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Labor

I firmly believe all workers have the right to unionize. The new wave of unionizing in Starbucks and Amazon gives me hope. Likewise, I support the right of gig workers like those who work for Uber and Lyft to unionize. At the start of the pandemic much of public transportation was shut down, and gig workers like those who work for Lyft and Uber got nurses, doctors and patients to hospitals and did so while risking infection so that other lives might be saved. The record-setting spending from big businesses on the November ballot measure should heighten our consciousness about the importance of worker protections as well as the need for campaign finance reform.

I also support existing legislation to create a new Office of Just Transition. Climate change is already disrupting our local economy and the state more generally, and we want to make sure that efforts to address climate change in the future do not come at the expense of working people. Legislation to address climate should create strong union jobs in green energy while centering the needs of frontline communities most harmed by climate change.

Elected officials should not stand on the sideline as their constituents are going up against big business. I appreciated Joe Biden’s involvement resisting Amazon’s illegal union-busting. Similarly, we have seen the way that US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh has been able to help make sure that workers rights are protected in these unionization elections. When I am state representative, I will support legislation around labor peace agreements and work to close a loophole around unemployment benefits for striking workers. Simultaneously, I will use the bully pulpit on behalf of workers to make sure their rights are protected and to know that they always have my ear as they fight for social, racial, and economic justice in their workplaces.