August 31, 2006
Massachusetts AFL-CIO Announces Endorsements of Incumbent State Legislators
Malden, MA – The Massachusetts AFL-CIO announced its endorsements of incumbent state legislators today. Endorsements were approved at the June 22, 2006 Executive Council meeting contingent upon and to be released after the state legislature passed through to completion an acceptable minimum wage raise bill. The state legislature acknowledged the needs of hard working people when they approved an increase to the state’s minimum wage from $6.75 per hour to $8 per hour in two increments on January 1, 2007 and January 1, 2008.
The state’s largest labor organization took pride in announcing its support for incumbent legislators who did the right thing for working people throughout the legislative session. “Many state legislators were on our side in the minimum wage debate, and they worked with us to ensure that low-wage workers received a raise of $1.25 per hour over two years,” stated Robert J. Haynes, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “These incumbent legislators are good and decent public servants who largely side with working people over and over again. They are a major reason why these horrible anti-worker Republican governors over the last sixteen years have not completely decimated the quality of life for workers in this Commonwealth. We are proud they stand with workers and we are proud to endorse them as they seek re-election.”
To earn the endorsement of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO an incumbent legislator must submit a request for endorsement in writing, achieve a labor voting record of greater than 75-percent in the immediate four years preceding the endorsement vote, and receive two-thirds support of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Executive Council in an endorsement vote. In its meeting on June 22, 2006 to determine endorsements before the September 19, 2006 Primary Election the Executive Council voted to endorse the following incumbent state legislators if and when an acceptable minimum wage raise bill was passed.
The incumbent State Senators that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO has endorsed are:
• Senate President Robert Travaglini, First Suffolk and Middlesex
• Senator Robert Antonioni, Worcester and Middlesex
• Senator Edward Augustus, Second Worcester
• Senator Jarrett Barrios, Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex
• Senator Frederick Berry, Second Essex
• Senator Stephen Brewer, Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin
• Senator Harriette Chandler, First Worcester
• Senator Robert Creedon, Second Plymouth and Bristol
• Senator Cynthia Creem, First Middlesex and Norfolk
• Senator John Hart, First Suffolk
• Senator Robert Havern, Fourth Middlesex
• Senator Patricia Jehlen, Second Middlesex
• Senator Brian Joyce, Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth
• Senator Thomas McGee, Third Essex and Middlesex
• Senator Joan Menard, First Bristol and Plymouth
• Senator Mark Montigny, Second Bristol and Plymouth
• Senator Michael Morrissey, Norfolk and Plymouth
• Senator Therese Murray, Plymouth and Barnstable
• Senator Robert O’Leary, Cape and Islands
• Senator Marc Pacheco, First Plymouth and Bristol
• Senator Pamela Resor, Middlesex and Worcester
• Senator Stanley Rosenberg, Hampshire and Franklin
• Senator Karen Spilka, Second Middlesex and Norfolk
• Senator James Timilty, Bristol and Norfolk
• Senator Steven Tolman, Second Suffolk and Middlesex
• Senator Susan Tucker, Second Essex and Middlesex
• Senator Marian Walsh, Suffolk and Norfolk
• Senator Dianne Wilkerson, Second Suffolk
The incumbent State Representatives that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO has endorsed are:
• Representative Bruce Ayers, 1st Norfolk
• Representative Ruth Balser, 12th Middlesex
• Representative John Binienda, 17th Worcester
• Representative Deborah Blumer, 6th Middlesex
• Representative Arthur Broadhurst, 15th Essex
• Representative Antonio Cabral, 13th Bristol
• Representative Jennifer Callahan, 18th Worcester
• Representative Christine Canavan, 10th Plymouth
• Representative Stephen Canessa, 12th Bristol
