Resolutions Passed at the
2015 Massachusetts AFL-CIO
Constitutional Convention
Resolution in Opposition to Executive Order 562
WHEREAS, government regulations are critical to quality public health, worker safety, environmental
standards, and consumer protection;
WHEREAS, Massachusetts is a national leader in health care, education, worker safety, biotech and life
sciences, the environment and other areas thanks in large part to our strong regulations;
WHEREAS, state regulations often exceed federal minimums in cases where the citizens of that state feel
the state laws and accompanying regulations better protect and advance the public good;
WHEREAS, the people of Massachusetts have, through their elected leaders, supported state regulations
that have generally promoted the economic and social wellbeing of the Commonwealth and protected
individuals and the environment from harm, even if those regulations have no federal counterpart;
WHEREAS, the Labor Movement and our allies have worked hard to fashion many of the regulations in
place today that have helped make Massachusetts one of the safest, cleanest and most competitive
states in the nation;
WHEREAS, any policy or regulation under review should first be measured according to its impact on the
quality of life for citizens of Massachusetts, before its effect on business competitiveness should be
considered;
WHEREAS, Executive Order 562 could result in the removal of numerous widely supported state
regulations that exceed federal standards, diminishing the quality of life for millions of Massachusetts
residents and workers and thwarting the democratic process that led to the enactment of state laws
requiring these regulations;
WHEREAS, Executive Order 562 is endorsed by the special interest group, the American Legislative
Exchange Council (ALEC), which has written models for several other pieces of legislation which are
harmful to ordinary citizens of Massachusetts and other states, including so-called Right to Work, repeal
of the minimum wage, repeal of the prevailing wage, privatization, reductions in unemployment
compensation, weakening of health, safety and environmental laws and voter suppression;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that:
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO opposes Executive Order 562; and
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO urges the Governor and his agency heads to directly solicit feedback about
strengthening needed and important regulations rather than aim to weaken regulations wherever
possible; and
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO urges the Governor to live up to his promise to make this process as
transparent as possible, notifying and soliciting input from the labor movement and our allies of any
listening sessions, hearings, board meetings or other proceedings where regulations under
consideration for review pursuant to Executive Order 562 will be on the agenda; and that the Governor
makes all comments pursuant to Executive Order 562 available to the public.
Submitted by the co-chairs of the Mass. AFL-CIO EO 562 Working Group: Frank Callahan, Mass. Building
Trades Council, and Monica Halas, UAW 2320.
Resolution Opposing Extension of Disastrous Trade Policies
WHEREAS, U.S. trade deals for the past 25 years have been corporate-driven, incorporating rules that
skew benefits to economic elites while requiring working families to bear the brunt of such policies;
WHEREAS, The growing trade deficits, driven by the North American Free Trade Agreement, China’s
accession to the World Trade Organization, and the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, have displaced
700,000 jobs and 3.2 million jobs, and 75,000 jobs respectively;
WHEREAS, U.S. employment in manufacturing dropped by 5 million from 2000 to 2015;
WHEREAS, Jobs lost due to trade devastate families and entire communities and can permanently
reduce lifetime earnings for hundreds of thousands of workers;
WHEREAS, The long decline of the American manufacturing base—exacerbated by bad trade policies
that reward outsourcing—has undermined our economic security and poses a direct threat to our
national security;
WHEREAS, The offshoring of manufacturing and service jobs deprives local and state governments of
sorely needed revenues, jeopardizing the livelihoods of millions of public servants as well as
construction workers whose jobs depend upon infrastructure building, repair and maintenance;
WHEREAS, Under NAFTA-style trade rules, the U.S. annual trade deficit has increased dramatically from
70 billion in 1993, the year before NAFTA went into effect, to more than $508 billion in 2014;
WHEREAS, The disproportionate voice of powerful global corporations in the formation of U.S. “free
trade” agreements has advanced an agenda that undermines the public interest and threatens
democracy;
WHEREAS, NAFTA and all but two of the U.S. trade deals that followed it include special legal rights for
foreign investors, known as “investor-to-state dispute settlement” or ISDS, that allow foreign firms to
bypass state and federal courts to challenge state and local laws, regulations, and administrative and
judicial decisions in international tribunals;
WHEREAS, Foreign investors already have used NAFTA’s ISDS provisions to challenge decisions regarding
local building permits, environmental regulations, state bans on toxic chemicals and decisions of state
courts;
WHEREAS, Climate change and environmental degradation threaten communities across the globe, and
ISDS provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) may expose nations enacting policies to fight
climate change to ISDS cases that undermine these efforts;
WHEREAS, Promoting economic growth with equity in Massachusetts requires an approach that reforms
the entire trade negotiation process to ensure that voices of workers, farmers, small businesses, families
and communities are heard and their interests addressed;
WHEREAS, The TPP has been negotiated in secret, effectively shutting state and local governments out
of the process, limiting our ability to influence its rules to ensure the people of Massachusetts can
participate in the benefits of trade;
WHEREAS, Given the enactment of fast track trade negotiating authority, states, localities and their
citizens will have no opportunity to correct shortcomings in the TPP since its text will not be made public
until it is final and no longer can be improved; and
WHEREAS, Repeating old mistakes in negotiating new trade agreements such as the TPP represents a
missed opportunity to strengthen our economy, reduce income inequality and promote sustainable
growth;
BE IT RESOLVED THAT, The Massachusetts AFL-CIO calls upon our elected officials in the U.S. Senate and
U.S. House of Representatives to oppose the TPP and any similar trade deals if they fail to restructure
the misguided and failed policies of the past;
AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, The Massachusetts AFL-CIO calls upon our elected officials in the U.S.
Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to support new trade deals such as the TPP only if they will:









