Massachusetts Workers need a Higher Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Time! Help Massachusetts Peace Action make sure they win both.  Raise Up Massachusetts Phase III is under Way A higher minimum wage and the right to earned sick days are a basic part of a social justice agenda. Join the Massachusetts Peace Action team supporting  Raise Up Massachusetts! Massachusetts Peace Action joins close to 100 other community organizations engaged in the struggle for economic and socail justice. Thanks to those of you who have already made a contribution to earlier phases of the campaign to raise the minimum wage and make earned paid sick days available to all workers in the commonwealth.  Massachusetts Peace Action is proud have helped raise the 285,000 signatures in phase 1 of the campaign, the first step in changing the Commonwealth's policies}. Many of us also called and wrote our Representatives in phase 2 of the campaign as the Massachusetts House of Representatives debated the issue.  Together, the Raise UP Massachusetts community organizations were able to beat back efforts to cut unemployment pay, special lower minimums for teens or new workers,  In the end, however, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a version of the Minmum wage that has no indexing so that it will begin losing its impact the minute it passes as any gains are eaten up.  The House version also disrespects tipped workers by proposing a $3.15 minimum wage for them.   The Massachusetts Senate which passed a much better bill and the House of Representatives will now try to reconcile the bill. The earned sick days bill has not passed in either the House or the Senate. The Raise Up Massachusetts Campaign  third phase has now begun.  By June 18 we need to collect roughly 11,000 valid signatures of registered voters on each petition. in order to be able to put the measures on the state ballot this November.  Fullfilling this requirement is also the best way to put pressure on the Massachusetts legislature to pass an acceptable minimum wage bill. Please click here to join in the Raise Up Campaign by getting signatures from your friends, neighbors or by joining the petition campaign efforts.   Minimum Wage Raise the minimum wage and ensure that it keeps pace with the rising cost of living. An increase in the minimum wage would impact one in five workers in Massachusetts and give them the financial stability to provide for their families. The minimum wage in Massachusetts has been stuck at $8 an hour since 2008, yet costs keep rising – and workers are long overdue for a raise. Workers can’t afford the basic necessities, and it’s an everyday struggle to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. The Minimum Wage Petition will raise the wage up to $10.50 an hour in two steps and establish a cost of living adjustment to keep up with inflation. The ballot proposal provides for a tipped worker minimum wage of $6.30 an hour. Earned Sick Time Raise Up Massachusetts is fighting to ensure earned sick time for workers across the state. Under our proposal, workers would be able to earn one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours a year, so that they don’t have to risk losing their jobs to care for themselves or their families. For nearly 1 million workers in Massachusetts, staying home to care for themselves or a sick child could mean losing their job. The ability for workers to care and provide for themselves and family members is a right, not a privilege, and now is the time to make it a reality for working families. Earned sick time is also good for business. Job retention policies like earned sick time reduce unemployment and strengthen the economy. When workers are able to earn sick time, it decreases employee turnover, limits the spread of illness at the workplace, and maximizes productivity. We need volunteers to collect our part of the signatures to put the Minimum Wage and Earned Sick Day issues on the Ballot.  Click here to volunteer to help collect the signatures needed. In solidarity, John Ratliff Massachusetts Peace Action Economic Justice Coordinator

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