Dear allies, 

Spring is here, and we’re bringing the organizing cheer! Rain or shine, we’re jumping all in and are showing up for one another across issues and communities in Massachusetts.

Below you will find opportunities to engage and continue the fight on many issues that affect our communities and allies. Please spread the word by sharing our Facebook posts as well as following and retweeting us on Twitter. You can sign up here to receive regular updates from CLU.

In Solidarity,
Community Labor United

Assistant Director, Chinatown Community Land Trust

Transit Justice Organizer, GreenRoots

Communications Director, City Life / Vida Urbana

Director, Homes for All Mass

Capacity Building Director, Chinese Progressive Association

When the Bough Breaks, Part 5: The Challenges and Innovations in Early Childhood Workforce
This morning, Care That Works Senior Strategist Lindsay McCluskey joined Dr. Kim D. Lucas, Professor at Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, and Wayne Ysaguirre, Early Childhood Consultant at Ysaguirre Consults as a special guest at The Boston Foundation’s panel event to discuss the challenges and innovations in the early education workforce.

The conversation took a deeper dive in understanding the workforce crisis in the early childhood sector, and covered topics around what innovation looks like in this space. Each guest was invited to discuss their innovative approaches to propose and pilot solutions that address the current crisis, including the Care That Works Pilot Program. 

Op-ed: A low-income fare would make a real difference
In a recent op-ed, Bri Nichols, Brockton rider and Pubic Transit Public Good ally, tells her powerful story of growing up homeless and relying on the commuter rail to see her daughter. Bri Nichol’s story emphasizes the importance of movements like H.4481, An Act Relative to Low-Income Fares, as a step in the right direction to ensure low-income families have the access they need to be able to go to work, to school, to the store, or to be with the ones we love.

“I was 16 and homeless, and it took everything I had to find the daily commuter rail fare to get back and forth each day to see my daughter.

Today, she is nine years old and thriving. We are on solid footing and live together in an apartment in Brockton. But I know that for other people going through a hard time like I was — or just trying to make ends meet — the cost of public transportation is still a barrier. The recent advancement of An Act Relative to Low-Income Fares by the joint transportation committee is a hopeful sign for riders struggling to pay the fares on the commuter rail, MBTA buses and subways, and on regional transportation authority buses like the BAT here in Brockton.

This legislation would direct the MBTA to establish a reduced fare program for low-income people.”

Read the full op-ed at CommonWealth Magazine.

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MBTA Proposed $3 surcharge on CharlieCards
In response to the recently proposed $3 surcharge on CharlieCards, Public Transit Public Good Organizer, Collique Williams, discusses why riders should not have to face the financial costs of the MBTA’s poorly structured privatized fare collection system that is aimed at enriching two big corporations, Cubic and John Laing.

“Collique Williams, an organizer for Community Labor United, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and promoting the interests of 100,000 low- and middle-income working families in the Greater Boston area, said the proposed CharlieCard changes ‘add insult to injury’ at a time when salaries are already outpacing the cost of living for many citizens.”

Read the full article at The Beacon Hill Times.

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TAKE ACTION: Demand that the MA Legislature Make Our Public Transit Systems Equitable and Accessible
Working families in Massachusetts rely on public transit. We must ensure that our infrastructure is accessible, equitable, and efficient in order to best serve our communities. Though the appointment of an environmental justice rider and worker to the new MBTA board is a step in the right direction, there is still work to be done. Join the Public Transit Public Good Coalition as we call for a reduced fare program and new progressive revenue measures. These initiatives would help relieve the current burden on low-income riders and create more equitable sources of revenue. 

Learn more and sign the petition at Public Transit Public Good.
Follow @PTPGCoalition on Twitter to stay updated with the latest information.

BERDO 2.0 Update: Boston ordinance would reduce carbon emissions more than 60% by 2050
In September 2021, we delivered 1,800+ petition signatures to Boston City councilors and the Mayor’s office to demand the passing of a reinforced and updated Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO 2.0) that would require Boston’s largest buildings to decrease their emissions gradually over the coming years, hitting net-zero emissions by 2050. 

“Spearheading the movement were O’Malley, Mothers Out Front, and the Green Justice Coalition, a local activist group comprising organizations like Boston Climate Action Network (BCAN), Boston Clean Energy Coalition (BCEC), and Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE). 

Two of the bill’s major points, said Dwaign Tyndal, executive director of ACE, include not allowing carbon offsets — ‘if you pollute in an area, fix it in that area,’ said Tyndal — and a ‘very transparent, radical, democratic’ two-thirds community review board that’ll make sure buildings are staying on track with emissions reductions.”

Read the full article at Boston.com.

Statewide Actions with Massachusetts Is Not For Sale Oppose Big Tech’s Ballot Overreach
This past Wednesday, drivers, riders, community leaders, and elected officials joined together with Massachusetts is not for sale to demonstrate growing opposition to the multi-million dollar ballot question funded by Uber, Lyft, and other app-based corporations. Actions were launched across Massachusetts, including in Lynn, New Bedford, Roxbury, and Springfield. The actions preceded the legislature’s Joint Financial Services Committee hearing on Big Tech’s ballot initiative, which would overturn key worker and consumer protections.

We stand in solidarity in this important fight to oppose the ballot proposal that would harm workers, riders, and communities across the Commonwealth.

Learn more about this endorsement and the growing opposition at Massachusetts is not for sale.

GreenRoots: Boston District 1 City Council Candidate Forum on Environmental Justice
Next week, the Environmental League of Massachusetts and GreenRoots will be holding a forum to discuss key environmental issues with Boston City Council District 1 candidates, Gabriela Coletta and Tania Del Rio. The candidates will be expanding on their plans for climate action during the webinar. 
 

Boston District 1 City Council Candidate Forum on Environmental Justice
Monday, April 4 | 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Zoom webinar
 Register today

Take Action: Rally Celebrating the Past, Present, and Future of Common Start Coalition
Join the Common Start Coalition on Saturday, April 9 at the Parkman Bandstand for a rally to celebrate the past, present, and future milestones of Common Start. This is a great opportunity to learn how you can get involved to help ensure a stronger future for every child, and be a part of creating a more equitable child care and early education system for our communities. The rally is family friendly and free to attend. Bus transportation with snacks and beverages will be provided from key locations across Massachusetts. 
 

Celebrating the Past, Present, and Future of Common Start 
Saturday, April 9 | 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Boston Common at the Parkman Bandstand - 139 Tremont St, Boston
RSVP today