Rachel Scotch, president of the MassDefenders, talked up the importance of collective bargaining at the North Shore Labor Council’s annual Legislative Breakfast. The March 30 event was held on Zoom.
Due to a loophole in state law, the Local 888 affiliate needs permission from the Legislature to gain collective bargaining rights. With the 2021 legislative session underway, the MassDefenders is renewing its push for a bill that backs that right.
“This legislation is about two fundamental human rights” said state Sen. Jason Lewis, at a pre-pandemic State House rally. One is that “Everyone has the right to a legal defense, whether rich or poor.”
Lewis said that “The second fundamental human right is the right for workers to organize — whether in the private sector or the public sector. They have a right to negotiate over wages and working conditions.”
Lewis, who lives in Winchester, is the lead sponsor for the MassDefenders bill in the Senate. State Rep. Michael Moran of Brighton is the lead in the House.
The state’s public defenders agency is officially known as the Committee for Public Counsel Services. The MassDefenders, which has elected officers and a board, is organizing the agency’s 750 attorneys, investigators, secretaries and others. They work on behalf of poor people on criminal matters and in a variety of other cases.
Other lawmakers attending the recent labor council event were state Sens. Brendan Crighton, Joan Lovely and Bruce Tarr. In addition: state Reps. Daniel Cahill, Pete Capano, Lori Ehrlich, Jessica Giannino, Richard Haggerty Sally Kerans, Tram Nguyen, Jerald Parisella, Paul Tucker, Steven Ultrino and Thomas Walsh.