Last month — around the one-year anniversary of the declaration of emergency in Massachusetts due to the COVID pandemic — the MA Legislature finally passed a law to allow all workers to access five days of emergency paid sick time for COVID-related sickness, quarantine, caregiving, and vaccination.
Enter: Republican Governor Charlie Baker.
Rather than signing the bill, Baker sent it back with amendments to deny Emergency Paid Sick Time benefits to municipal employees – workers who are on the frontlines of the pandemic response and deserve the same protections as private-sector workers.
At the same time that he is requiring schools to reopen, he is trying to take away vital protections for teachers and staff. And trying to put countless other public workers at risk.
Fortunately, your state senator and state representative don’t need to listen to Baker and can reaffirm their commitment to an equitable recovery.
