Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Still laboring for a State House union

Thursday, September 21, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Still laboring for a State House union

BY KELLY GARRITY , LISA KASHINSKY AND MIA MCCARTHY

Presented by

STATE OF THE UNION EFFORT — As striking auto workers strain President Joe’s Biden “pro-union” reputation, Beacon Hill legislative leaders are facing a challenge to their own union cred as members of their staff continue to push for collective bargaining rights.

Senate President Karen Spilka slammed the door shut on Senate staffers' union effort last year, saying that the chamber didn’t “see a path forward” through state law that carves out legislative staff from the list of public employees who can collectively bargain.

A pair of bills in the House and Senate now aim to crack that door back open by adding legislative employees to the list. The bills wouldn’t immediately turn Beacon Hill aides into union workers. On the House side, for instance, staffers have yet to secure majority support from their peers to pursue union recognition from chamber leadership. But their passage could kick-start the process.

Gov. Maura Healey , Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and other prominent politicians outside the State House support the effort. Now some lawmakers are throwing their support behind the bills by arguing that as Democrats in a blue state with a deep history of organized labor, it’s practically their duty to stand by their staff.

“This is really a matter of consistency,” progressive state Rep. Mike Connolly said during a hearing yesterday on the bills. “We are the party that proudly stands with workers.” (There are Republicans supporting the effort, too).

Staffers say being able to collectively bargain would help improve everything from diversity in the building to the low pay that’s forced some of them to take second jobs. When staffers are struggling to make ends meet, “most of all, it hurts our constituents,” said Emily Kibbe, a legislative aide in the House.

But they're being stymied by the exact culture they’re trying to change, even as outside of the State House public support for labor unions is at a high .

While legislative employees have won raises in both chambers, one of the biggest obstacles to their end goal remains the fear of retribution that hangs over staffers and the lawmakers they report to. Several staffers testifying in favor of the bills yesterday no longer work in the Legislature. And many lawmakers refuse to buck leadership lest they lose their committee assignments or worse — consequences that Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who was ostracized as a House staffer and later as a lawmaker, has amplified as she aids the union effort.

“Coming into this, we honestly thought this would be one of the easiest organizing campaigns we've ever been involved with,” said Kevin Holland of IBEW 2222, which is working with the staffers. Instead, Holland said that while a “vast majority” of legislators have told organizers that they support the union push, they’re not willing to say it publicly.

“They're in a difficult position,” Holland told Playbook. “We understand that they want to be there and back their staff, and at the same time they don't want to cross leadership.”

Spilka pledged to "continue our efforts to improve working conditions" when she rejected Senate staffers' request to recognize their union last year. Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano's offices didn't immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday.

But unless leadership starts to support the union push, Democratic state Sen. John Keenan, who filed the bill on the Senate side, told Playbook that he’s “not sure” whether the legislation will go anywhere.

"It should,” he said. “It's a very common sense bill.”

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Do you work on Beacon Hill? Let us know where you stand on the union effort: kgarrity@politico.com , lkashinsky@politico.com and mmccarthy@politico.com .

TODAY — Healey and Driscoll are at The Big E at 9:30 a.m. and celebrate Climate Week at 1 p.m. at the Division of Fish and Wildlife HQ in Westborough. Driscoll speaks at a MAMH dinner at 6:30 p.m. in Boston. Secretary of State Bill Galvin heads to the Big E at 11:30 a.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu participates in the Boston Globe’s 2023 Summit at 9 a.m. at WBUR CitySpace and attends a Bay Village block party at 6:45 p.m.

A message from Choose Who You Use:

Last winter, customers of Massachusetts utility companies saw the largest electric rate increases in recent memory. If those customers had contracted with a retail electric provider instead, they would have saved nearly a billion dollars. Now is not the time to give the utilities a bigger monopoly in Massachusetts. Join the Choose Who You Use coalition to protect electricity choice and give Massachusetts ratepayers the ability to choose the most affordable, renewable options for them.

MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Democratic state Sen. Marc Pacheco is leading more than four dozen of his House and Senate colleagues in a bipartisan letter urging federal lawmakers to “repair” the nation’s “outdated, dysfunctional” immigration system to ease the legal process for new arrivals and address workforce shortages.

“Our country needs a functional gateway at the border that safeguards our national security from illegal entrants while providing noncitizens seeking lawful entry a practical means of obtaining approval to reside and find gainful employment,” reads the letter, which is addressed to President Joe Biden and congressional leaders. Pacheco and his colleagues will hold a press conference calling for congressional action on immigration at 3 p.m. at the State House.

Their push comes as the Biden administration says it will grant temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans already in the country, making them freshly eligible to apply for work permits. The White House is also promising to speed up the work authorization process for other migrants.

— “Plymouth County extends its contract with ICE for the only county detention center left in Mass.,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News.

BALLOT BATTLES

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The committee led by state Rep. Mike Connolly that's pushing to put local-option rent control on the 2024 ballot has made its first hire.

The Rev. Art Gordon will serve as the group’s organizing director. Gordon previously was senior adviser to Rep. Ayanna Pressley and worked on Sen. Ed Markey ’s 2020 reelection campaign. Gordon comes onboard as the ballot campaign kicks into signature-gathering gear ahead of the mid-November deadline to gather nearly 75,000 names — all while facing pushback from some housing advocates and the real-estate industry.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

NO CAP — Auditor Diana DiZoglio says state tax collections for the last fiscal year stayed well under the cap that would have triggered another round of rebates under Chapter 62F. That means no $3 billion surprises for lawmakers — or checks in the mail for us.

