Dear friends,

Community Labor United is deeply pained by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week, just as we are pained by the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, David McAtee and so many others — all of whom lost their lives due to systemic racism and police brutality. We know that the only way to move forward is to stand together in the fight for the liberation of Black people here and everywhere, as part of the broader struggle for the liberation of us all.  #BlackLivesMatter. Fannie Lou Hamer, the great Mississippi Civil Rights Leader once said “nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” In the labor movement, we rally around the cry “an injury to one is an injury to all.” We know these sentiments to be intertwined, that the struggle for Black life and dignity is fundamental towards any movement for freedom.

In Boston, across the Commonwealth, the country, and the world, people are taking to the streets in protest to demand action, not only to address the murders, but to dismantle the institutions that continue to value White life over the lives of Black, Brown and Indigenous people, that continue to value the rich over the working-class. That continue to value men over women and Queer folks. And none of these can be parsed out, separated, or disconnected. “Nobody is free until everybody is free.” It is these institutions that thrive on racism, patriarchy, and classism and continue to oppress our people. But it is time to break free and bring about lasting, real change in the forms of equal housing, health care, education, child care, jobs, nutrition, and public transportation for all, especially for our Black communities and all communities of color. The time for investment in our communities has never been clearer. Across the country police budgets were set to rise while every public good and service was to be cut, and now police brutalize protesters with equipment bought on the backs of our work.

Against all these awful material realities our people have fought. As we process and support one another through grief, anger, pain and frustration, we must remember that this is yet another opportunity to step up and speak out and fight for what is right because it is these moments of struggle that will shape the future of our communities. We support decarceration legislation H.4652 introduced by Rep. Lindsay N. Sabadosa and ask you to donate to our local BLM chapter and the Massachusetts bail fund.

We Stand Together. We Struggle Together. We Support the Liberation of Black People!

Reopening Massachusetts

Massachusetts' reopening plan should alleviate inequalities, not deepen the divide. Governor Baker’s Reopening Advisory Board contains only one public health expert and one physician, but 9 corporate executives. His plan fails to adequately address workplace safety standards, and lacks decent worker protections. To ensure a just recovery, Baker must reconsider his plan to include workers' voices. Read more on Governor Baker’s Reopening Plan in an op-ed by Beth Kontos, the president of American Federation of Teachers-Massachusetts, and Jodi Sugerman, the executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health. 

We are calling on Governor Baker to include essential worker voices and voices of communities of color in his reopening plan. Take two minutes to sign our petition. Visit our website at macovidresponse.com for more opportunities to take action.

Pandemic Profiteer Watch

Tell Legislators: No to Corporate Tax Breaks During Economic Recovery

Although Massachusetts has entered the first phase of the Governor’s controversial reopening plan, the health and economic toll of COVID-19 is far from over. We can fight corporate greed and prioritize public health and the public good. Two bills currently in the Joint Committee on Revenue, Senator Tarr’s S. 1775 and Representative Poirier’s H.2607, would extend the “Single-Tax Factor” or SSF tax break for mutual fund service corporations.The reporting date for these bills is June 16. At a time when Massachusetts needs to fund emergency pandemic needs and replace lost revenue, a corporate tax break that could cost $67 million annually would be disastrous. Take two minutes to email members of the Joint Committee on Revenue and urge them not to advance Senator Tarr’s S. 1775 or Representative Poirier’s H.2607 out of committee.

You can help us promote these efforts to your network by sharing our Facebook posts or by following and retweeting us on Twitter. You can also receive regular updates from CLU by signing up on our website. 

If there is a topic we should feature in our weekly communications, please email Lindsay McCluskey at [email protected]. 

Thank you for reading!

In Solidarity,
Community Labor United