.

Earned Sick Time Now!

Author: Stacie Shapiro

Date: July 31, 2014

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.

Aside from the obvious benefit this legislation provides for workers, businesses will benefit as well by having a healthier workforce.

Employees who come to work sick are often less productive, and they expose other employees to illnesses which can affect future productivity.

This is also good from a public health perspective. When people go to work sick, especially in service-related industries such as restaurants, they expose coworkers and customers. If they take public transportation, they expose other riders.

Providing workers with the option to care for themselves in the privacy and comfort of their own home is long overdue in Massachusetts. I hope you will support this important initiative by voting “yes” for earned sick time in November.

Join the Earned Sick Time campaign here, or go to a canvassing event in your area. If you don't see an event in your area or would like to host your own, contact shaina@progressivemass.com 617-684-5609.

Sign our petition for Jobs and Transportation here.

Transportation Infrastructure

Author: Lizzi Miller Weyant

Date: July 31, 2014

Lizzi Weyant is the Advocacy Director at Transportation for Massachusetts.Transportation for Massachusetts is working with the Committee for Safer Roads and Bridges, formed to defeat Question 1.

A good transportation system drives our economy. We need choices about how we get to work, school, and job training, and employers of all sizes need to be able to move people and goods efficiently and effectively.

Consider these facts: every $1 billion we invest in transportation infrastructure supports 36,000 jobs. And every $10 million we invest in public transportation generates $30 million in increased business sales.

I don’t know about your portfolio, but most investments I read about don’t have a 3:1 rate of return in job creation and economic development. But transportation does!

Last year, the legislature voted to increase investments in our entire transportation system with the passage of a transportation financing bill that raised the gas tax for the first time in 22 years. The legislation also indexed the gas tax to inflation, which ensures that we will able to keep pace with rising costs, and continue to get a good return on our transportation investment, with improved economic opportunities, more jobs, and safer roads and bridges.

But this November, Massachusetts voters will have to choose whether they want to support an improved economy and safer roads and bridges, or they want to let our state’s infrastructure slide into dangerous disrepair.

Question 1 on the ballot would repeal the law that allows the Commonwealth to index the gas tax to inflation, putting a billion dollars worth of repairs and investment at risk.

We have a long way to go to get the transportation system we want in Massachusetts. Consider these troubling facts:

According to the Federal Highway Administration, more than half of all bridges in the state are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete – ranging us second-worst among the 50 states.
The ten busiest structurally deficient bridges in the state carry more than one million cars every day.
Roadway conditions are a significant factor in one-third of all traffic fatalities in Massachusetts, and motor vehicle crashes cost Massachusetts $6.3 billion a year in medical and other costs.

Simply put, we can’t afford not to invest in transportation.

Question 1 would jeopardize $1 billion in transportation investments, meaning that our roads and bridges will continue to deteriorate, and losing us millions of dollars in improved economic activity. We can’t afford to threaten the safety and security of Massachusetts drivers and transit riders and their families.

So this November, say NO to unsafe roads and bridges and vote NO on Question 1. Learn more about our work with the Committee for Safer Roads and Bridges here: www.saferoadsbridges.com and follow us on Twitter @VoteNoOnQ1

Fiscal Conservatism Means Investing Smart

Author: Patricia Negron

Date: August 7, 2014

Members and organizational partners are sharing their experiences and expertise as part of our blog series on our Shared Prosperity Agenda. This week, Patricia Negron from Needham argues that fiscal conservatism means investing smart.

As a business owner, I know that I’m only going to be as successful as the community I serve.

Any good businessperson knows, our transportation infrastructure is paramount to the smooth flow of commerce. Cargo ships, trains, and planes, tractor trailers and delivery trucks bring us all of our critical as well as discretionary goods and raw materials day in and out. This requires properly working, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for our ship and air ports, railways, and roads.

We also know that a properly educated workforce is essential to creating competitive businesses that are positioned to succeed over the long-term. I stress “long-term” because it is expensive for businesses to open and close, for the business owner and employees, but there are implications also for the larger community every time a local business shuts its doors. Dollars previously spent at the business often move out of the community, along with the associated tax revenue, drying up community investment and we all lose, yet again.

Access to affordable healthcare is another matter that just makes good policy sense. When individuals can’t afford the co-pay for a needed doctor’s appointment or the time off from work to go, the delay in care and stress associated with an untreated ailment is not only further harmful to one’s health, it inescapably compromises their work performance. This, in turn, has a direct impact on the performance of the employer, which impairs our collective economic health. And, such forced choices drive up premiums for everyone and leave fewer dollars to circulate in the local economy. These costs hurt all of us.

We can only have a healthy economy within the context of a healthy community. A healthy economy and a healthy community both require investments of capital that, in turn, require open discussion, agreement on priorities, and a strategic plan for achieving them.

