Governor Patrick has called for passage of the pending Racial Profiling bill in Massachusetts as a tribute to the tragic death of unarmed teenager – Trayvon Martin in Florida. Racial profiling in traffic stops has been identified as a serious problem in Massachusetts. It is impossible to address this problem without statewide data collection and analysis. H.2853/S.677 would give state and local police the tools and information necessary to identify and take appropriate steps to address racial disparities. Please call/write your legislators urging swift passage of this legislation. Sign-on to our collective letter to legislators. Call our JALSA office 617-227-3000 or the ACLU of Massachusetts (617-482-3170, Ext. 332) by Tuesday noon if you would like to add your name and organization.
The hearing today in Washington — supposedly about religious institutions and birth control coverage -is a travesty. Only religious representatives that are against birth control are being allowed to testify. The Blunt amendment would allow any employer to decide what tests, procedures, coverage they wish to provide. Any aspect of health coverage can be judged a “moral” issue. This effort to allow all insurance companies to suspend birth control coverage is only part of what would be impacted by this amendment. That one of Massachusetts’ senators is willing to be a co-sponsor of this proposal is unacceptable. Call Senator Scott Brown’s office and tell him we do not accept this kind of attack on women’s health. Call his Senate office at (202) 224-4543 or (617) 565-3170 .
JALSA and several other Jewish groups from across the city had constructed a Sukkah at Occupy Boston. One theme of the holiday– as we live in these booths open to the wind and rain — specifically reminds us of the fragility of our material possessions.
We invite folks to visit Occupy Boston and bring our Jewish values to help shape this new movement. Stop by our Sukkah –which we will maintain for the immediate future for conversations, lunch, and discussion.
“Is this the fast I have chosen? ……
Cry out, spare not, raise your voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression, and Jacob’s house their sins. Isaiah 57:14-58:14
See Facebook for up-to-date schedule of events at the Sukkah.
Location: Dewey Square.
Area near the Ventilation Building.
Call the JALSA office for more details: 617-227-3000.
Notwithstanding the outstanding vote to protect the affordable housing statute last fall (40 B), the proponents of that ballot initiative tried once again to attack the law with a new ballot initiative. We are delighted to report that the Office of the Attorney General has agreed that the new initiative is substantially the same as the one turned down by the voters this past year, and by law cannot be repeated on the ballot in less than three years.
As JALSA celebrates its 10th anniversary, we are launching an Outreach Campaign of conversations which will help to guide our organization’s future.
As part of this process, we are asking people to reflect on what JALSA is doing now, what their hopes are for Jewish social justice in our community, and how we can change and grow to ensure there will continue to be a vibrant progressive Jewish voice in the future. We are asking these questions of our own members, allies in the community, and others who care about our mission. The main goal of these conversations is to get community input and reflection as we envision our future.
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If you’ve participated in one of these conversations, here is aLINK TO THE RESPONSE FORM
If you are interested in taking part in one of these conversations, please email: annie@jalsa.org
For those of you who attended the MCAD (Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination) Legislative Breakfast Tuesday, in spite of the snow, THANK YOU for coming! For those of you who couldn’t make it, we’re sorry we missed you. Attached please find a brief Newsletter with information about the MCAD – who leads the agency and how the agency carries out its important statutory mission of eradicating discrimination in the Commonwealth.
Hosted by Chairman, Julian T. Tynes and Commissioners Sunila Thomas-George and Jamie Williamson, they described the history of the agency that was founded in 1946 and its current missions. “Its statutory responsibility is to work for the public good of eliminating and preventing discrimination and to educate residents of the Commonwealth – businesses and individuals alike – with regard to their rights and duties under the Commonwealth’s anti-discrimination laws.” In 2010, 3308 cases were filed and there were a total of 5390 active cases. “Its staff investigates complaints of unlawful discrimination, offers mediation and conciliation to those involved in discrimination disputes, and prosecutes and adjudicates meritorious claims where conciliation efforts have failed.” In 2010, the highest number of cases were Disability (21.4%), Race, Color (19.1%), Sex (17.9%) , Retaliation (14.7%) and Age (12.0%). See the attached newsletter for more details.
MCAD Newsletter – page one …… MCAD Newsletter – page two
Frank Schroth in a Milton on-line blog “My Town Matters,” highlights the work of our JALSA Board member, Jeff Stone, facilitating dialogue between the Muslim American Civic and Cultural Association in Malden and Temple Hillel B’nai Torah in West Roxbury. Schroth noted the recent report on WBUR about this interfaith workshop working to promote understanding and knowledge through honest, open dialogue.
The WBUR report by Martha Berbinger, an NPR correspondent, indicated that the groups have begun a series of conversations about politics, stereotypes and the conflicts that have divided Muslims and Jews for centuries, working to reduce conflict during a period marked by tension from terrorist activities.
Read or listen to the program from WBUR and comments which were posted after the program.
After years of dedicated grassroots organizing, the CORI Coalition will see results from years of hard labor as the legislation is implemented. JALSA was a part of a broad coalition of civic, religious, union, and community groups working with Governor Patrick and his administration officials to address obstacles which blocked many people from obtaining work. While the CORI system was supposed to provide information about people convicted of violent crime to agencies specifically working with children and seniors, it had expanded to include persons arrested, but not convicted, of non-violent crimes, as well as violent ones, and huge obstacles stood in the way of anyone trying to correct an inaccurate record.
Starting November 4th, “Ban the Box” statewide is now in effect (Link) , making Massachusetts only the second state in the country to remove the criminal history question from initial job applications for all public and private employers. Enforcement will be by the Massachusetts Office Against Discrimination (MCAD). The Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS), formerly the Criminal History Systems Board is also a source of information.
The law makes major changes to the way employers and others obtain access to Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and provides important protections to individuals with criminal records. Some parts of the law, such as the provision that prevents certain employers from asking whether an applicant has been convicted of a criminal offense on an initial written employment application, became effective on November 4, 2010. Other parts of the law, such as the provisions that reduce the waiting periods for sealing records, will become effective on May 4, 2012.
The Amicus Group – a collaboration of civil rights groups and members of the employment bar – have again identified a case coming before the SJC as having potential major significance for civil rights enforcement in Massachusetts. JALSA led the way in bringing the issues of Joule v. Simmons to the attention of area civil rights groups. Some twenty organizations – including groups focusing on race, gender, sexual orientation, low income representation, and disabilities — have now submitted an amicus brief in the case now pending in the Supreme Judicial Court.
The case presents the question whether a standard form “employment agreement” including an arbitration clause effectively waived the employee’s rights under G.L.c. 151B, the Commonwealth’s most comprehensive statutory effort to eliminate workplace discrimination. JALSA and the other amici argue that there was no effective waiver in this case, and that, as a matter of public policy and contract law, no employer may, by way of a unilateral contract of adhesion, exempt itself from the administrative enforcement scheme established in G.L.c. 151B. Many thanks to Anne Josephson and Heidi Alexander of Kotin, Crabtree and Strong for preparing this brief. (List of organizations signing this brief)
The Office of the Attorney General and the Massachusetts Employment Lawyers Association filed separate amicus briefs in support of this position. An amicus brief supporting the validity of such waivers was filed by the New England Legal Foundation and Associated Industries of Massachusetts.
