NE JLC reaching out for MA's Fair Share Amendment
Photo by Hannah Klein, an activist from JALSA (Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action), who was also volunteering with us.
October 7, 2015 -- Somerville, MA: Volunteers worked with New England Jewish Labor Committee's Lily Sieradzki to collect signatures for the Fair Share Amendment in Davis Square. The Fair Share initiative, an ongoing project of RaiseUp Massachusetts, of which the NE JLC is a partner organization, is an amendment -- which needs 100,000 signatures to get onto the ballot by 2018 -- would raise state income taxes on people who make over $1 million a year. The revenue generated would be dedicated to public transit and public education. The NE JLC collected over 200 signatures on Wednesday and will be out collecting more in the next month!
RaiseUp Massachusetts, dedicated to building an economy that supports working families, is focusing on making all full-time jobs pay livable wages, as well as supporting policies that improve the balance between work life and family life. In June 2014, they and a range of colleague organizations, including the NE JLC, were successful in raising the state minimum wage: Massachusetts now has the highest state minimum wage in the USA. Their most recent campaigns include paid family and medical leave, the Fight for 15, and the Fair Share Initiative.