The key is in the planning. The current political environment has legislators constantly kicking the can, and failing to do their job in planning for meeting the future needs of the community. Such an approach is doomed to failure in the business world and, clearly, it is failing our communities.

A “return” cannot be generated unless investments are made. We must change the conversation from one of “cost” to one of potential returns, and evaluate our public investments accordingly.

Massachusetts should not be one to just “follow the pack”. Historically, we have led the way with practical solutions to solvable problems. As a fiscal conservative, I want my government to work “smart”, and that means I have to invest the resources necessary for that to happen. And that means we must raise more revenue to “invest smart” in our communities, and we must do so in a way that seeks greater investment from the ones who have benefited the most from our community investments. A truly progressive state income tax, like the federal income tax -- as opposed to our current regressive 5.25% flat state income tax --would generate the revenue we need and do so fairly.

It’s time to reject heated rhetoric about taxes and community investment. When one does their due diligence and properly assesses a public or private investment, progressives and conservatives alike will arrive at similar conclusions about the wisdom of planning for the future. Investing in long-term returns is not a radical, ideological position: it is a time-tested, rational, common sense approach in business, and it is one we must apply to our communities.

Income Tax Cuts Have Reduced Funding for Effective Investments in Our People and Communities

Author: Kurt Wise

Date: August 7, 2014

As part of our Shared Prosperity Agenda blog series, Kurt Wise of MassBudget shares their on progressive revenue. MassBudget is an independent nonprofit organization that provides non-partisan research and analysis of state budget and tax policies, as well as economic issues, that affect low- and moderate-income people in Massachusetts.

The state budget, and the taxes that fund it, are the primary way we pay for the things that we do together through government. These include police and fire protection; public education; roads, bridges and public transportation; a safety net for when people face hard times; and more. These investments can both make life better for our families today and build a foundation for a stronger economy in the future.

Beginning in 1998, a number of significant changes were made to the state tax code, including a series of cuts to the state personal income tax. These cuts reduced the Commonwealth's capacity to fund essential services.

Three of these income tax cuts were particularly costly to the Commonwealth:

a cut from 5.95% to 5.3% in the tax rate applied to wage and salary income,
a cut from 12% to 5.3% in the tax rate applied to dividend and interest income, and
a doubling of the value of the personal exemption from $2,200 to $4,400 for single filers, and from $4,400 to $8,800 for married couples.

The combined effect of these three cuts is now a loss of some $3.2 billion in annual revenue. (Read more about the effects of income tax cuts here.)

Other factors also have affected state revenue collections in the years since 1998. These include state-level tax policy decisions, as well as changes in consumer spending patterns and in the structure of the Massachusetts economy.

While there have been several tax increases over this period, the net effect of all increases and reductions since 1998 is that total tax revenue as a share of state personal income has declined by about one percentage point (from about 6.3 percent in FY 1998 to about 5.2 percent in FY 2013). This amounts now to a loss of well over $4 billion in annual tax revenue for the Commonwealth.

This substantial decline in revenue has led to deep cuts to program areas across the budget. Cuts in funding for essential public investments can compromise the state's long term growth potential and harm the current and future well-being of the people who live and work here in Massachusetts. (Read more about the effects of tax cuts on state funding here. Explore our online Budget Browser here.)

While the budget cuts caused by the tax cuts of the past 15 years have affected everyone who relies on goods schools, roads, public safety and the many other things we do together through government, the primary beneficiaries of these tax cuts have been the highest income residents of the Commonwealth.

High income people in Massachusetts pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than middle and lower income people do, and the income tax cuts of the last fifteen years – particularly the large cut in the tax rate on dividend income – have made our tax system still more unfair. (Read more about tax fairness here.)

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Boston Mobilization on Progressive Revenue

Date: August 18, 2014

Boston Mobilization was founded in 1977 as part of a national movement for workers rights and smart green energy. Since then we have taken leadership and support roles in a wide variety of social justice campaigns. Their work continues to be developing the next generation of social justice leaders, through our powerful trainings, our community organizing campaign work, our mentorship of young leaders and our transformational youth program –Sub/Urban Justice. This blog post is written by two teens in the program, Owen Weitzman and Christopher DesAnges, after their summer. Thank you!

This summer, Sub/Urban Justice has been working on empowering youth with regards to progressive revenue. The Sub/Urban Justice Fellowship has followed in Boston Mobilization’s tradition of grassroots organizing by facilitating trainings for teen groups on the state budget, progressive revenue, and how to meet with legislators to hold them accountable to the funding needs of youth and all Massachusetts residents. Over the summer we led 22 trainings, educating more than 400 teens from Boston and Cambridge, as well as a handful from around the country.

