Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Senate staffers deal their union cards

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Senate staffers deal their union cards

‘WE DESERVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE’ — Senate staffers seeking pay equity and a culture change at the State House are moving to unionize — and their House colleagues are poised to follow suit.

Organizers say they have signed union authorization cards from a majority of the roughly 200 Senate staffers who would be part of the union. They’re asking Senate President Karen Spilka — through a letter delivered by IBEW Local 2222 representatives last Thursday — to voluntarily recognize the bargaining unit. Spilka said in a statement that she’s asked Senate Counsel to “carefully review” their request and that in the meantime she’ll “continue the efforts I’ve undertaken since becoming President to fairly compensate staff and modernize and professionalize our staffing procedures.”

Senate staffers say their workplace issues far predate Spilka’s tenure and have credited her with working to improve conditions. Leaders in both chambers gave staffers 6 percent raises and one-time bonuses last year. But staffers behind the Massachusetts State House Employee Union say longstanding pay inequities and gaps in health care coverage still need to be rectified. They’re also asking for annual cost of living raises and a workplace free of harassment and discrimination.

Staffers’ union push has been years in the making, derailed by the pandemic but then reinvigorated by a few factors: high turnover during the public health crisis, a Beacon BLOC-driven staff survey that found just 10 percent of staffers felt they were being paid fairly, and a National Conference of State Legislatures report, obtained by Playbook, that says the Bay State pay system for staffers “lacks consistency” and “breaks with best practice.”

“My salary for that first year went to rent, car payments, food and medical care,” Evan Berry, a union organizer and communications director for state Sen. Becca Rausch, told Playbook. “If I ever wanted a raise as a Senate staffer, my boss would have to use her political capital with her boss to get me one. … I’ve never heard of another workplace where politics is so deeply intertwined with our personnel issues.”

House staffers long involved in the effort “also have intentions of unionizing,” House organizers said in a statement to Playbook.

“While the House and the Senate are structurally different, we see the need for staff throughout the Legislature to organize because of similar systemic issues,” organizers said. “We look forward to working with House and Senate leadership to ensure that the State House is a place where staff can serve the commonwealth to the best of their abilities and talent.”

State law could stand in their way , the Boston Globe reports. But lawmakers could change the rules. State Reps. Liz Miranda and Tami Gouveia and state Sens. Sonia Chang-Díaz and Diana DiZoglio, the latter of whom helped circulate the anonymous staffer survey last year, were quick to express support for the union on Twitter.

If staffers succeed, they would become just the second unionized state legislative staff in the country behind Oregon.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Now back to the campaign trail:

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: State Attorney General hopeful Andrea Campbell is setting off on a Gateway Cities listening tour. The former Boston city councilor will attend a public safety meeting and hear from small business owners and community leaders in Chelsea today, before heading to Worcester and Southbridge for similar events on Friday. Her campaign said Campbell plans to hit all 26 Gateway Cities in the upcoming months.

— NEW: Progressive Massachusetts is endorsing Quentin Palfrey for state attorney general, Chris Dempsey for state auditor and Tanisha Sullivan for secretary of state. Palfrey received 62 percent support from members, Dempsey received 78 percent support and Sullivan received 93 percent support. Secretary of State Bill Galvin did not participate in the group’s endorsement process. The group has already endorsed Chang-Díaz for governor and Gouveia for lieutenant governor.

TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker attends the demolition launch of the new Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology campus at 2:30 p.m. in Boston. State Attorney General Maura Healey hosts a virtual call-to-action to address hate and bias in school athletics at 9 a.m. Healey joins Mayor Michelle Wu and other mayors at 1 p.m. at Boston City Hall to discuss settlements with opioid distributors and manufacturers.

Tips? Scoops? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

— “Massachusetts reports zero coronavirus deaths, new COVID-19 cases keep climbing,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “State health officials on Monday reported zero new coronavirus deaths, the first time that has happened since July, while COVID-19 case counts continued to jump. … The state reported a daily average of 963 COVID cases over the weekend, which was up 19% from the daily rate of 810 infections from the previous weekend. For comparison, the omicron variant peak weekend was 20,329 daily cases in early January.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Massachusetts police commission: 10,000 cops to be recertified,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “A state commission on police standards has approved the questions that will soon be asked of thousands of cops as the agency seeks to recertify certain officers ahead of a looming June deadline. ‘This applies to all officers currently serving in law enforcement agencies whose last name is ‘A’ through ‘H.’ I need to emphasize that we believe from (Municipal Police Training Committee) figures that that is approximately 10,000 individuals,’ Enrique Zuniga, executive director of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, said at the group’s Monday meeting.”

— “Public safety secretary responds to criminal justice reform concerns,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “After the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee questioned Gov. Charlie Baker’s commitment to implementing the criminal justice and police reform laws, Baker officials defended their efforts in a detailed letter.”

