Massachusetts Democrats believe that all working people – regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, race, religion, income, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, immigration or refugee status – should have the right to quality, family-sustaining jobs that provide a living wage, and access to education and training to make them employable and contributors to a healthy economy. We believe that the an essential part of an effective strategy to grow the middle class is to help people get out of poverty and promote economic equality by encouraging collective bargaining, increased unionization, and shared and employee ownership.
Massachusetts Democrats support:
- A living wage of at least $15/hour for all workers, the state’s Prevailing Wage Law and Responsible Employer Ordinances, including the Pacheco law, the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) to ensure workers on taxpayer-funded projects receive a decent wage, healthcare, and retirement benefits, a minimum wage that is increased and indexed to inflation, equal pay for women and communities of color.
- Massachusetts families; Strong wage theft, workplace safety and paid family and medical leave of at least three months for all anti-discrimination laws, to make sure that employers don’t take advantage of workers, employees receive fair compensation for their hard work, corporations obey the law, and employees are able to be their most productive in a safe, non-harassing work environment.