• Representative Michael Costello, 1st Essex
• Representative Robert Coughlin, 11th Norfolk
• Representative Geraldine Creedon, 11th Plymouth
• Representative Sean Curran, 9th Hampden
• Representative Robert DeLeo, 19th Suffolk
• Representative Paul Donato, 35th Middlesex
• Representative Christopher Donelan, 2nd Franklin
• Representative Joseph Driscoll, 5th Norfolk
• Representative James Eldridge, 37th Middlesex
• Representative James Fagan, 3rd Bristol
• Representative Mark Falzone, 9th Essex
• Representative Robert Fennell, 10th Essex
• Representative Jennifer Flanagan, 4th Worcester
• Representative Linda Dorcena Forry, 12th Suffolk
• Representative Gloria Fox, 7th Suffolk
• Representative Anne Gobi, 5th Worcester
• Representative Mary Grant, 6th Essex
• Representative Denis Guyer, 2nd Berkshire
• Representative Patricia Haddad, 5th Bristol
• Representative Lida Harkins, 13th Norfolk
• Representative Kevin Honan, 17th Suffolk
• Representative Denise Provost, 27th Middlesex
• Representative Louis Kafka, 8th Norfolk
• Representative Rachel Kaprielian, 29th Middlesex
• Representative John Keenan, 7th Essex
• Representative Thomas Kennedy, 9th Plymouth
• Representative Kay Khan, 11th Middlesex
• Representative Peter Kocot, 1st Hampshire
• Representative Robert Koczera, 11th Bristol
• Representative Peter Koutoujian, 10th Middlesex
• Representative Paul Kujawski, 8th Worcester
• Representative Stephen Kulik, 1st Franklin
• Representative James Leary, 14th Worcester
• Representative Stephen LeDuc, 4th Middlesex
• Representative David Linsky, 5th Middlesex
• Representative Barbara L’Italien, 18th Essex
• Representative J. James Marzilli, Jr., 23rd Middlesex
• Representative Michael Moran, 18th Suffolk
• Representative Charles Murphy, 21st Middlesex
• Representative James Murphy, 4th Norfolk
• Representative Kevin Murphy, 18th Middlesex
• Representative Harold Naughton, Jr., 12th Worcester
• Representative Robert Nyman, 5th Plymouth
• Representative Eugene O’Flaherty, 2nd Suffolk
• Representative Marie Parente, 10th Worcester
• Representative Vincent Pedone, 15th Worcester
• Representative Douglas Petersen, 8th Essex
• Representative William Pignatelli, 4th Berkshire
• Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein, 16th Suffolk
• Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera, 10th Hampden
• Representative John Rogers, 12th Norfolk
• Representative Tom Sannicandro, 7th Middlesex
• Representative Carl Sciortino, Jr., 34th Middlesex
• Representative Frank Smizik, 15th Norfolk
• Representative Theodore Speliotis, 13th Essex
• Representative Robert Spellane, 13th Worcester
• Representative Christopher Speranzo, 3rd Berkshire
• Representative Joyce Spiliotis, 12th Essex
• Representative Marie St. Fleur, 5th Suffolk
• Representative Ellen Story, 3rd Hampshire
• Representative William Straus, 10th Bristol
• Representative David Sullivan, 6th Bristol
• Representative Benjamin Swan, 11th Hampden
• Representative Timothy Toomey, Jr., 26th Middlesex
• Representative Cleon Turner, 1st Barnstable
• Representative James Vallee, 10th Norfolk
• Representative Anthony Verga, 5th Essex
• Representative Joseph Wagner, 8th Hampden
• Representative Brian Wallace, 4th Suffolk
• Representative Patricia Walrath, 3rd Middlesex
• Representative Martin Walsh, 13th Suffolk
• Representative Steven Walsh, 11th Essex
• Representative Martha Marty Walz, 8th Suffolk
• Representative Alice Wolf, 25th Middlesex
The full list of other endorsements made at the June 22, 2006 meeting can be found here. Endorsements can also be seen here.
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The Massachusetts AFL-CIO is the largest umbrella labor organization in the Commonwealth, representing hundreds of thousands of working families from member unions and serves as the voice of working families in Massachusetts. Offices are located at 389 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. For additional information, call 781-324-8230 or visit www.massaflcio.org. Robert J. Haynes is the President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Tim Sullivan is the contact for the press and may be reached at (781) 324-8230.