LABOR

Massachusetts Democrats believe in rights and protections for all working people regardless of gender, ethnicity, race, religion, age, income, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation.

We support federal and state laws guaranteeing workers the right to organize, to bargain collectively and to strike.

We support collective bargaining as a necessary means to promote economic equality.

We support laws that guarantee the right of employees to join a union of their choice and to engage in collective bargaining.

We support a decent living wage for all workers.

We support an increase in the minimum wage laws to keep workers and their families from the burdens of poverty and we believe that the minimum wage should be indexed to the rate of inflation.

We support the state's Prevailing Wage Law and its requirements.

We endorse the Responsible Employer Ordinance and its requirements.

We believe every worker should be guaranteed a safe and healthy workplace and support the Comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health Reform Act, the environmental Right to Know Law and adoption of a toxic chemical precautionary principle.

We believe that wage, worker protection, and anti-discrimination laws should apply to both public and private sector workers.

We support increased assistance for job training, workforce development and job creation programs.

We support the creation of new national legislation to protect undocumented workers and their families, and strict sanctions against employers who recruit them.

We believe that refugee and immigrant workers should have the same rights and protections, including the right to organize, as do United States citizens.

We oppose the outsourcing of jobs to states and countries with lower labor and environmental standards.

We oppose the use of public funds, directly or indirectly, to pay for the services of union busters or union avoidance consultants.