News Archive
Jan 28 2017
Newsletter: Next Week
Almost every day there's a meeting or demonstration in response to the national situation. Yesterday I joined SEIU 32BJ in a rally to protest Pres. Trump's counterproductive actions on immigration.
And last Saturday, 175,000 of us joined the Boston Women's March for...
Jan 13 2017
Newsletter: Reminder: Sunday Soup and Health Care
You're invited to our annual soup party on Sunday, January 15, from 5 to 8 pm at our house, 67 Dane Street in Somerville. RSVP's are welcome but not required.
All you need to bring is yourself, and a friend if you want to. But if you want to bring snacks, drinks, or...
Jan 2 2017
Newsletter: Thanks, New Year, Soup, ICYMI
I am so grateful to all of you who helped in my campaign this past year! Our almost 4-1 victory against a well-financed opponent was due to your door-knocking, phone calls, donations, and talking to friends. It was a testament to our many years of working together for...
Dec 14 2016
Pat Jehlen and Ellen Story: The champions of equal pay for women
The Boston Globe
By Shirley Leung December 14, 2016
Never give up: It could be the anthem for women in 2016.
That mind-set kept longtime state legislators Patricia Jehlen and Ellen Story going in their quest to close the stubborn gender wage gap in Massachusetts. After two...
Dec 11 2016
Wrongful incarceration. Moral debt?
The Eye | New England Center for Investigative Reporting
By Jenifer McKim - December 11, 2016
Kevin O’Loughlin was 20 years old in 1983 when he was convicted of raping an 11-year old girl in Framingham, a crime he always said he did not commit. He spent nearly four years behind bars, enduring violent assaults in a...
Dec 2 2016
Sen. Jehlen Attends Minimum Wage Rally
Medford Transcript
By Katie Bowler and Andy Metzger
On Tuesday, Nov. 29, the Raise Up Massachusetts Coalition and the Fight for $15 led a rally outside of a McDonald's restaurant in Cambridge to protest the current minimum wage.
In 2012, low-wage workers launched a national campaign in...
Dec 2 2016
Newsletter: Transportation News
Since the November election, we have had plenty of disturbing national news. I have found the best thing is to focus on things we can do something about. Here are a few things happening locally on transportation issues where people have made a difference and continue to...
Nov 4 2016
Newsletter: Other voices on Question 2
Many people are confused about Question 2. My recent newsletters discussed Q2 and a better alternative. In this one, I'm sharing other people's answers to FAQ.
But first, if you follow no other link and read no further, please watch this short video made by Boston...
Oct 28 2016
Sen. Pat Jehlen hosts Citizens' Legislative Seminar
http://medford.wickedlocal.com/news/20161028/sen-pat-jehlen-hosts-citizens-legislative-seminar
Sen. Pat Jehlen, D-Somerville, recently met with constituents who participated in the 77th Citizens' Legislative Seminar, which took place Oct. 17-18 at the Statehouse. CLS is a semiannual educational seminar geared toward adults of all ages interested in learning more...
Oct 26 2016
Baker-Polito Administration Awards $81,600 to Mystic River Communities for Environmental Restoration Projects Funds to Help Restore Water Resources Damaged During 2013 Oil Spill
The Official Website of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
BOSTON - The Baker-Polito Administration today awarded a total of $81,600 to the Town of Arlington and the City of Medford to support projects that will help to restore natural resources in the Upper Mystic River that were damaged during a tanker-truck fuel oil spill in...
Oct 25 2016
Newsletter: A better charter bill
“What changes do you want to see in charter schools?”
I sometimes hear this from people who know I’m against Question 2, which would allow for unlimited expansion of charter schools without changing anything about them or their funding.
Question 2 is an up or down...
Oct 14 2016
Newsletter: Making Inequality -- and Fighting Back
Massachusetts income inequality is among the highest in the country. The Globe reports that "Today, Massachusetts is about as unequal as we were at the height of the Roaring Twenties, before the fall into the Great Depression."
Policies make a difference: the Minimum Wage...
Sep 30 2016
Newsletter: Ballot Question 2: Charter School Expansion
On November 8, near the bottom of the presidential election ballot, there'll be a question about erasing the current limits on charter school expansion, which could have a very big impact on our schools. It’s Question 2.
