Massachusetts lawmakers approved a budget on June 12 that shifts the cost of health care onto the backs and wallets of state workers, guts 'Quinn Bill' education benefits for police officers, and raises the threshold for the application of the Pacheco Law, which protects workers and taxpayers from unscrupulous contractors and vendors. Facing an unprecedented $3 billion budget gap caused by a recessionary economy, lawmakers also cut many important programs and drastically scaled back the local aid payments that are a lifeline for Massachusetts' municipalities.

Lawmakers also approved an increase in the sales tax from 5% to 6.25% in addition to increases on alcohol and meals taxes and other revenue-generating measures designed to allow municipalities to invoke local option taxes.

Labor's distress was amplified by the release of the much-anticipated Transportation Reform package on Thursday, June 11.  In spite of repeated promises from legislative leaders that reform legislation would respect collective bargaining rights, the unions at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, including GBLC affiliates IBEW Local 103, Teamsters Local 127, and Steelworkers' Local 5696, are not protected in the new statute.  In addition, significant alterations were made to the health care and retirement plans of MBTA workers without recourse to collective bargaining.

Both the budget and transportation reform packages were signed into law by Governor Patrick. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the affected unions are working with legislative leaders to amend the transportation package and restore worker protections and bargaining unit jurisdictions.  The GBLC will continue to work with them in the fight to forestall the anti-union and anti-worker provisions in the legislation.

'The implosion of our economy and the resulting fiscal crisis were caused by financial elites, corporate leaders and non-existent regulation of financial markets, not by working families.  Lawmakers in Massachusetts need to start looking at options that include sacrifice from these financial chieftains and their institutions, instead of balancing their budget on the backs of public employees," noted GBLC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Rich Rogers.