Mass Power Forward Lobby Day

More than 100 members of Mass Power Forward prepped for lobby day

Environmental and Energy Justice advocates were in good company at the Massachusetts State House today for Mass Power Forward's (MPF) lobby day. Focus of the lobby day was threefold:

• Share our vision
• Get co-sponsorships, especially from House Reps
• Show solidarity with Weymouth

You'll recall that the MPF coalition, of which PDM is a part, succeeded in advocating for powerful energy and environmental policy changes last legislative session. All were unanimously supported in the State Senate.

Those bills have been "refreshed" for a second round this legislative session, strengthened by a commitment to environmental justice and against racism.

Leaders of MPF note that many of our communities, especially those with a majority of people of color and low incomes, have had to bear the brunt of decades of fossil fuel pollution and are most at risk from climate change. MPF is urging state legislators to call for energy policy that leads by example to stop fossil fuel subsidies, support local renewable energy resources, keep energy dollars in our communities, create good green jobs, and protect our Commonwealth from climate change and life-threatening pollution.

Messaging MPF's legislative priorities, especially to members of the House, calls for bold, decisive action on:

• Environmental Justice -- including communities impacted by climate change and fossil fuel pollution as participants in crafting new, equitable policy
• 100% Renewable Energy -- set an ambitious goal to equitably reach 100% renewable electricity by 2035 and 100% renewable energy for heating and transportation by 2045
• Equitable Investments and Green Infrastructure -- use mechanisms such as equitable carbon pricing or TCI (Transportation Climate Initiative) to invest today to create the future we want

After the briefing, members dispersed into the State House to meet with House Reps, asking that they co-sponsor these important bills* by Friday, February 1:

1. S.D.1885/H.D.3878; S.D.1824/H.D.3523 -- An Act relative to Environmental Justice; Sen. DiDomenico/Rep.Madaro and Sen. Eldridge/Rep. Dubois & Rep. Miranda
2. S.D.1625S.D.1625/H.D.3092 --  An Act Re-powering Massachusetts with 100% Renewable Energy; Sen. Eldridge/Rep. Decker & Rep. Garballey
3. H.D.2370 -- An Act to Promote Green Infrastructure and Reduce Carbon Emissions; Rep. Benson
4. S.D.1541/H.D.3009 -- An Act to Advance Modern and Sustainable Solutions for Transportation; Sen. Lesser/Rep. Ehrlich

At 1:00, MPF members joined organizers from Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station
at Governor Baker's office to protest the Weymouth Compressor Station.

Check out #EnergyJusticeNow and #mapoli on twitter, as well as links to MPF and Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station facebook pages, for videos, pictures, comments, and more.

* As of this posting, House Docket numbers have been assigned but links to bill texts are not yet live on malegislature.gov

Image credit, Mary Ann Stewart

Cross-posted to Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts

Raise Up MA Community Briefing, Bedford

Middlesex Community College, Cafe East, 10:30-12:00

Live-blogging, updating as we go.

Welcome from Margaret Heitz of Lexington.

There are 11 Community Briefings scheduled across the Commonwealth, for folks to speak to representatives and to hear from them about what they are focusing on.

Just completed a busy time on budgeting.

Raise Up MA (RUM) is a coalition of more than 50 organizations committed to building an economy that invests in families, gives everyone the opportunity to succeed, and creates broadly shared prosperity. The coalition works to pass laws, through the Legislature or at the ballot box, that support working families with jobs that pay a living wage and policies that allow them to balance work and family. To support important investments in the people and our communities, RUM believes everyone should be asked to pay their fair share.

RUM Agenda includes:

• A Constitutional Amendment to support education and transportation infrastructure
• A Living Wage for Big Box Retail and Fast Food Emloyees
• Paid Family and Medical Leave

Representatives currently present: Rep. Sean Garballey, Arlington.

Rep. Garballey is strongly supportive of Raise Up MA's agenda. Need folks to speak up to their reps for their support for critical investment in education and transportation. Next steps: Constitutional Convention (ConCon) - take votes to support. Important to call your reps now, ask them to support the amendment. Lobby hard now. If you don't know your rep - get to know them now. Develop a relationship with them. Call them. Ask them not only for a commitment to vote for your issue, but to work for it - news, facebook, twitter - that's how we get these issues to pass.

Margaret reports that Rep. Dave Rogers is unable to join. Sends his regrets.

Benjamin Chandhok, staffer for Rep.Jay Kaufman who couldn't be here. He is traveling back from a conference. Rep Kaufman's agenda mirrors Raise Up MA's. MA has a flat income tax. Rising inequality - Jay wants everyone to pay. Call Jay. Call your reps. Income inequality, transportation/infrastructure, education have gotten worse since ballot for grad tax [This initiative isn't about a grad tax].

Mary from Sudbury: problems in education funding - need the Fair Share Amendment.

Richard from Lexington: language issue within Constitution?

Community member: brilliance of the Constitutional Amendment is in its simplicity, its language to implement.

Ben: Lobby your reps to implement. ConCon is May 18 at 12:30 at the State House.

Carl Nillson: Constitution will say [after it's amended] that the money will go to education and transportation. We all worked together to gather signatures. Will we want it to go to bridges? Roads? Pre-K? That is up to us, the People. Our work won't be over once the constitution is amended and approved [at the ballot box in November 2018].

