Statement from Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steven A. Tolman on Passage of “Janus” Legislation in the Massachusetts Senate

The Massachusetts AFL-CIO would like to thank Senate President Karen Spilka and her leadership team, and lead sponsor Senator Joseph Boncore, for their hard work and commitment to bringing S.2273 to a vote; and we thank the State Senate for their bipartisan support, with a 38 to 1 vote.

With the passage of this bill, we are ensuring that Massachusetts unions will have the tools necessary to effectively communicate with members, and workers will have the freedom to join with their co-workers to collectively negotiate for a better quality of life. This bill will secure a level playing field after the Supreme Court’s 5-4, politically motivated Janus decision last year.

With the House having passed a nearly identical bill earlier this month, we look forward to legislation reaching Governor Baker’s desk and we strongly encourage him to sign it into law.