On Thursdays, the Sub/Urban Justice Internship discussed and learned about organizing and campaign work by doing their own campaign around progressive revenue. They first learned about the different steps of organizing from Relationship Building to Action Planning. They learned how to research by breaking down the different aspects of progressive revenue and breaking into groups to find information on each aspect. They learned to find influential allies in their work by power mapping (using a grid to determine the likelihood of them wanting to fight for progressive revenue, as well as the amount of power an ally has, in order to see their importance). This culminated in a day of legislative meetings in which the interns met with ten or their local representatives to test the waters around progressive revenue and to explain why progressive revenue is an important issue to them.

We found that while few legislatures were opposed to progressive revenue, many legislators were on board with the idea and were willing to support our goal. We found that our partnership with YMORE (Youth of Massachusetts Organizing for a Reformed Economy - a larger youth-led coalition) was extremely helpful in reaching politicians; the relationships that YMORE has been building over the past 5 years with politicians such as Senator Chang-Diaz and Representative Jay Kaufman who is chairman of the Joint Committee on revenue in the State House helped us get appointments right away.

We look forward to the next steps in this exciting work - and hope to partner more with Progressive Mass along the way! Here’s a bit more about Sub/Urban Justice and our parent org Boston Mobilization...

~Owen Weitzman, 18, Newton; and Christopher DesAnges, 16, Dorchester

Christine Barber Endorsed by CSfC and Medford4MA!

Author: Cambridge Somerville for Change

Date: August 25, 2014

This past spring, longtime supporter and Progressive Massachusetts legislative ally Representative Carl Sciortino stepped down from his seat in the Statehouse. Progressive Massachusetts Chapters Cambridge-Somerville for Change and Medford4MA joined local community group Progressive Dems of Somerville to endorse one of the five candidates running to take Carl’s seat for State Representative of the 34th Middlesex District (which includes parts of Medford and Somerville).

We held a rigorous endorsement process for State Representative of the 34th Middlesex District -- a candidate questionnaire (which Christine Barber and Sharon Guzick completed) and a forum featuring the two candidates.

We are pleased to announce that all three groups -- and Progressive Massachusetts -- voted overwhelmingly to endorse Christine Barber for State Representative for 34th Middlesex.

Christine Barber has fought for working families in the State House working on the health care expansion, and is a local development leader with Somerville Community Corporation. She hopes to work on district issues such as ensuring the green line extension is funded to Route 16 in Medford; furthering the preservation of the mystic river; and ensuring the affordability of the neighborhoods.

To learn more about Christine Barber, see her website at: http://www.christinebarber.org/

Primary Legislative Recommendations

Date: August 25, 2014

Our recommended slate of primary candidates: Christine Barber for 34th Middlesex State Rep, Mike Day for 31st Middlesex State Rep, Ivette Hernandez for 10th Hampden State Rep, Mary Keefe for 15th Worcester State Rep, Steve Ultrino for 33rd Middlesex State Rep, Jessica Finocchiaro for First Essex State Senator, and Dylan Hayre for Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex State Senator.

Each of the following candidates is dedicated to our progressive values, and will be fighters for our shared prosperity agenda on Beacon Hill.

House

Christine Barber -- Candidate for State Rep, 34th Middlesex

Screen_shot_2014-08-25_at_2.24.34_PM.png Christine Barber in the 34th Middlesex District: Christine stands out as the best candidate to replace Carl Sciortino’s big shoes because of her policy expertise, and her active work with community organizations in the district. She hopes to work on district issues such as ensuring the green line extension is funded to Route 16 in Medford; furthering the preservation of the mystic river; and ensuring the affordability of the neighborhoods. Christine Barber also spoke at the Cambridge-Somerville for Change, Medford4MA and Progressive Democrats of Somerville’s 34th Middlesex Candidates Forum in June.

Mike Day – Candidate for State Rep, 31st Middlesex

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Ivette Hernandez for State Representative, 10th Hampden

Ivette earned the endorsement of Progressive Massachusetts based on her life-long dedication to social and economic justice. I am confident that as a state Representative, Ivette will serve her district, and the entire commonwealth well. Her personal story, and wealth of experience as an advocate for justice are exactly what we need.

Mary Keefe -- Candidate for State Rep, 15th Worcester

Screen_shot_2014-08-25_at_2.00.54_PM.png Mary Keefe has worked in the Worcester community for fifteen years, and hopes to continue to strengthen our community by working with community groups and organizations to prioritize community issues, improve schools and opportunities for youth, and to give good jobs to local residents. Rep. Keefe has been a progressive leader in the legislature, standing up for our values when few other legislators did. We need more progressive like Rep. Keefe on Beacon Hill.