Protect and promote traditional state and local prerogatives and authority under our federal
system, including by ensuring that states and localities will not be required to comply with
certain commitments, including any restrictions on preferences for local, state, or U.S. goods or
services, without prior informed consent of the legislature or local lawmaking body;
Ensure balanced trade and address the excessive, job-killing U.S. trade deficit;
Include enforceable rules against currency manipulation, which countries such as China and
Japan have used to tilt the playing field in their favor;
Exclude investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) and other provisions that favor foreign
companies over domestic ones and undermine public choices;
Ensure that countries cannot undercut U.S. based producers with weaker labor and
environmental laws and enforcement;
Ensure that the U.S. will engage in robust enforcement of trade rules, including labor and
environmental rules;
Include strong rule of origin to promote economic growth and job creation in the U.S.;
Promote high standards of protection for workplaces, products, and natural resources rather
than promoting a race to the bottom; and
Put the interests of people and the planet over the interests of private profit.
Submitted by CWA Local 201
Resolution in Opposition to the Privatization of Public Services

WHEREAS, privatization is the shift from providing public services to contracting out to
companies whose main interest is profits for themselves and who compete by slashing jobs,
wages, benefits and public service;

WHEREAS, with the promise of reduced costs and improved quality, particularly in
transportation, and public school custodian and food service programs, government has turned
functions over to the private sector, displacing public employees and lowering the standards of
service;

WHEREAS, commitments to rehire employees are often broken, and workers lucky enough to be
rehired often find themselves performing the same job for a smaller wage, fewer benefits, and
without union protection;

WHEREAS, the primary beneficiaries of privatization are the executives at these private
companies who are paid exorbitant salaries at the expense of high-turnover, increased
unemployment, far less spending in the local economy, and the loss of skilled workers resulting
in diminished services;

WHEREAS, privatization opens up the doors for corruption since additional levels of bureaucracy
must be created to award, manage, and evaluate contracts, and there is always the potential for
abuse in awarding contracts and overseeing their completion, and contractors may underbid to
win the contract, then claim cost overruns and increased rates in subsequent contracts;

WHEREAS, public control and accountability over services is lost, while government maintains
responsibility and liability for the provision of services

WHEREAS, we should not be addressing our budget woes by handing the services of our
government over to profit-driven companies who only look out for their own best interests, not
those of the taxpayers;

