VOTER BALLOTS reflect voters’ positive attitudes toward paid sick days policy according to a recent study by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.  The NORCstudy shows that 75% of the public supports guaranteeing workers a minimum number of paid sick days.  The study also shows that over 3 times as many voters are likely to support a candidate who is in favor of paid sick days legislation than not.

Held on Thursday, State House – Coalition members lead by moms and kids from MomsRising will meet at the Grand Staircase to deliver stories from moms across the Commonwealth who desperately need paid sick days before the school year begins.

Action Required: Please join us at any of these days for these actions.  Please also continue telephone calls to Speaker DeLeo, House Ways and Means Chairman Murphy, and Senate President, Terry Murray.

Foreclosure Bill passed by both houses.   Senate has concurred with House version
Bill is now off to the Governor.
Congratulations to all who worked hard on this bill.  Great strides for tenants; new education on reverse mortgages; increased time for workouts.

Action Required: Please call Senator Panagioutakos, 617-722-1630 and urge that the bill be released for debate in the Senate.

Background: The Commonwealth’s Employment Agency (EA) Law (G.L. c. 140, §§ 46A-R) currently leaves large gaps in coverage and protection, and has different requirements for similar businesses.  Depending on whether an agency works to place employees in permanent or temporary positions, or whether agency fees or charges are paid by the job applicant or the employer client, licensing, record keeping, and other requirements vary greatly.  At the same time, Massachusetts workers employed by certain temp agencies are being denied their basic rights.  The new EA Law will streamline provisions that burdened the industry, place all employment and staffing agencies on a level playing field, simplify requirements imposed by the Division of Occupational Safety (DOS), and incorporate the protections of the Temporary Worker Right to Know bill which carried the same bill numbers, S. 680.

For Workers: The bill provides much-needed protection for workers in temporary jobs.  Since many temporary jobs are low-wage and characterized by high turnover, these workers constitute some of the most vulnerable members of the workforce. Frequently, workers are sent off not knowing where they are going, what they are doing, who they are working for, what they will be getting paid, or anything much more than a nickname for a contact person.  Only after they begin working, do they discover charges for transportation, meals, or necessary safety equipment.

Incorporating the Temporary Worker Right to Know legislation, the new law will require agencies to provide written notice of key details of job assignments- the name of the agency, the work site employer, the type of work to be done, disclosure of who the employer is, wages, and the details and costs of transportation, equipment, and meals provided by the worksite employer. It also requires disclosure of how to reach DOS, the right to workers’ compensation, a copy of the contract to be given to the applicant, as well as a receipt for any charges paid by the applicant.

For Businesses: Currently, employment agencies that charge fees to applicants must go through a full licensing process.  Other agencies, doing essentially the same business, are exempt from the licensing requirement and   must simply register to operate.  Under the new EA Law, all employment and staffing agencies will be subject to the same process, a less burdensome registration process.  Employment agencies will no longer go through a hearing process before starting their business, nor will they be required to submit their forms and/or contracts to DOS for prior approval.  The new EA law will also make it easier for businesses to transfer their registrations, by eliminating the need for pre-approval of transfer and allowing a simple registration.  The law will provide clearer definitions of key terms, enabling businesses to better understand their rights and responsibilities.  Additionally, the new EA law will simplify record keeping requirements.

For the Commonwealth: Required annual registration fees from all employment agencies will remain in place.  Additionally, a streamlined and simplified registration and enforcement process will ease the burden on DOS by eliminating the cost of unnecessary hearings and inspections allowing DOS to focus on those agencies that attempt to circumvent the law.

For further information, please contact: Tim Sullivan, Mass. AFL-CIO, 781/324-8250; Isabel Lopez, MassCOSH, 617/825-7233; Yessenia Alfaro, Chelsea Collaborative, 617/259-6659; or Sherley Cruz or Monica Halas, Greater Boston Legal Services, 617/603-1533 or 617/603-1666..

Call House and Senate leadership and members of the Conference Committee and urge they resolve differences over House and Senate versions of CORI.   This reform must take place this session.

House & Senate Leadership:

Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo – 617-722-2500 – (Winthrop, Revere)Senate President Therese Murray – (617) 722-1500 – (Kingston, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Barnstable, Bourne, Falmouth and Sandwich)

CORI Conference Committee Members:

Rep. Eugene O’Flaherty – 617-722-2396 – (Chelsea, Charlestown)

Rep. Christopher Speranzo – 617-722-2396 – (Pittsfield)

Rep. Daniel Webster – 617-722-2487 – (Duxbury, Halifax, Hanson, Pembroke)

Sen. Cynthia Creem – 617 722-1639 – (Brookline, Newton)

Sen. Steven Tolman – 617 722-1280 – (Boston, Cambridge, Belmont, Watertown)

Sen. Bruce Tarr Rebublican – 617 722-1600 – (Gloucester, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, North Andover, Rockport, North Reading and Wilmington)

For 100 years, Massachusetts has had a special relationship with the Savings Bank Life Insurance company so that basic life insurance policies were available to people of all income levels.   That special relationship is no longer regulated under this new statute which has been signed by the Lieutenant Governor  (acting on behalf of the Governor while the Governor was out of state).

The final bill not only wipes out the “gender neutrality” requirements that have been characteristic for over twenty years, but wipes out the requirement that the company fulfill  “special responsibilities,” such as the regulations that guarantee that the company provide low amount life insurance policies.  (The Governor’s Office says the company has promised to continue offering these same policies; JALSA and other organizations will monitor.)
Notwithstanding the special responsibilities,  this company has enjoyed great profits for the sale of this insurance in Massachusetts.

We thank the many individuals and organizations that worked to the last moment urging the Governor’s staff to recommend a veto.  Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful.   As on many other occasions, equity for women was sacrificed for other goals.

Read  our letter to the Governor.