— CONFERENCE CHRONICLES: The six lawmakers tasked more than two months ago with hammering out the differences between the House and Senate voting reform bills will hold their first meeting Thursday. Both chambers passed legislation that would make mail-in voting permanent and expand early voting, but the Senate passed same-day voter registration, while the House ordered up a study on its impacts.

— “25 Investigates: State ends $1.8M contract with Chicago-based consulting firm at center of probe,” by Kerry Kavanaugh and Patricia Alulema, Boston 25 News: “Days after 25 Investigates revealed the Department of Early Education and Care paid nearly $2 million dollars in consulting services to an out-of-state firm, our team learned the contract is over. … The move came as a new commissioner, Amy Kershaw, took the helm of agency on March 28th. She took over from interim commissioner James Peyser, the state’s education secretary, who stepped in when then-commissioner Samantha Aigner-Treworgy departed on March 8th. As 25 Investigates first reported Aigner-Treworgy’s departure came amid an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General into the procurement of a contract awarded to a consultant.”

FROM THE HUB

— “Boston re-extends inclusive tourism campaign amid pandemic recovery,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “The City of Boston will again extend its year-old pandemic recovery tourism campaign, this time with about $1.5 million in various funding sources and a new set of ads that play on the idea of how a typical Boston accent sounds.”

— “With federal funds in hand, public housing also at play in Mayor Wu’s agenda,” by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: “She’s armed with millions of dollars in one-time federal funds, courtesy of Congress’s COVID-relief legislation, and has vowed to pump the cash into big-picture solutions, including supporting home-ownership programs and building housing units. But the far more difficult question is how to preserve and sustain the existing, dated public housing system, which experts say is a crucial part of any solution to Boston’s dilemma. The competing needs raise questions over how much the city can and should be investing in an aging public housing system amid a steep decline in federal support, but one that has served as a rare anchor that allows low-income residents to remain in Boston as housing prices skyrocket.”

— "The top 2021 overtime earner in the Boston city workforce? Not a cop," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "That crown belongs to a wire inspector named Keith Barry. Barry pulled in more than $171,000 in overtime last year, more than $3,000 than the next highest worker, and more than his base pay of $93,000. And of the top 10 overtime earners from the city’s 19,000-strong workforce, Barry is the only one who is not a cop."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Green Line extension to Medford was set to open in December. Then May. Now it’s on track to open in summer,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “[A]gency spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the branch is slated to open by end of summer, but did not give a specific date. … Pesaturo said crews are in the final stages of electrical work at each of the five new stations along the Medford branch: College Avenue, Ball Square, Magoun Square, Gilman Square, and East Somerville.”

ON THE STUMP

— FROM THE OPINION PAGES: State Sen. Diana DiZoglio says she can, in fact, audit the Legislature if elected state auditor and is pushing back on those in the media and on the campaign trail who point to the job description and say otherwise in a new op-ed in CommonWealth Magazine.

— "'An unprecedented level of nastiness'," by Dustin Luca, Salem News: "Hamilton and Wenham, two small neighboring towns on the North Shore of Boston with barely 13,000 people between them, are in the thick of an election season hijacked by national politics, allegations of 'dark money,' and candidates who say they want their communities back. The rhetoric is particularly charged in the race for Hamilton-Wenham School Committee."

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DAY IN COURT

— “Judge denies Jasiel Correia's bid to stay free pending appeal. But his fight isn't over,” by Jo C. Goode, Herald News: “After six delays, District Court Judge Douglas Woodlock ruled Monday that he will not allow convicted former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia II to remain free until his appeal on fraud and corruption charges is complete. But Correia will still get a few more weeks of freedom before beginning his six-year prison sentence, since he can now ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to stay home pending appeal. … Correia was scheduled to self-surrender April 5 at the Federal Correctional Institution Berlin, in New Hampshire. However, Woodlock gave him until April 22 to report to the medium security prison, allowing his attorneys time to draft an appeal of his decision.”

DATELINE D.C.

— “US Rep. Richard Neal bill would make retirement plan enrollment automatic,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Most workers would automatically enroll in their employer’s 401(k), 403(b) or SIMPLE IRA retirement plan as soon as they become eligible under bipartisan reforms authored in part by the U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield. That’s a switch from most plans, which are now opt-in.”

— “Senate overcomes GOP hurdle to advance Jackson,” by Marianne LeVine, POLITICO: “Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is one step closer to the Supreme Court after the Senate dislodged her nomination from a deadlocked Judiciary committee, a rare step for a high court hopeful. In a 53-47 vote, the Senate voted to advance Jackson’s nomination out of committee, with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) joining all 50 members of the Democratic caucus in supporting Biden’s high court pick. All three of those senators have now said they will support Jackson’s confirmation to the high court.”