Steve Ultrino for State Representative, 33rd Middlesex

Steve Ultrino is a lifelong Malden resident and educator. As a City Councilor in Malden, Steve has a proven track record of accomplishment, combine this with his commitment to progressive values, and we

Senate

Jessica Finocchiaro – Candidate for State Senator, First Essex

Life-long Metheun resident Jessica Finocchiaro was elected to represent Metheun on the Greater Lawrence Technical School Committee, works at the Department of Mental Health, and has years of experience working a small business. She hopes to bring fair wages, controlled health care costs, publicize all her votes, and fight for local schools when elected to office. Jessica’s stands out because her Progressive values led her to challenge 1-term incumbent Kathleen O’Connor Ives, who has taken the progressive position on only 2 of the 16 votes Progressive Massachusetts scored in the 2013-2014 legislative session.

Dylan Hayre – Candidate for State Senator, Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex

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In a very competitive primary, Dylan stands out because of his long-term dedication to Progressive Massachusetts and our values. A lifelong resident of Natick and a son of immigrants, Dylan represents veterans and military families with his own law practice. He hopes to strengthen the economy by protecting workers and prioritizing accountability, and continue to serve our veterans in the State Senate.

YesOn4MA

Date: August 28, 2014

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.

We are asking voters across the Commonwealth to vote YES on Question 4 on November 4th to ensure earned sick time for all Massachusetts workers. Currently, 1 million workers don’t have any access to earned time off. We don’t think people should have to choose between the job they need and being able to take care of themselves or a loved one.

But to pass in November, we’re going to need help to knock on doors and call voters to ask them to vote yes on Question 4. Join us for an event in your area here.

Canvassing

We are knocking on voters to talk to them face-to-face about earned sick time; to have real one-to-one conversations to answer questions, tell stories, and win votes. Join us to knock on doors in your community: Find canvasses here. Don’t see a canvass that works for you? Start your own by clicking here or by contacting your Regional Field Director.

Phonebanking

We are calling voters to talk to them about the issues, to answer questions, and to ask for their vote. You can join a phonebank on a hubdialer technology with just a computer and a phone! Find phonebanks here. Don’t see a phonebank that works for you? Start your own phonebank by clicking here or by contacting your Regional Field Director.

Share your story

Are you a worker or a business owner? We would love to hear why you support the Raise Up MA campaign for earned sick time. Share your story by clicking here.

To learn more about earned sick time, see the YesOn4MA.org website.

Ask Your Candidates to Complete a Progressive Mass Questionnaire

Date: September 19, 2014

Don't see a Progressive Mass recommendation for your local races?

With two hundred Legislative seats up for re-election every two years, many of which feature uncontested races where the incumbent is guaranteed to win, Progressive Mass by necessity must zero in only on select races which meet a constellation of criteria, such as whether there is an opportunity to elect a more progressive legislator, among other things, as well as considerations about our membership.

However, legislative races can be among the most frustrating to navigate.

Unlike statewide races like the Governor, there's little coverage on the candidates in the media, and as we have outlined elsewhere, it is challenging to find digestible information about an incumbent's voting record. Campaign websites offer the most information, but are understandably limited to whatever the candidates think is the putting the best foot forward.

In short, it's a challenge for the average voter to know where to turn or where to find useful material to help her vote, in large measure because that information doesn't exist!

Someday, we hope to have have enough resources to solicit completed questionnaires from all legislative candidates.

In the meantime, we encourage you to send our legislative questionnaire to your local candidates, and if you get responses, we will happily share them for public reference!

Even for incumbents running unopposed, we think voters asking legislators to go on record on our shared progressive priorities is an extremely valuable opportunity -- for voters, for the candidate and for your community.

If you request questionnaire responses from candidates in your legislative district, please drop us a line!

General Election Endorsements and Recommendations

Date: September 19, 2014

As we move forward to November 4th, we must continue to fight for bold, progressive change and help elect better and more progressive elected officials to Beacon Hill. We know that when we speak up and organize, we bend the arc toward equality and justice for all.

Statewide Offices

Martha Coakley for Governor
Steve Kerrigan for Lt. Governor
Maura Healey for Attorney General
Deb Goldberg for Treasurer

Mass. Legislature

House

Denise Andrews - 2nd Franklin
Christine Barber - 34th Middlesex
Mike Day - 31st Middlesex
Michelle Dubois - 10th Plymouth
Ken Gordon - 21st Middlesex
Mary Keefe - 15th Worcester
Matthew Terry - 5th Barnstable
Steve Ultrino - 33rd Middlesex

Senate

Dylan Hayre - Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex
Barbara L'Italien - 2nd Essex and Middlesex
Jason Lewis - 5th Middlesex
Matthew Patrick - Plymouth and Barnstable
Dan Wolf - Cape and Islands

* Of our primary endorsements for statewide offices, Maura Healey won the Democratic nomination for Atty. General!