WHEREAS, public employees and taxpayers who rely on quality public services should not have
to bear the brunt of cost shifting while enriching private vendors seeking just one thing: profits
for themselves;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO strongly opposes Privatization of Public
Services.
Submitted by AFSCME DC93, SEIU Local 509, and ATU Local 589
Resolution: To Support New Revenues forTransportation and Education to Help Working Families
Succeed and Build a Stronger Economy for Us All

WHEREAS the best way to help working families and build a stronger economy for us all is to
make sure that we have quality public schools for our children, affordable higher education, and
a transportation system that lets people get to work and customers get to businesses;

WHEREAS new revenue is necessary to improve our public schools, rebuild crumbling roads and
bridges, make college affordable, and invest in fast and reliable public transportation;

WHEREAS compared to other states, Massachusetts ranks 45th in state spending on higher
education as a share of our economy;

WHEREAS 446 bridges in Massachusetts are “structurally deficient,” meaning they have “major
deterioration, cracks, or other flaws that reduce [the] ability to support vehicles,” and an
estimated $14.4 billion of bridge repairs are needed;

WHEREAS the MBTA needs $6.7 billion in investments just to reach a “state of good repair”;

WHEREAS Massachusetts has one of the largest income inequality problems in the country
partly because our highest-income residents, who have been the biggest winners in the
economy, pay the smallest share of their income in state and local taxes;

WHEREAS if our highest income residents paid their fair share – the same share as the rest of us
– we would be able to improve our schools, make higher education more affordable, and fix our
crumbling transportation system;

WHEREAS if Massachusetts is serious about helping working families and building a stronger
economy, we must invest in quality public schools, affordable higher education, and a
transportation system that works;

