Many supporters gathered at the State House on Wednesday, October 28 to encourage the Joint Committee on Labor Workforce and Development to pass 'An Act Relative to a Temporary Workers Right to Know' (HB 1797 /SB 680).

Robert Haynes, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, joined a panel consisting of Richard Rogers, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Greater Boston Labor Council, Francis Callahan, President of the Massachusetts Building Trades, Father Patrick Sullivan, Chaplain of the Labor Guild, and Adrian Ventura, a temporary worker from New Bedford, to offer testimony. 

Father Sullivan stated how these temporary workers are being treated so unfairly it could be considered as modern day slavery. Richard Rogers seconded Father Sullivan and stated how current day treatment of these temporary workers went against hundreds of years of tradition and is killing the great employer-employee relationships Massachusetts has worked so hard and so long to achieve. 

Mr. Ventura told the Committee about real-life situations and first-hand experiences that he has had as a temporary worker. Ventura mentioned how sometimes he has no idea where he is going to work or what type of work he will be doing. He also said how most of the time the temporary workers are not provided any information at all including who they are working for and how much they will be getting paid. Ventura then ended his testimony by stating how most employers just tell the workers to leave if they ever question anything.

President Haynes testified as to how important this bill is to the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, because the Labor Movement fights on behalf of all workers, regardless of whether they are affiliated with a union. This role is especially critical for the most vulnerable workers who have not only been deprived of their right to organize, but also of any statutory protections whatsoever.

“Would you ever let your son or daughter take a job where they get in a van and don’t know where it is taking them or how high up in the air they’ll be going or what kind of work they’ll be doing or what kind of equipment they’ll need or who the actual employer officially is?" asked President Haynes. "Of course you wouldn’t. By simply requiring a notice that provides workers with basic information, that is precisely the kind of scenario we are trying to prevent, a scenario that hundreds if not thousands of workers go through every day.” He added, “And to the employers who oppose this bill: if your business’s ability to compete is dependent upon your ability to exploit workers and keep them in the dark then your business is exactly the kind of business the Commonwealth should be in the business of regulating.”

To view the full written testimony submitted by Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Robert Haynes, click here.