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As we move deeper into the fall, we look back at our annual convivio celebrated at the end of August as a testament to the strength of the ever-growing Casa community. We continue to recognize the ridging of ethnic, linguistic, and cultural divides that not only occurs in Casa leadership spaces -- our concejo / directiva but which is happening in our day-to-day work, organizing with workers in wage theft / harassment cases as well as the multi-faceted immigration solidarity projects such as welcoming recent arrivals from Central America, south America, and Haiti.
September, October, and November have brought and continue to bring direct engagement with clinics to support the sheltering and integration of Haitian families and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) processing for eligible families & individuals. Know-your-rights workshops for recently arrived folks more broadly, as well as the tiredless support of a good many un-accompanied or semi-un-acommpanied minors thorugh Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) visa work. Finally, we have the hope to train new volunteers in assiting families with self-help ('pro-se') asylum application preparation. Please stay tuned for details and dates to come soon! In solidarity, Casa  Throughout the course of almost two decades and several hundred cases, Casa has supported severely injured workers in accessing medical care and compensation. Since under current law employers face no consequences for obstructing their claims, there are no guardrails to protect workers from being harmed or retaliated against for speaking up for themselves. We are deeply disappointed that the Act to Protect Injured Workers, which strengthens the workers’ compensation anti-retaliation law, did not pass this session.
After more than five years of legislative hearings, briefings and meetings, the bill had garnered broad support, with over half of the legislature formally signing on in support. Until very recently, the bill had met with virtually no opposition or critique. However, for the first time and at the last minute, industry groups recently raised concerns with some aspects of the proposal. Although we believe that these concerns can and will be addressed, there was no time to do so before the end of the session. We will be well-positioned early in the next session to address these concerns and expand on the broad support we have already built. However, enactment of these basic, urgent protections for some of the most vulnerable and invisible workers will take a real grassroots movement. The fundamental right to seek medical attention and benefits during recovery – free from retaliation or obstruction – will require even more public support and action to be passed in 2025. We hope you will join with us and other workers centers to as we build out a plan to see this project into next year with unstoppable momentum. We have great appreciation for the many ways in which members of our communities have helped the advocacy for an Act to Protect Injured Workers. Thanks to our efforts, a substantial number of Senators signed on to the Budget Amendment associated with the bill. Although we now know the Budget Amendments on the House & Senate side which were proposed will not be moving forward, we are hopeful the momentum which brought us to this point can mean the ultimate passage of the bill before the end of the session. More soon!
~ In solidarity, Casa  We continue to move forward around our advocacy for "An Act to Protect Injured Workers" which has been a longtime legislative priority for us and is perhaps the single most important advocacy priority for our base this 2024 season. The bill provides limited but critical improvements to the Commonwealth’s workers’ compensation law to protect workers against retaliation and ensure access to timely medical care and benefits. S. 1165 was reported favorably out of committee, and Senator Eldridge is filing the same language as a Senate Budget Amendment ('outside section').
Get involved in this next stage of advocacy by contacting YOUR Massachusetts Center and asking for their support on Budget Amendment #133. Making worker's compensation accessible for all and setting up enforceability for anti-retaliation protections benefits everyone! An Act to Protect Injured Workers would: -Clarify the types of employer misconduct & retaliation prohibited under workers’ comp law -Clarify the standard of proof and remedies available for harm caused by employer retaliation -Allow the Attorney General’s Office to investigate and enforce retaliation complaints -Expand notice to employees of workers’ comp rights and prohibitions against retaliation -Require the calculation of workers’ comp benefits based on the minimum wages required by law, even where employers have paid workers illegally at sub-minimum levels -Allow for investigation of problematic insurer claims-handling practices Action Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ERyfsrodEZSgnSv5QpUklip1UwBYyESb4MJMdbZSDJA/edit?usp=sharing  Casa has continued working ardently with partner organizations and advocates in our Injured Worker Coalition on specific legislative advocacy to improve the lives of injured workers in Massachusetts. This year, An Act to Protect Injured Workers (H. 1927) was reported favorably out of committee once again and passed on to House Ways and Means! Passing this act is so critical because it will add protections into the letter of the law for workers claiming their right to Workers Compensation who might otherwise face intimidation or retaliation from employers. The bill is a carefully crafted, targeted piece of legislation meant to make the process for workers injured on the job to seek medical care and comp benefits in a more accessible way. Co-sponsor Representative Tram Nguyen has now filed the Injured worker bill as Amendment #802 to the House Budget. Next Wednesday, it will be decision time for whether or not the budget amendment gets approved. We continue working with the coalition in communicating with legislators towards the end of favorably influencing the outcome of the budget amendment, which could really make the difference of the bill being passed. Something that anyone can do as a Massachusetts constituent is communicate directly with their State Representative's office expressing support for this bill and encouraging them to sign on to Budget Amendment #802. Every time a legislator hears from a constituent that this issue matters to them can make a difference. The economies in Metrowest and beyond depend on workers in construction and landscaping industries who live and practice trades in our communities and deserve fair access to the support systems offered by law when they suffer on-the job injuries. We also encourage friends and supporters to read the recent Boston Globe Article featuring members of the coalition, including our own Diego Low together with an Injured worker leader: Injured Workers Have Little Recourse Against Rogue Employers. Interested in contacting your legislator? See our how-to guide below:  Above: An updated one-page summary sheet explaining what the Injured Worker Bill entails. This has been one tool used in the follow-up with key legislative offices. |
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