Maura Healey for Attorney General

When we put our endorsements to our members to vote, they were clear: Maura Healey has the progressive record of leadership and the independence we need for our next Attorney general. We are so proud to endorse Maura Healey for Attorney General.

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Recommended legislative candidates:

Many candidates on our recommended slate of primary candidates won their primary and are now headed to the general election: Christine Barber for 34th Middlesex State Rep, Mike Day for 31st Middlesex State Rep, Mary Keefe for 15th Worcester State Rep, Steve Ultrino for 33rd Middlesex State Rep, and Dylan Hayre for Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex State Senator.

And, we are introducing more recommendations for the General Election: Matthew Terry for 5th Barnstable State Rep, Dan Wolf for Cape and Islands State Senator, Jason Lewis for 5th Middlesex State Senator, and Matthew Patrick for Plymouth and Barnstable State Senator.

Finally, Progressive Massachusetts is a member organization of the progressive political advocacy organization Mass Alliance. With Progressive Mass Staff and the other civic, economic justice, education, environmental, healthcare, reproductive rights, and workers rights organizations, we collectively endorse candidates. Mass Alliance endorsed candidates for the General Election are Denise Andrews for 2nd Franklin State Rep, Michelle Dubois for 10th Plymouth State Rep, and Ken Gordon for 21st Middlesex State Rep; Barbara L'Italien for 2nd Essex and Middlesex State Senator.

House:

Denise Andrews for State Representative, 2nd Franklin

Denise Andrews is from Orange, and has worked for diversity and inclusion her entire career. A collaborative and accountable leader for change across many communities, she prioritizes issues revolving around fiscally responsible spending, economic development, citizen engagement, and diversity.

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Christine Barber for State Representative, 34th Middlesex

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Christine Barber in the 34th Middlesex District: Christine stands out as the best candidate to replace Carl Sciortino’s big shoes because of her policy expertise, and her active work with community organizations in the district. She hopes to work on district issues such as ensuring the green line extension is funded to Route 16 in Medford; furthering the preservation of the mystic river; and ensuring the affordability of the neighborhoods. Christine Barber also spoke at the Cambridge-Somerville for Change, Medford4MA and Progressive Democrats of Somerville’s 34th Middlesex Candidates Forum in June. Christine had a fantastic win on September 9th in Somerville with lots of help from our members in the area knocking on doors, making phone calls, and organizing volunteers.

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Mike Day for State Representative, 31st Middlesex

While we were happy to see Jason Lewis elected to the State Senate, his progressive presence will be missed in the House. That is why we are proud to support Mike Day, who has been a staunch advocate for civil rights and civil liberties for the past decade.

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Michelle Dubois for State Representative, 10th Plymouth

Michelle Dubois has worked to stop the gas-fired power plant that would increase air pollution and health risks, and to stop the landfill expansion in her community. She has also worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for elders, children, people with disabilities, and working families across the commonwealth. Michelle has also been a tireless advocate for governmental transparency.

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Ken Gordon for State Representative, 21st Middlesex

Ken Gordon has fought for an increase in the minimum wage, and was instrumental in passing the unemployment insurance reform bill. He tackles the tough issues in the state house as a member of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development.

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Mary Keefe for State Representative, 15th Worcester

Mary Keefe has worked in the Worcester community for fifteen years, and hopes to continue to strengthen our community by working with community groups and organizations to prioritize community issues, improve schools and opportunities for youth, and to give good jobs to local residents. Rep. Keefe has been a progressive leader in the legislature, standing up for our values when few other legislators did. We need more progressive like Rep. Keefe on Beacon Hill.

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Matthew Terry for State Representative, 5th Barnstable

Matt Terry is an attorney from the Cape, fighting for the restoration of the district’s assets such as its vanishing beaches, crumbling and crowded roads, and declining school quality, and a stronger year-round cape economy.

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Steve Ultrino for State Representative, 33rd Middlesex

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Senate:

Dylan Hayre for State Senator, Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex

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A lifelong resident of Natick and a son of immigrants, Dylan represents veterans and military families with his own law practice. He hopes to strengthen the economy by protecting workers and prioritizing accountability, and continue to serve our veterans in the State Senate.

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Barbara L’Italien for State Senator, 2nd Essex and Middlesex

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Barbara L’Italien has proven to be a champion for people with disabilities, particularly for those in the autism community and a leader on eldercare issues. She is a true community activist so voters know her as an advocate and a fighter on the issues that matter.

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Jason Lewis for State Senator, 5th Middlesex

Lots of our members were out knocking on doors all winter to elect Jason Lewis for State Senate in a special election race when Katherine Clark was elected for the 5th Congressional District. Now Jason already has to be re-elected in November! Since first being elected of the state legislature, Jason has been a champion of local economic development opportunities in the community, worked to make healthcare more affordable, and to improve public transportation.