Members from various communities share what the RUM Agenda means to them:

• Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC) recommendations released, impress legislators of need for increased education funding;
• disgusting that we don't have Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML);
• need to keep business' feet to the fire for PFML;
• lots of people are working and can't afford food, need SNAP benefits - need for $15 living wage;
• transpo/infrastructure so important, extend Green Line T
• sinkhole in Springfield - infrastructure critical safety issue

Reps. Ken Gordon (Bedford), Jim Dwyer (Woburn), Dave Rogers (Arlington) unable to be here. Contact them and let them know you were here.

Meeting adjourns 11:30 AM

PDM's Issues Conference

I was part of the team that organized Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts' Issues Conference on March 19. The event featured two plenary sessions - one on Climate Change and the other on Funding Public Education.

• Joining for Climate Change were Representative Paul Mark (2nd Berkshire), Joel Wool (Clean Water Action & Mass Power Forward), and Cathy Buckley (Massachusetts Sierra Club)
• The session on Funding Public Education featured Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz (2nd Suffolk), Superintendent Dr. Mary Bourque (Chelsea PUblic Schools), Tracy Novick (blogger, Field Director MASC), Colin Jones (Policy Analyst, MassBudget), and Kevin Murray (Executive Director, The Program for Human Rights and the Global Economy)

In between the two sessions, we had an "issues speed dating" segment. Nine presenters, each hosted three 15-minute quick takes on 9 issues: Eric Shupin on Affordable Housing, Mark Breslow on Carbon Pricing, Lew Finfer on Worker's Rights, Josh Beardsley on Criminal Justice/Prison Reform, Kade Crockford on Electronic Privacy, Mason Dunn on Transgender Rights, Jordan Berg-Powers on Key Upcoming Legislative Issues, and Tracy Novick on Social Media for Advocacy.

Here's the storify of the event.

UP/Lexington

As I have done for the past eight years, I attended Lexington's Democratic Caucus last Saturday, February 8. What was different this year was that there was a push for electing a slate of unpledged progressive delegates to attend this year's Democratic Convention. I ran (and won) as an unpledged progressive (UP).

I am unpledged but not uncommitted! I am committed to identifying the best progressive candidate for Governor and to push all the candidates for Governor to speak up for progressive values and issues.

Read the related post by Peter Enrich to Blue Mass Group.

Our initial effort was a great success in Lexington. Of a total of 23 possible elected delegates, all 11 from our slate were elected, plus one more who joined the slate at the last moment.

And I've heard that we also have a big UP slate from Arlington, with good prospects elsewhere.

Bottom line is that it feels like we may really be onto something here. I'll be rolling up my sleeves for the follow through. Stay tuned.

Raise Up MA - Update!

RaiseUpMA advocates
at the Tuesday Farmer's
Market, Lexington

For the past two months I've been part of the Raise Up Massachusetts coalition working to gather signatures across Massachusetts for a ballot initiative that would see two questions added to the statewide ballot next November (see previous Posts: Raise Up Massachusetts; PDM). These two important initiatives would index the minimum wage and require employers to provide earned sick time to their employees.

The coalition has been successful! We succeeded in our signature drive - - gathering more than a quarter-million signatures, far surpassing our most ambitious targets. And, PDM has substantially exceeded its own ambitious goals. I was one of many familiar faces at the Farmer's Market each Tuesday from mid-September through the end of October and at several Town events. I also made a personal commitment to knock doors in my precinct - and I'm pleased to say that I successfully gathered 500+ signatures for my efforts.

The impact of Raise Up's statewide campaign has led the state Senate's leadership to advance a minimum wage measure that would meet many of the campaign's goals.

I stand with PDM and statewide activists who await this initiative moving forward, in both legislative and electoral settings, to see these important progressive reforms put into law.

Raise Up Massachusetts

The Raise Up Massachusetts ballot initiative would see two questions added to the General Election Ballot in November 2014. Voters would be asked to approve an increase to the minimum wage and to guarantee paid sick time for employers with eleven or more employees working a minimum of 30 hours each week. The effort of gathering the required 70,000 signatures is engaging activists all across the Commonwealth.

If successful, we would see the minimum wage increased from $8.00 per hour to $10.50 per hour, phased in over two years and indexed to the inflation rate after January 1, 2016. Paid sick leave would be guaranteed for employees working in a business with eleven or more employees working 30 hours or more per week; each employee would receive one hour of sick leave for each 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year. For employees in a business with fewer than 11 employees, employers would be asked to honor the time each employee accrued.

The first step in the ballot initiative process was achieved this past August and signature papers became available in mid-September. The number of signatures required for this ballot initiative to move forward is about 70,000 certified signatures - - and to ensure that we will have sufficient number of signatures for certification we are aiming for a collection of about 100,000 signatures. This effort is an opportunity to strengthen organizations and a statewide movement for economic justice!

We are organized in Lexington and have committed to getting about 2,000 signatures and of that, I have agreed to help gather at least 1,000 signatures. For the past three weeks, I have been knocking doors in my precinct (P1) and have been present at several events held in Town, and been staked out at the Tuesday afternoon Farmer's Market. It's a great feeling to be out in these glorious fall days, working to improve pay and working benefits for folks. Most of the people I talk with support the initiative.

I have posted previously on the impact of low-wage work on families. If we are successful in getting the certified signatures, we qualify putting the questions to voters in November of 2014. If the referendum passes, we win a raise and new benefits for over one million workers in Massachusetts, and push states around the country to follow our lead. This is an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of low-income workers in our Commonwealth!

PDM

In summer of 2007, I was fortunate to spend two days in a workshop hosted by the Public Policy Institute (now Massachusetts Leadership Academy) and led by Patrick Bresette from Demos | Public Works. The topic was how to effectively frame conversations around public structures.