WHEREAS Raise Up Massachusetts’ constitutional amendment would create an additional tax of
four percentage points on annual income above one million dollars and this new revenue could
only be spent on quality public education, affordable public colleges and universities, and for
repair and maintenance of roads, bridges, and public transportation;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO commit itself to this campaign and
work hard to pass the Raise Up Massachusetts Fair Share Amendment.
Submitted by AFT, MTA, and 1199SEIU
Resolution: Response To the Right Wing Attack on
Working People and the Quality of Life
WHEREAS: US Corporations, aligned with rightwing extremists, are funding a systematic state-by state
attack on unions, public services, labor market protections for working families, and the very concept of
collective bargaining;
WHEREAS: The intent of these attacks is to maximize corporate power and profits at the expense of the
working class majority, including the elimination of collective representation in the workplace, project
labor agreements and prevailing wage standards, and regulations that protect workers and the public
good; and to further shift the tax burden away from those who can afford to pay to the backs of working
people;
WHEREAS: The extremist right wing already has control of the governor’s offices and both houses of
state legislatures in half of our country’s states, and dominant influence in additional states;
WHEREAS: Pro working family forces are in control of only six state governments, with dominant
influence in a few additional states;
WHEREAS: The US Supreme Court decisions such as Citizens United have struck at the root of democracy
in our country, equating free speech with money (so that the more money you have, the more “free”
speech you get);
WHEREAS: The US Supreme Court has issued decisions and continues to consider cases which may have
disastrous effects on collective bargaining in the public sector in our states;
WHEREAS: The Koch Brothers alone intend to spend nearly $1 billion to support an anti-working people
agenda in the next presidential election, and they are only one group among many corporate leaders
with similar plans;
WHEREAS: The instruments for the right wing attacks on working people at the state level are secretive
corporate funded organizations like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and phony “thinktanks” like the Pioneer Institute and the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance here in Massachusetts, similar to
such corporate front groups created in all 50 states;
WHEREAS: The Republican State Leadership Committee has publically targeted the Massachusetts state
legislature, along with five other states, for a $40 million campaign in 2016 to elect more anti-labor
candidates;
WHEREAS: In the 2015 legislative session in Massachusetts, the Republican Governor has already
promoted strategies straight out of the ALEC playbook, such as privatization and has issued an Executive
Order that would sunset regulations based on their business competitiveness impact rather than a
quality of life impact, or that exceed federal standards;
WHEREAS: The Pioneer Institute has successfully branded itself as a neutral think tank and, despite its
deceptive “studies”, appears to exert growing influence among Democrats in the State Legislature and
the Massachusetts Municipal Association as well;
WHEREAS: When the extreme right-wing seizes control of a state legislature, they immediately launch
an all-out attack on democracy to maintain their power indefinitely, through such undemocratic
measures as politically self-serving redistricting, voter suppression aimed at workers, people of color,
the elderly and students, and through pre-emption laws;
WHEREAS: The AFL-CIO and non-AFL-CIO unions are working together at the national level to support
state strategies to fight these attacks;
AND WHEREAS: Attacks on the historic scale currently being faced by working people of Massachusetts
cannot be defeated by any one section of the trade union movement alone, or by organized labor alone;
THEREFORE:
The MA AFL-CIO recognizes that we need to change how we exert and build our power, evaluating our
efforts and adopting new tools and strategies for resisting the attacks and waging campaigns that
mobilize grassroots power in our workplaces and communities;
The MA AFL-CIO further recognizes that individual unions cannot win these fights alone and we need
new strategies that call not only for solidarity but a collective labor movement response;
The MA AFL-CIO further recognizes that even a united labor movement cannot win these fights alone
and we need new strategies that build strong and enduring partnerships with our community allies;
The President of the MA AFL-CIO shall appoint a committee (of Executive Council members and others
as he may choose) to develop a strategic framework for combatting the above described attacks
including methods of taking the offensive;
The Strategy Committee may consider the following action steps:
1) Review the state of the trade union movement in Massachusetts, including new organizing
trends and state of collective bargaining and contracts;
2) Create an internal education program so that our leaders, activists and members across
traditional sectoral lines (such as “building trades” and “public sector”), racial backgrounds, and
citizenship status, develop a common understanding of what we are facing and what actions we
need to take;
3) Provide public education on the right wing agenda, its funders, and its impact on working people
and public services in Massachusetts;
4) Review “best practices” at other state federations facing similar challenges;
5) Analyze who are our potential allies in this effort and how best to work with them, including
communities of color, immigrant organizations, faith-based coalitions, student groups, retiree
organizations, progressive economists and other academics, and others;
6) Analyze the nature of the workforce to counter the rise in inequality, wage theft, and health and
safety risks, the erosion of middle class jobs, and the silencing of workers’ voices in the
workplace
7) Develop a messaging frame that has broad appeal to all Massachusetts residents concerned
about the erosion of the quality of life
8) Suggest structural changes to the federation to achieve agreed upon goals;
9) Include other issues as directed by the President of the Mass AFL-CIO and its Executive Council.
The Strategy Committee shall make an initial report to the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Executive Council in six
months. Any and all recommendations from the Committee shall be submitted to the President of the
Massachusetts AFL-CIO and its Executive Council for review and implementation.
Submitted by the North Shore Central Labor Council
Resolution To Make Labor CAN a Priority In 2015-16
