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Dear friends and allies,
Our partners are taking bold steps throughout Massachusetts in response to the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic to working families. From Care That Works’ affordable and equitable child care pilot program launch to the Massachusetts COVID-19 Response Alliance’s common-sense appeal to elected officials for a coordinated effort to address the pandemic’s impact, our partners are actively involved in a #justrecovery for all.
Care That Works launched a pilot program Wednesday, with support from the City of Boston, providing working-class families with affordable child care services, available especially during nonstandard hours when parents are most in need. The Pilot Program marks an important step in creating solutions that ease the child care challenges that working families face, which are now more severe than ever. This Program will be critical in ensuring that residents can get back to work or pursue good jobs with the support they need when it comes to child care. We hope that the Pilot can model our vision of what the child care system should look like: one that truly supports working-class families and child care providers.
And the Massachusetts COVID-19 Response Alliance (MCRA) recently held a virtual press conference calling for people-centered policies to combat the impact of coronavirus based on intersectional initiatives addressing housing, child care, and education. The comprehensive approach outlined a series of events to be held over the next two weeks in locations ranging from Boston to Lynn, to Northampton. Read below to find out more about the events and get involved.
Our partners know that public services are public goods and must be treated as such. We are calling for a transformation of our current system in a way that makes public services, including child care, transit, housing, and education safely accessible for all.
Please help us continue the fight by sharing our Facebook posts as well as following and retweeting us on Twitter. You can also receive regular updates from CLU by signing up on our website.
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#JustRecovery from COVID-19 Pandemic
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The MA COVID-19 Response Alliance has assembled (literally, take a look at CLU's Senior Organizer Christopher June testifying to legislatures from it) a #justrecovery house, which will be part of various events, activities, and actions throughout the state. We are using it to uplift some of the important fights our partners are in, give communities a chance to share what they are fighting for in a #justrecovery, and raise the critical intersections we are living in following the health and economic shocks of COVID-19 as well as the racial justice uprisings across the country. Tune in to these events over the next few weeks for a chance to see and learn about our work.
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Invest in Our Recovery Forum
October 8, 5:00 p.m.
Online
Throughout October the Raise Up campaign will be having accountability session in-district legislative meetings. The Invest In Our Recovery campaign will be supporting three major campaign priorities in the state legislature over the coming months:
- Corporate Rate: Increasing the tax rate on corporate profits.
- GILTI Tax: Taxing corporate profits shifted overseas (GILTI stands for Global Intangible Low Taxed Income)
- Unearned Income: Increasing the tax rate that investors pay on unearned income.
For more info on these meetings, click here. For more info on this polling and the campaign’s widespread support, click here.
Communities Resist Mass Evictions & Foreclosures
October 5
Learn more
Over 100,000 households in Massachusetts, especially in communities of color and immigrant communities, are at risk of eviction. Visit http://bit.ly/hfamass to join our housing partners in a week of action across the state starting October 5 around the Guaranteed Housing Stability Act.
MA Restaurant Worker Power Hour with Ayanna Pressley
October 6, 12-1:30 p.m.
Register here
Join our partners at Matahari Women’s Workers Center at the One Fair Wage Kick-Off featuring Ayanna Pressley and more! Restaurant workers are facing widespread job loss and because tips are down 50-70%, the pay is extremely low. Join us Tuesday to discuss this critical intersection of racial, gender, and economic justice.
Boston - Invest in Our Recovery Community Briefing
October 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Register here
Join RUM for a community briefing on Just Recovery. From healthcare and transportation to education and housing assistance, our state and local budgets are filled with critical programs to the well being of our communities. The government response must rise to the needs of our communities.
Public Hearing regarding COVID-19 Workplace Safety Regulations
October 14, 10:00 a.m.
Submit Testimony
MassCOSH is a critical partner in ensuring the health and safety of workers across the State, and they could use our support in this public hearing on COVID-19 Workplace Safety Regulations, including support for all those (including teachers) excluded from the regulations. Find more info here, including how to submit written testimony. Read their special report documenting the loss of life taking place at worksites across Massachusetts due to the pandemic, Dying for Work: Documenting the Pandemic’s Deadly Toll on Massachusetts Workers.
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Informational Training on Child Care and Unemployment Insurance
October 6, 1-2 p.m.
Click here to RSVP
We are hosting an informational training session on Child Care and Unemployment Insurance. Join us to learn about unemployment benefits for workers with child care challenges and to ask questions. We will be joined by Monica Halas from Greater Boston Legal Services, and Bob Bower and John Drinkwater from the MA AFL-CIO.
Click here to RSVP. A Zoom link will be sent to all who RSVP.
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Halt Misguided Budget Cuts to the MBTA
Members of the MBTA’s Fiscal Management and Control Board are considering major, permanent cuts to the agency’s budget and service. Together with our labor and community partners, we are urging the FMCB to hold off on hasty budget cuts and robustly advocate for new, progressive funding from Massachusetts and the federal government. Submit your testimony to the FMCB Board asking them to not rush into cutting the MBTA’s services.
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Envisioning Equity Part II: Housing to Build a Just Recovery
October 6, 2020
4-5 p.m.
Register online
The pandemic and recession have created a new housing crisis across the Commonwealth as renters struggle to pay rent and homeowners struggle to meet their mortgage payments. But this crisis is hitting communities of color and low-income communities hardest, tearing the cover off long-standing, structural housing inequities.
Join MassBudget on Tuesday to hear from an esteemed panel of housing experts. They will discuss housing policy challenges from the national, state, regional, and local perspectives and look at ways that antiracist policy choices can help build housing for a just recovery.
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Thank you for reading and taking action!
In Solidarity,
Community Labor United
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