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Matthew C. Patrick for State Senator, Plymouth and Barnstable

Matthew Patrick is a five-term state representative from Falmouth, an environmentalist, clean energy advocate, and small-business owner with a track record of closing corporate tax loopholes.

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Dan Wolf for State Senator, Cape and Islands

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Dan Wolf created and ran a business on the Cape for years before serving in the legislature for the past four years. He hopes to rebuild our infrastructure, make public education more affordable, build effective wastewater treatment, and reform revenue policies.

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In these races, every vote counts.

2014 - Meet the Progressives of November 4

Date: October 4, 2014

It’s an open Massachusetts secret that despite our marquee liberals on the national stage, when it comes to the state level, we’re not nearly as progressive as we could be. When you look at our skewed tax burdens, austerity budgeting and legislation attacking the poor, one can credibly make the case that the State House governs as if the Commonwealth were center-right.

What IS true is that there’s a strong progressive sentiment in Massachusetts residents. It’s just that we’ve got a ways to go to get the Legislature to govern like Elizabeth Warren.

This is why our work together pushing legislators through grassroots to take bold progressive action, and our legislative efforts, highlighting votes in our scorecard and lobbying at the State House, is so important.

This work isn't quick or easy. Progressives clocked in some wins last session, but we are still waiting to see the kind of great, bold legislative leadership that should come from Massachusetts. Last session we had to play bruising defense against punishing legislative attacks on the poor. And, our advances on the minimum wage and election reform were harder fought than it should’ve been, and we didn’t quite get far enough (no indexing on minimum wage, no same-day voter registration).

Improving our prospects at the State House requires herculean reforms for long-term change -- including increasing transparency and leveraging a wholesale shift in the culture of power under the Golden Dome.

In the short term, what we can do is help to elect MORE progressive legislators -- to strengthen the fighters already there, and show the power-brokers on the Hill and in the press that the voters want bold progressive change.

Engaging at the Legislative level has challenges, however. While most voters have had at least some exposure to the high-profile races via television ads, it’s a lot harder to get a fix on legislative races.

But, just as we know the national figures and races -- like Bernie Sanders or Zephyr Teachout -- who champion our values and wage insurgent progressive campaigns, we should know the names and faces of their counterparts on Beacon Hill. That’s why we’re doing this “get to know” series.

Check in here weekly as we highlight critical races important to progressives, no matter where you are in the Commonwealth.

Mike Day for Representative (31st Middlesex)

While we were happy to see Jason Lewis elected to the state senate, his progressive presence will be missed in the House. That is why we are proud to support Mike Day, who has been a staunch advocate for civil rights and civil liberties for the past decade. Mike will bring his strong legal background, and commitment to economic justice to Beacon Hill and ably fill Senator Lewis’ shoes representing Stoneham and Winchester.

Barbara L’Italien for Senate (Second Essex and Middlesex)

Barbara, a former 4-term state representative from Andover, will be new to the Senate, but her life-long experience as a social worker, and her experience passing important legislation on Beacon Hill will give her a head start as a forceful champion of Massachusetts’ most marginalized populations. In her professional life, and through her extensive community service work, Barbara has first-hand knowledge of the needs of the elderly, the intellectually disabled and our residents with Aspergers or Autism. In the House, Barbara was the lead author of a bill to require insurance providers to cover Autism therapy, so she has a track record of taking on big business and winning important results. Contribute here.

Michelle DuBois for Representative (10th Plymouth)

As city councilor in Brockton, Michelle has dedicated her career to protecting her constituents. Michelle has been an active leader fighting against a proposed natural gas power plant in a city already over-burdened by air pollution. Michelle drafted and passed city ordinances to increase transparency in Brockton. Her commitment to transparency and accountability will make her an important voice on Beacon Hill.

Denise Andrews

Re-Elect Rep. Denise Andrews (2nd Franklin)

Denise is in a tight race because she has been such a strong champion of progressive values. On almost any issue, progressives can not only count on Denise's vote, but we can count on her to be a full-throated advocate for shared prosperity. Her race is a crucial test-case for our theory that when progressives don't shy-away from their values, we win - even in 'swing' districts.

Matt Terry for Representative (5th Barnstable)

Matt Terry knows that progressive values have paved a way to better our society. It was Progressive values that spurred the abolitionists, the women's rights movement and the civil rights movement. Matt realizes that the work is not done. We must continue to move society further and fight for equal rights for all citizens of Massachusetts. He will continue to believe in this state's proud tradition of support for LGBTQ communities. Matt will fight hard for equal pay for equal work and to ensure a livable wage for full time workers.

Matt Patrick

Matt Patrick for Senate (Plymouth and Barnstable)

Matt Patrick is a former 5-term state representative who has dedicated his career to progressive causes, and cleaning up our environment. Matt will be a key ally in the Senate to support public education, universal pre-K and single-payer health care. Matt's opponent voted with progressives only 4 out of 20 times last legislative session. We need Matt to fill this crucial seat to ensure a progressive Senate.