I hope you'll join me in voting no. Here are some...
Sep 5 2016
Charter debate playing out in small races with big money
The Boston Globe
By David Scharfenberg Globe Staff September 05, 2016
While the partisans in Massachusetts’ bitter charter debate are sinking millions of dollars into a high-profile ballot fight over whether to build more of the schools, they’re also spending...
Aug 4 2016
Massachusetts: Leading the Way on Equal Pay
US Department of Labor Blog
Massachusetts: Leading the Way on Equal Pay
Filed in Equal Pay, Women By Jackie Cooke on August 4, 2016
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announces the state’s new equal pay law, Aug. 1, 2016.
This was truly a historic week in Massachusetts. After...
Aug 4 2016
Massachusetts Joins State-Led Efforts On Equal Pay For Women
NPR
Massachusetts Joins State-Led Efforts On Equal Pay For Women
August 4, 20163:57 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
Fred Thys
From
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signs a pay equity act into law at the Massachusetts State House on...
Aug 3 2016
A triumph long in coming in fair pay fight
The Boston Globe
A triumph long in coming in fair pay fight
Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
Dorothy Simonelli held the speech she read Monday.
By Shirley Leung Globe Columnist August 03, 2016
At first, Dorothy Simonelli didn’t want to come, or see...
Aug 3 2016
New bill created to help close gender pay gap makes it ILLEGAL for employers to ask people how much they are paid during job interviews
Dailymail.com
New bill created to help close gender pay gap makes it ILLEGAL for employers to ask people how much they are paid during job interviews
Massachusetts passes new bill designed to eliminate the gender pay gap
Bill bans employers from asking salary information during...
Aug 2 2016
Illegal in Massachusetts: Asking Your Salary in a Job Interview
The New York Times
Illegal in Massachusetts: Asking Your Salary in a Job Interview
By STACY COWLEY AUG. 2, 2016
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker with State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg after he signed the salary bill into law on Monday. Credit Elise...
Aug 1 2016
Massachusetts Becomes First State Ever To Ban Employers From Asking For Salary Histories
ThinkProgress
Massachusetts Becomes First State Ever To Ban Employers From Asking For Salary Histories
by Bryce Covert Aug 1, 2016 2:06 pm
CREDIT: AP Photo/Steven Senne
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) in January
Massachusetts has leapfrogged over all other...
Aug 1 2016
Gov. Baker Signs Law Requiring Equal Pay For Comparable Work
WBUR
Gov. Baker Signs Law Requiring Equal Pay For Comparable Work
August 01, 2016
Updated 08/01/2016 6:10 PM
By Steve LeBlanc, The Associated Press
Gov. Charlie Baker hands out pens to supporters, including state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, right, after...
Aug 1 2016
Massachusetts Just Took a Big Step Toward Closing the Wage Gap
Mother Jones
Massachusetts Just Took a Big Step Toward Closing the Wage Gap
It was the "nail in the coffin" for gender pay inequity.
Becca Andrews
Aug. 1, 2016 5:56 PM
ivector/Shutterstock
The Massachusetts Legislature unanimously passed the...
Aug 1 2016
As Session Closes, MA Lawmakers Approve Equal Pay And Energy Bills
WAMC Northeast Public Radio
As Session Closes, MA Lawmakers Approve Equal Pay And Energy Bills
By Jim Levulis • Aug 1, 2016
Jim Levulis / WAMC
Massachusetts lawmakers worked late into the night Sunday to hammer out legislation and send...
Aug 1 2016
Gov. Baker signs law requiring equal pay for comparable work
7 News Boston
BOSTON (AP) - Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has signed into law a bill requiring men and women be paid equally for comparable work in Massachusetts.
Baker signed the bill during a Statehouse ceremony Monday.
Women are currently paid on average about 82 percent of what...
Jul 15 2016
Liquor licenses could draw new business
Somerville Journal
Erin Tiernan etiernan@wickedlocal.com
Somerville officials are awaiting final approval of a bill that would allow the number of liquor license in the city to nearly double.
All of the city's 82 liquor licenses are currently assigned, said Jaclyn Rossetti, deputy...