On Tuesday evening, State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and Boston City Councilors Matt O’Malley and Ayanna Pressley joined workers, business owners, community leaders and grassroots volunteers at Bella Luna restaurant on Amory Street in a canvass launch in support of Question 4 on the November ballot. Currently a million workers in Massachusetts don’t have access to paid sick time.
JPers For Question Four on November 4
During the canvass, hosted by Bella Luna owners Kathie Mainzer and Carol Downs, volunteers knocked doors, and talked to voters about the importance of Question 4.
Chang-Diaz spoke about a business owner who was incredulous that there are businesses that don’t provide sick time, while O’Malley called Question 4 a matter of “family values.”
“Earned Sick Time is good for business,” said Mainzer.
“It is a moral crime that people have to make a choice between their job and their health,” said Pressley.
Question 4 would guarantee every worker in Massachusetts access to the benefit of earned sick time, and prohibit employer retaliation against workers who take time off due to illness. At companies with 10 or fewer employees, workers would earn up to 40 hours of unpaid sick time to visit the doctor or take care of a sick family member. At companies with 11 or more employees, workers would earn up to 40 hours of paid sick time.
Question 4 is supported by over 250 community organizations, faith groups, labor unions, businesses, and civic leaders, including the Alliance for Business Leadership and the state’s leading hospitals and healthcare providers.