Re-Elect Senator Dan Wolf (Cape Cod and Islands)

Seeking his third term, Dan’s progressive influence in the Senate is already profound. As founder and CEO of Cape Air, Dan brought his business acumen and progressive values to bear as a leader on the minimum wage fight in the Legislature, where we passed the highest minimum wage in the US, and worked to ensure that reforms to Unemployment Insurance would not hurt workers. We need voices like Dan Wolf’s in the Legislature, fighting for economic justice for all. In a district with a high percentage of registered Republicans, and a Tea Party challenger, he needs your help to continue to lead.

Re-Elect Representative Ken Gordon (21st Middlesex)

Ken Gordon

Ken has been a reliable progressive voice in the Legislature since winning (as one our first endorsees) in 2012. Ken’s background as an employment rights attorney, commitment to economic justice, and policy expertise and was on display last session with his leadership in passing the Uniform Wage Compliance Act, making it easier for workers underpaid by their employers to sue for back wages and reducing the likelihood of wage theft in Massachusetts. Among Progressive Mass’s earliest members, re-electing Ken will help further progressive priorities in the conservative-leaning House. Rep. Gordon comes from a strongly independent suburban district, and he could really use your support.

Dylan Hayre for Senate (Norfolk, Bristol, Middlesex)

Dylan is a fighter for those who don’t have a strong voice in our community. He advocated for low-income families and volunteered in housing projects throughout college, and volunteered at a legal services firm to defend low-income families from eviction and foreclosure. He founded his law practice, Lawyer for Soldiers, to represent veterans and military families in court. Dylan is running a strong grassroots campaign, and this district matters to progressives everywhere. Scott Brown held the seat until his election the US Senate, and it’s since been occupied by Republican Richard Ross, who’s voted to keep the minimum wage low and sponsored voter ID laws that would suppress the vote. Picking up a progressive seat here would dramatically shake up the Senate. With strong progressive communities in the district, and a bit of help from progressives statewide, Dylan has a clear path to victory.

Steve Ultrino for Representative (33rd Middlesex)

Steve believes that government should be about all people, not just the connected and the wealthy. Steve’s experiences as a city Councilor and an educator have shaped his commitment to strong communities. He will fight for affordable pre-K, quality schools, healthy and safe transportation system while taking care of our seniors and the hardworking people who are the cornerstones of our communities. He firmly supports earned sick time for all, and will always have the back of the public servants, from firefighters to teachers, who serve our communities. This seat has been a reliable vote for the conservative Democrats; Steve’s election would be an important pick-up, adding a needed new member to the progressive bloc, where numbers are essential to standing up to the status quo.

Christine Barber for Representative (34th Middlesex)

Christine has been working alongside Progressive Massachusetts members for years as part of Cambridge Somerville for Change. Her health care expertise and dedication to progressive values make her an ideal candidate to fill progressive champion Carl Sciortino’s seat. She is running a terrific field program, out-organizing her primary opponents, but still faces a general election challenge. It's rare that we can elect a fellow grassroots progressive organizer-activist. Even more unusual: we can elect a progressive with experience working in the state house and crafting legislation. As much as we're sad to lose Carl Sciortino, Christine Barber is a unique candidate who can have a real, immediate impact in the legislature.

Re-elect Senator Jason Lewis (5th Middlesex)

First in the House and since his special election to the Senate, Jason Lewis has been a champion of universal single-payer health care, fair funding for public schools, and protecting women's health. He helped establish the Health and Wellness fund in the 2012 Health Care Cost Control Act and is one of the leading sponsors of single-payer healthcare. His special election to the Senate is one of the key reasons that the Senate moved to the left in the 2013-2014 legislative session, and his re-election is important to make even more progress next session. He's facing his tea party challenger again, and in a higher turnout election in a swing district -- which was won by Scott Brown in 2010 -- Senator Lewis needs all the help we can give him.

We hope you will get to know Mike, Barbara, Michelle, Denise, Matt T., Matt P., Dan, Ken, Christine, Jason, Dylan and Steve even better after they’re elected (or re-elected!) on November 4th! When progressives pull together, we can win.

Can We Talk About Real Revenue Reform Now?

Date: November 11, 2014

On November 4, Massachusetts voted to defund road and bridge repair, by eliminating the 'indexing' on the gas tax, part of the flawed and inadequate "Transportation Funding Package" passed in Spring 2013. Jim Aloisi rightly points out in the Boston Globe that this is an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and get transportation funding right this time:

ON ITS FACE, last Tuesday was a bleak day for anyone who rides a train or a bus around Boston. Massachusetts voters overturned a new law that would have ratcheted up the state’s gas tax at regular intervals, and they installed in the governor’s office Charlie Baker, who doesn’t want to backfill the hole the gas tax repeal will leave behind. This should be a recipe for more broken trains, fewer buses, shoddier transit service, and ever-worsening traffic in and around Boston.

