Representation of Community-Based Organizations

For too many Massachusetts families, the job market provides only dead-end jobs, wages inadequate to support a family, and exploitative or abusive working conditions. The Employment Unit represents individual low wage workers as well as community-based organizations seeking to achieve systemic policy changes to improve wages, job opportunities, job security, and benefits for low-income working families.

Paid Family and Medical Leave:

The Employment Unit is currently working on behalf of ACORN on a campaign with the Massachusetts Paid Leave Coalition to ensure that all workers in Massachusetts are guaranteed at least seven paid sick days per year.  In connection with this campaign we have gathered research that demonstrates the need for paid sick days and supports arguments for its affordability.  These documents include: testimony of and research by Dr. Vicky Lovell, Institute for Women’s Policy Research, May 4, 2005;  fact sheet and testimony of Dr. Alison Earle, Harvard School of Public Health;  introduction to and research by Dr. Maureen Perry-Jenkins, Psychology Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst.  For more information, see our Paid Sick Days fact sheet.

The Employment Unit also participates as a member in a national consortium of organizations working to expand paid leave and paid sick days nationally and at the state level.

Access to Job Training: The Employment Unit is actively involved in efforts to ensure that low-wage workers including those with limited English proficiency have access to education and training opport

Unemployment Insurance: The Employment Unit has a long history of advocating for improvements to the Massachusetts unemployment insurance (UI) system to meet the needs of low-wage workers. The Unit's representation of community-based client groups has contributed to Massachusetts having some of the most generous benefit levels, eligibility standards, and accessibility standards in the country. In addition, Massachusetts is the only state to provide health insurance benefits for unemployed workers and their families. The Unit regularly monitors the Massachusetts UI system and represents our client groups both in affirmative campaigns and in defending against cutbacks.  In connection with this representation, we prepared the following report:  Protecting Working Families and Our Economy: Unemployment Insurance in Massachusetts, October, 2003.

On behalf of both individual and community clients, the Unit is pursuing comprehensive legislation that protects access to UI for our clients.  This work includes legislation that increases access to or the amounts of UI by:  (1) advocating for a change in the law so that a lower wage job after a disqualification of unemployment benefits from a prior job does not result in a low-wage worker effectively becoming permanently barred  from the receipt of UI;  (2) advocating for the elimination of the "constructive deduction," which unfairly penalizes a claimant who leaves a part-time job held concurrently with a full-time job;  (3) allowing claimants to collect UI while restricting their work search to part-time work for good cause (such as child care and elder care);  (4) ensuring  that those with fluctuating income are still able to qualify for UI; and (5) repealing recent legislation which imposes barriers to access for temporary workers seeking UI. (Links are to legislative fact sheets).

Living Wage Ordinance: The Employment Unit represents Boston ACORN in advocacy on the Boston Jobs and Living Wage Ordinance. The Ordinance establishes a living wage for employees of businesses or organizations that have contracts of $25,000 or more with the city of Boston, and it creates "first source hiring" opportunities for low- and moderate-income Boston residents. Currently the Unit is engaged in ongoing efforts to ensure effective implementation and enforcement and to fight business efforts to receive waivers of the living wage ordinance.

Workplace Rights for Immigrant Workers: On behalf of several community-based workers centers the Employment Unit engages in legislative and administrative advocacy to increase access to unemployment benefits (including linked health insurance benefits), workers compensation, wage and hour enforcement, and anti-discrimination enforcement for documented and undocumented immigrants generally and, specifically, those with limited English proficiency.

Temporary Work: The Employment Unit is representing the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) in a legislative campaign to provide workplace rights for workers in temporary jobs.  The Employment Unit is also working to repeal the temporary industry's recent legislation which imposes barriers to access for temporary workers seeking unemployment benefits. (Links are to legislative fact sheets).

Earned Income Credit: On behalf of ACORN, the Employment Unit undertook a legislative campaign to increase the Massachusetts Earned Income Tax Credit and to expand its publicity so that every eligible low wage taxpayer learns about this benefit and claims it.  The Employment Unit works on the legislation with the Boston EITC Campaign (http://www.bostontaxhelp.org) and has recently expanded its network to the nine state wide EITC campaigns in Massachusetts (Boston, Brockton, Cambridge, Chelsea, Holyoke, Fall River/New Bedford, Lowell, Springfield, and Worcester).

Updated: 08/07/2007