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— “How Mass. climate goals align with the latest UN report,” by Miriam Wasser, WBUR: “A new report from the United Nations puts it starkly: we need worldwide emissions to be at ‘net zero’ by 2050 if we want to limit warning to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Failing to do this means we will almost certainly experience heightened ecological catastrophe and human suffering. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which published the report Monday, we’re not doing too well on this goal. … [T]he question is whether the state is implementing the right policies to achieve the goal in time. And on that one, ‘the jury’s still out.’”

FROM THE 413

— “Baker administration says study will be conducted of sites, feasibility to build new Springfield courthouse,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “The Baker administration told the state Trial Court today there will be a study of the feasibility and costs of building a new complex to replace the troubled Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse in downtown Springfield.”

THE LOWELL CONNECTOR

— "Lowell DEI officer cites roadblocks to ‘building an inclusive and equitable workplace’ in resignation," by Jacob Vitali, Lowell Sun: "The city’s first diversity, equity and inclusion officer resigned Friday, citing systemic roadblocks and uncooperative partners in elected city government. In an email, Ferdousi Faruque, who will stay on the job until April 15, said the decision to resign was based on the belief that key partners in the city were 'not interested in building an inclusive and equitable workplace.'”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “‘Obviously Insane': Thousands in New England Receive QAnon Postcards in Mail,” by Alison King, NBC10 Boston: “Postcards promoting the QAnon web of conspiracy theories arrived in the mail at thousands of New England homes recently. The card, titled ‘The True Story of QAnon,’ features a QR code surrounded by 20 faces of famous politicians, actors and tech giants. ‘They're just trying to hook people in and trick them,’ said Brian Duffy of Acton, Massachusetts.”

— “Boston College professor leading experiment on benefits of 4 day workweek,” by 7 News: “A Boston College professor is leading an experiment that may change the way we work. The school is working with thousands of employees at a number of companies nationwide to explore a four-day workweek. It’s a 6-month experiment where people will work 32 hours over those four days, down from the typical 40 hours in five days.”

— “Holy Cross naming science center after Dr. Fauci in June,” by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “Holy Cross will rename a campus science institute this spring for the man who emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic as arguably the Worcester college’s most famous alum: Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease specialist at the center of the White House’s pandemic response.”

— “Mass. hotels see uptick in tourism, but leaders warn a full COVID recovery needs more funding,” by Yasmin Amer, WBUR: “Massachusetts tourism industry leaders and workers are seeing positive signs ahead of this year’s busy summer season following two years of pandemic-related blows. But, while there's more optimism for 2022, some leaders cautioned a full recovery for businesses remains years away without greater support from the state.”

— “Who is Eric Batista, the person Worcester City Council is considering for interim city manager?” by Kiernan Dunlop, MassLive: “Eric Batista’s name has been tossed around as a potential replacement for departing city manager Edward Augustus Jr., but the public might not be familiar with the 39-year-old Worcester resident. … Batista is currently serving in three positions in the city: assistant city manager, director of the Office of Urban Innovation, and interim chief diversity officer.”

— “Business confidence rising despite challenges,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “Business confidence among Massachusetts companies is rising despite persistent supply chain interruptions, rising prices and other economic pressures, according to a new report. The latest Business Confidence Index, which is compiled by the pro-business group Associated Industries of Massachusetts, shows overall enthusiasm among employers edged up 0.5 points to 57.2 in March.”

MEDIA MATTERS

— “Globe refutes claims made by scientists in CommonWealth article,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “Boston Globe Media Partners produced emails and text messages on Monday contradicting the claims of a series of prominent scientists who claimed they were interviewed for Globe sponsored content without being told the sponsor of the advertising was tobacco giant Philip Morris International.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— “Sununu’s ‘crazy’ joke about Trump draws ire of former president’s supporters,” by Adam Sexton, WMUR: “Gov. Chris Sununu is telling supporters of former President Donald Trump to ‘lighten up’ after an uproar over a joke he told at a dinner in Washington, D.C. over the weekend. ... ‘I think the governor’s a joke,’ said State Rep. Al Baldasaro, R-Londonderry. Baldasaro said Trump is aware of Sununu’s comments, but he said no one in Trump’s world is surprised by what was said.”

TRANSITIONS — Former Boston School Committee member and City Council candidate Mary Tamer is now Massachusetts state director for Democrats for Education Reform and its affiliate, Education Reform Now Massachusetts.

— Kristen Lepore, Gov. Charlie Baker’s outgoing chief of staff, will join Beth Israel Lahey Health as executive vice president and chief administrative officer. Lepore starts in the newly established position on May 2.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Baker alum and South & Hill Strategies co-founder Lizzy Guyton, and to Aleca Hughes McPherson.

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