But it’s also a blessing in disguise. The gas tax repeal took the stuffing out of a weak transportation finance package that the Legislature enacted last year.

Beacon Hill now has a chance to take a second run at the issue, and get it right this time.

We agree -- and believe now is the time to revisit the fundamental questions of the 2012-2013 "Our Communities" campaign, not just for transportation infrastructure (which is fundamentally important) but for all the services and infrastructure that make our Commonwealth communities great places to live and work.

Massive cuts across the budget (fig. 1) have severely affected all corners of Massachusetts. These budget cuts are a direct result of changes in the tax code (fig. 2), especially tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest.

We are not adequately funding our communities.

We have cut taxes and exacerbated an already regressive tax structure (fig. 3).

Let's address both: Raise the revenue we need to truly invest in Massachusetts (not just maintain crisis funding levels), and reduce the overall regressivity of our taxes -- shift the burden away from the poorest and insist that the most well-off pay their fair share.

The answer would be, of course, a state graduated income tax, which is, unfortunately, prohibited by the Commonwealth's Constitution. We can change that, but it takes time. In the meantime, the Legislature can pass legislation similar to last session's "An Act to Invest in Our Communities".

The need is obvious, and so are the mechanisms to address it. All we need is the political will.

FIG. 1

FIG. 2

FIG. 3

UDPATES/FURTHER READING:

2015 Snowstorms and the #MBTApocalypse:

After the snowstorms of Jan-Feb 2015, David Bernstein overviews the Legislature's failure to act: The MBTA's Real Problem: Political Hypocrisy, Not Cold And Snow | WGBH News - http://bit.ly/16u0syh
With Widespread Delays, MBTA’s Long-Standing Issues Come Into Focus | WBUR - 2/4/2015 http://bit.ly/1AtBWKg
Seven things you need to know if you want to fix the T - Metro - The Boston Globe - 2/27/2015 - http://bit.ly/1Anyz1v
The Cost of Doing Nothing: The Economic Case for Transportation Investment In Massachusetts (PDF) - The Boston Foundation report - 1/2013 - http://go.shr.lc/1Cs6dL4

Bill Taylor, PM Member, in the Boston Globe

Date: December 31, 2014

Haverhill resident and Progressive Mass member Bill Taylor wrote an opinion piece for the Boston Globe. You can read the published version here, and a longer, original draft below.

"Will the election of Charlie Baker as governor improve Massachusetts?"

No.

During his campaign, Governor-elect Charlie Baker promised to smartly reform government spending, reduce the supposed culture of dependency and abuse in the welfare system, and never, ever raise taxes. He argued that his experiences in the Weld and Cellucci administrations and private sector made him uniquely qualified to deliver on those promises and tackle the state’s most pressing, complex issues. But tackling these issues takes much more than flimsy campaign rhetoric, and his track record as a policymaker suggests that he won’t be up to the task.

Perhaps the state’s most pressing, complex issue is its rising homelessness and lack of affordable housing. Presently, the state’s Emergency Assistance program is overwhelmed, and it shelters over 1,600 families in hotels at high cost.

On his campaign website, Baker described himself as a homelessness advocate in the Weld and Cellucci administrations. He lauded their austerity reforms that favored short-term support assistance as a blueprint for addressing the issue, noting they reduced the number of families sheltered in hotels to zero.

But housing advocates in the state say those administrations’ steep cuts to long-term housing assistance, like the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, largely caused the sharp increases in both homelessness and spending on the EA program since. Instead of thereforms Baker proposes, what’s needed is increased funding to long-term support programs (like MRVP) that keep families in their homes.

Therein lies the rub: when a government’s funding is constrained by a no-new-taxes pledge, it’s often rendered ineffective. This is a lesson Baker should have learned--but apparently did not--during his tenure as Secretary of Administration and Finance in the tax-averse Cellucci administration, when he borrowed heavily to cover the Big Dig’s cost overruns. As a result, Massachusetts taxpayers will pay for those costs for decades--until 2038.

I suspect that Baker failed to learn many valuable lessons from his tenure as CEO at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Though he touts its profitability during his leadership as a success, Baker often neglects to mention how he slashed and outsourced hundreds of jobs and significantly increased premiums, while tripling his own salary. Tackling the state’s high healthcare costs and recent bureaucratic messiness will surely require a very different sort of executive leadership.

And so, I don’t think Baker’s election will improve Massachusetts. But nonetheless, as he prepares to take office, the Governor-elect deserves our good will. And for the sake of the Commonwealth, I hope he proves doubters like me wrong.