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By State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven

Solidarity and congratulations are in order to the State Senate Staffers who announced their intent to organize a union last week with IBEW 2222 as the Massachusetts State House Employee Union (MSHEU).

This is a long time coming and well overdue — we’ve long known that conditions for staff vary widely by office, and for too many staffers their conditions are abysmal. Due to the massive inherent power difference between legislators and staff, all State House staff need and deserve union representation to bargain for fair pay, working conditions, and the dignity and respect all workers deserve.

Let me be clear: our entire institution would come to a grinding halt if it weren’t for our staff. During my first month in office, my aide Lucas became a father to a beautiful baby girl. He was away for three months of paid family leave, and the State House would not allow me to hire a temporary replacement. I was told it was up to me how much time Lucas should take for family leave. Simply put, I, nor any legislator, should hold this much power over their staff, not to mention everyone should have the right to paid family leave, period. Lucas did take three months of paid family leave and during those three months, I learned and performed all the functions of what staff do to keep our offices running.

I did it, but it was not fair to me, Lucas, or my constituents. It became so clear during those three months that staff are vastly underpaid and do not have enough workplace protections for a complex and demanding job. State House staff are often responsible for several spinning plates, from constituent services to communications to drafting legislation — all on a sub-living wage. When our staff are not treated or paid what they deserve for their labor, we are at risk of burnout, high turnover, and inequitable hiring practices, which can result in our constituents suffering the consequences.

This is why last year I worked with Senator Diana DiZoglio to facilitate an anonymous, voluntary survey that was created by State House staffers in various offices, alongside Beacon BLOC, a collective of Beacon Hill staff members and residents advocating for anti-racist and justice-centered systems within the State House.

Many concerns were raised in the survey, including issues around compensation, financial security, monthly work expenses both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, pay equity, and the cultural and social dynamics in the building.

A union will be an indispensable tool for staff to organize their collective power in the State House, and to fight for a fair, living wage, transparency in the hiring process, anti-racist infrastructure and protections for BIPOC, LGBTQ, and women staff, and much more. In addition to that though, I have a duty as a legislator to do everything in my power to support them.

In response to the survey results, Senator DiZoglio and I filed a series of bills to support staff in several areas of workplace security.

The first bill in the package (HD4386) provides a floor for the lowest tier of legislative staff salaries that would ensure a living wage for House, Senate, and joint legislative employees. This would reduce the barrier to entrance into public service, particularly for members of underserved populations, for persons of color, for recent graduates for whom student debt is an insurmountable obstacle.

The legislation provides appropriate adjustments to other salary tiers to make public service a viable career choice, in order to increase diversity and representation among those who serve on the front lines between Beacon Hill and the residents of the Commonwealth.

In addition, we filed bills to ensure that legislative staffers are provided the same cost-of-living adjustments as legislators already have, and retroactive bonuses to account for the costs of working from home during the pandemic. (HD 4388, HD 4387).

The package also would eliminate the waiting period for health insurance coverage for staff (HD4389), which currently refuses coverage for the first 60 days of employment by the State. And it would also establish a position in each chamber for an officer to anonymously represent legislative employees before those authorized to make employment-related decisions (HD4390). Because staff are technically hired by leadership, this would give them a voice as members of the workforce and as residents of the Commonwealth before those in positions of power.

While the bill package would drastically reduce several of the issues highlighted in the survey, the need for a staff union is as dire as ever. Passing bills is unfortunately an insider game on Beacon Hill, and organizing worker power is always a strong counter to the imbalance of power in the workplace.

I am so proud to have supported the efforts of Beacon BLOC and State House staffers since taking office. You can join me in showing your support for the staff union by signing the pledge and follow their work and next steps on Twitter @BeaconHillUnion.