Whereas: The Massachusetts AFL-CIO is instrumental in helping to elect pro-worker candidates to the
legislature and statewide offices through the grassroots political action of our members; and
Whereas: The need for grassroots action from our members does not end on Election Day, and in fact
only increases in importance as the state legislature takes up issues of importance to working families;
and
Whereas: The old rules for winning legislative campaigns are less and less effective in today’s political
climate where corporate money exerts overwhelming influence, and even inside the walls of the State
House, democracy is too often stifled by excessive leadership control over debate; and
Whereas: Rightwing front groups, funded by big money ultraconservative donors, are exerting
increasing influence over the political and legislative process; and
Whereas: The media is dominated by anti-union columnists and editorial boards that often misrepresent
or ignore altogether the voice of unions and working families, and inundates our members with
misinformation and distortions of the real issues; and
Whereas: Labor’s greatest strength is our ability to activate and mobilize our members and to reach
across union and sector boundaries that often separate us to build a movement of working people
united behind a shared agenda for economic, social and racial justice; and
Whereas: The Massachusetts AFL-CIO has begun organizing the “Labor Constituent Activist Network”
(LaborCAN) in order to better organize and galvanize our members to advance this shared agenda;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO will devote significant resources in the coming year to building Labor CAN
across the state: and
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO will recruit, educate, and mobilize rank and file leaders and activists in all of
our affiliates and CLCs to make Labor CAN a force in Massachusetts politics and policy;
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO will hold regional Labor CAN educational conferences in 2015-16 to educate
activists about the issues that matter to working people; to unite activists, across every union and across
every sector, around a shared vision and a shared understanding of the new economic and political
landscape; and to mobilize our members and leaders around a shared working family agenda and
strategy.
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO will encourage and work with each of our affiliates and CLCs to vigorously
participate in building Labor CAN so that every union and every sector are represented in the Labor CAN
network and every state legislative district has a team of trained and diverse constituents ready to
mobilize on behalf of a progressive, pro-working family, pro-union agenda to protect and promote the
quality of life for all citizens of the Commonwealth.
Whereas: The Massachusetts AFL-CIO is instrumental in helping to elect pro-worker candidates to the
legislature and statewide offices through the grassroots political action of our members; and
Whereas: The need for grassroots action from our members does not end on Election Day, and in fact
only increases in importance as the state legislature takes up issues of importance to working families;
and
Whereas: The old rules for winning legislative campaigns are less and less effective in today’s political
climate where corporate money exerts overwhelming influence, and even inside the walls of the State
House, democracy is too often stifled by excessive leadership control over debate; and
Whereas: Rightwing front groups, funded by big money ultraconservative donors, are exerting
increasing influence over the political and legislative process; and
Whereas: The media is dominated by anti-union columnists and editorial boards that often misrepresent
or ignore altogether the voice of unions and working families, and inundates our members with
misinformation and distortions of the real issues; and
Whereas: Labor’s greatest strength is our ability to activate and mobilize our members and to reach
across union and sector boundaries that often separate us to build a movement of working people
united behind a shared agenda for economic, social and racial justice; and
Whereas: The Massachusetts AFL-CIO has begun organizing the “Labor Constituent Activist Network”
(LaborCAN) in order to better organize and galvanize our members to advance this shared agenda;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO will devote significant resources in the coming year to building Labor CAN
across the state: and
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO will recruit, educate, and mobilize rank and file leaders and activists in all of
our affiliates and CLCs to make Labor CAN a force in Massachusetts politics and policy;
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO will hold regional Labor CAN educational conferences in 2015-16 to educate
activists about the issues that matter to working people; to unite activists, across every union and across
every sector, around a shared vision and a shared understanding of the new economic and political
landscape; and to mobilize our members and leaders around a shared working family agenda and
strategy.
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO will encourage and work with each of our affiliates and CLCs to vigorously
participate in building Labor CAN so that every union and every sector are represented in the Labor CAN
network and every state legislative district has a team of trained and diverse constituents ready to
mobilize on behalf of a progressive, pro-working family, pro-union agenda to protect and promote the
quality of life for all citizens of the Commonwealth.
Submitted by: Executive Council of the Mass. AFL-CIO
RESOLUTION OPPOSING ALL ATTEMPTS TO RAISE OR ELIMINATE
THE CAP ON COMMONWEALTH CHARTER SCHOOLS
WHEREAS: Commonwealth charter schools siphon resources from the public schools; and
WHEREAS: Cities and towns have no role in the establishment of Commonwealth charter schools in their
communities; and
WHEREAS: Commonwealth charter schools are not accountable to any elected body or official; and
WHEREAS: Commonwealth charter schools have far fewer special needs students and English language
learner students than public schools; and
WHEREAS: The Commonwealth does not require that teachers in the Commonwealth charter schools be
licensed; and
WHEREAS: The salaries and benefits of teachers in the Commonwealth charter schools are far inferior to
those of teachers in the public schools; and
WHEREAS: The students in the Commonwealth public schools are the highest achieving in the U.S.A.;
and
WHEREAS: Public schools are one of the foundations of democracy; and
WHEREAS: Commonwealth charter schools create a two track system that uses public funds for private
interests;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO opposes any attempt to raise or eliminate the cap on Commonwealth
charter schools.
Submitted by AFT MA and MTA