— "Secretary: Climate Tech Will Feature In Healey Eco-Dev Bill," by Sam Drysdale, State House News Service (paywall): "The Healey administration is working on an economic development bill to file in the new year and 'hit the ground running in 2024,' Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao said Wednesday, forecasting a focus in the legislation on technology related to climate change."

— "Holyoke School Committee seeks end to state receivership of school district," by Sophie Hauck, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "The Holyoke School Committee voted unanimously to petition state Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to release the city’s public schools from state receivership."

— “Some veterans discharged under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' can seek Massachusetts benefit,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald.

— “ ‘Unprecedented’ coalition pushes state lawmakers to improve health equity ,” by Katie Lannan, GBH News.

— “Gov. Healey 'reviewing situation' as UMass prepares to close Leominster maternity unit,” by Henry Schwan, Telegram & Gazette.

GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.

MASK-ACHUSETTS

— “Already marred by fatal COVID outbreak, former Soldiers Home reports 11% of vets ill,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Ten residents at the Veterans Home in Holyoke have tested positive for COVID-19 since Saturday, prompting the home to return to universal masking and daily testing for exposed staff members.”

— “Biden administration announces $600M to produce COVID tests and will reopen website to order them,” by Will Weissert, The Associated Press.

FROM THE HUB

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune , who’s running for reelection in the at-large race, has endorsed Enrique Pepén to be District 5’s next councilor, his campaign said.

— “ Wu seeks funding for Boston police unit she pledged to dismantle, ” by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: “ Criminal justice advocates are criticizing Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for pushing for millions of dollars in extra funding for the intelligence-gathering arm of the Boston Police Department. The move is an about-face for Wu, who campaigned on dismantling the Boston Regional Intelligence Center's controversial gang database and abolishing the center in its entirety.”

— “Progressive majority at risk in Council races ,” by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: “[W]ith two of the body’s most left-leaning members having lost their seats in preliminary balloting ... some are questioning whether the Council’s progressive streak will continue into the next term with a body that could no longer have a majority of people of color."

A message from Choose Who You Use:

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

ENDORSEMENT CORNER — State Sen. Adam Gomez is the latest Springfield politician to line up behind City Councilor Justin Hurst as he tries to unseat longtime Mayor Domenic Sarno in November.

— “Inclement weather dampens candidates' efforts to reach Attleboro voters in person leading up to Nov. 7 election,” by Jim Hand, The Sun Chronicle: “Candidates said the deluges bringing several inches of rain has cut into their work of knocking on the doors of voters to seek their support while rain and wind has scattered and damaged their lawn signs.”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “After Latest Near Misses, Healey Met With Top Fed Official,” by Colin A. Young, State House News Service (paywall): “With even more incidents in which MBTA trains nearly missed workers on the tracks coming to light, Gov. Maura Healey said she met Tuesday with the head of the Federal Transit Administration to assure the agency that just last week scolded the T for repeated worker safety lapses that her administration is taking the matter seriously." More from Healey's WBUR interview.

— “Tobin Bridge’s future up in the air; MassDOT to study potential replacement,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald.

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), flanked by other Democratic lawmakers and advocates, speaks during a press conference held to celebrate President Biden's establishment of a Civilian Climate Corps - now known as the American Climate Corps - outside the U.S. Capitol Sept. 20, 2023. (Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images) | AP

MARKEY GETS A CLIMATE WIN — Sen. Ed Markey finally has his long-sought civilian climate corps, after pressuring President Joe Biden to create such a program.

Biden on Wednesday unveiled the American Climate Corps , a federal program that aims to put more than 20,000 young people to work in jobs geared toward combating climate change and advancing clean energy. It’s modeled on the Great Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps. It’s also backed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Jim McGovern .

Markey told Mia at the Capitol that he predicts Bay Staters will be “at the front of the line” to sign up for the program — especially younger residents who have been clamoring for a climate corps.

“This is the AmeriCorps of [their] generation,” Markey said. “But they want to focus on climate.”

Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here .

CHARLIE ON THE NCAA

— “At Globe Summit, NCAA president Charlie Baker discusses his role and the state of collegiate athletics,” by Amin Touri, Boston Globe: “Baker made clear the organization’s understanding of its place in the social media age, when young people can build a brand and an influence online. He takes no issue with that; the concern is how Name-Image-Likeness rules have been implemented.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

DROPPING DESANTIS — Ron DeSantis hasn’t been to New Hampshire in a month. Now a new CNN/University of New Hampshire poll shows support for the Florida governor plummeting to 10 percent among likely GOP presidential primary voters in the Granite State — putting him in a statistical tie for second with three other candidates, all of whom are far behind former President Donald Trump .

“He needs to get his ass up to New Hampshire,” said one DeSantis endorser in the state, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the situation. Dive deeper into DeSantis’ struggles with Lisa, Kelly and Sally Goldenberg .

A message from Choose Who You Use:

Last winter, customers of Massachusetts utility companies saw the largest electric rate increases in recent memory. If those customers had contracted with a retail electric provider instead, they would have saved close to a billion dollars. Competition means more choices for consumers. Now is not the moment to give the utility companies a bigger monopoly. Join the Choose Who You Use coalition to protect electricity choice and give Massachusetts ratepayers the ability to choose the most affordable, renewable options for them.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Samantha Power, Cass Sunstein, Mia Appelbaum, Deborah A. Weinberger and The Messenger’s Christopher Gavin , a Boston.com alum.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: ICE SPICE BABY — Hosts Jennifer Smith and Lisa Kashinsky talk municipal elections, home equity theft and Dunkin's latest sugary creation. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud .

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .

Follow us on Twitter