We are proud to announce that after years of staff organizing, we have achieved the number of authorization cards necessary to form a MA Senate staff union. On Thursday, March 31, representatives of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2222 (IBEW) notified Senate President Karen Spilka of our successful majority and requested voluntary recognition of the Massachusetts State House Employee Union, which will become the 2nd state legislative staff union in United States history.

As Senate Staff, we have seen far too many of our talented colleagues leave their Senate service due to numerous challenges in our workplace. In conversations with colleagues, the MA State House Employee Union identified several factors motivating staffer participation in a formal unionization effort, including:

• Creating a workplace free from discrimination and sexual harassment
• Health insurance coverage beginning on the first day of employment
• Fair and consistent pay grades across Senate offices
• Measures to recruit, support, and retain a diverse workforce
• Clearly defined job roles and responsibilities
• Comprehensive professional development opportunities
• And most importantly, the right to collective bargaining to provide staff a voice in matters concerning their workplace.

We are grateful for Senate Leadership's continued support for unions, and we hope they also support their staff's right to collective bargaining as well. We hope we can count on your support, too.

Sign below to affirm your support for MA Senate staff and follow along our journey as we make history together.

Sincerely,

Staff of the MA State Senate and the Massachusetts State House Employee Union (MSHEU)