Our Organizing Drive at the State House Moves Forward With Filing of Legislation
IBEW 2222 has been working to organize the legislative staff at the Massachusetts State House. Presently, legislative staff are not included in the list of public employees permitted to unionize under the Massachusetts Labor Relations Act, though employees in the executive and judicial branches are.
The staff reached out to us in 2019 to discuss the possibility of forming a union. We continued working with them throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and shortly after the State House reopened last year, we reached a strong majority of Senate staff who signed cards wishing to join the MA State House Employee Union @BeaconHillUnion, represented by IBEW 2222. We then began collecting cards from House staff, and continue to work toward a majority in that chamber.
Yesterday, Senator John Keenan @SenJohnFKeenan and Representative Patrick Kearney @RepKearney filed bills to extend collective bargaining rights to MA legislative staff. This marks a critical step in our organizing effort. The legislation, An Act to collective bargaining rights for legislative employees, simply provides the legislative staff the same right as every other worker in the Commonwealth, the right to decide for themselves whether or not they would like to organize.
Special thanks to our cosponsors as well:
| Name | District / Address |
| Patrick Joseph Kearney | 4th Plymouth - Lead Sponsor |
| Kevin J. Holland, IBEW Local 2222 AFL-CIO | 159 Burgin Parkway, 3rd Floor, Quincy, MA 02169 |
| Rebecca L. Rausch | Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex |
| Samantha Montaño | 15th Suffolk |
| David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf | 17th Worcester |
| Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida | 7th Plymouth |
| James B. Eldridge | Middlesex and Worcester |
| Erika Uyterhoeven | 27th Middlesex |
| Rodney M. Elliott | 16th Middlesex |
| Christopher Richard Flanagan | 1st Barnstable |
| David F. DeCoste | 5th Plymouth |
| James K. Hawkins | 2nd Bristol |
| Marc R. Pacheco | Third Bristol and Plymouth |
| James C. Arena-DeRosa | 8th Middlesex |
| Margaret R. Scarsdale | 1st Middlesex |
| Russell E. Holmes | 6th Suffolk |
| Mike Connolly | 26th Middlesex |
| Peter Capano | 11th Essex |
| Carmine Gentile | 13th Middlesex |
| Ryan Hamilton | 15th Essex |
| Lindsay Sabadosa | 1st Hampshire |
| Carol Doherty | 3rd Bristol |
| Steven Owens | 29th Middlesex |
| Danillo Sena | 37th Middlesex |
| Name | District/Address |
| John F. Keenan | Norfolk and Plymouth - Lead Sponsor |
| Michael D. Brady | Second Plymouth and Norfolk |
| Anne M. Gobi | Worcester and Hampshire |
| Walter F. Timilty | Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol |
| Michael O. Moore | Second Worcester |
| Rebecca L. Rausch | Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex |
| James B. Eldridge | Middlesex and Worcester |
| Paul R. Feeney | Bristol and Norfolk |
| Paul W. Mark | Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire |
| Patrick M. O'Connor | First Plymouth and Norfolk |
| Marc R. Pacheco | Third Bristol and Plymouth |
| Patricia D. Jehlen | Second Middlesex |
| Estela Reyes | 4th Essex |
We look forward to working with all elected officials and organized labor to ensure this legislation becomes law.
Below is the press release announcing the filing.
Press Release Union Bill File - Final 1
Press Release Union Bill File - Final 2