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THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, SEpTEmbER 29, 2023 Page 5 Sen. DiDomenico advocates for his “wage theft bill” alongside Governor and Attorney General ast week State Senator Sal DiDomenico testified alongside labor union members, other advocates and workers in support of his wage theft legislation that seeks to protect workers’ rights and hold companies that steal from their employees accountable for their actions. DiDomenico’s proposal would allow the Massachusetts Attorney General to fi le a civil action seeking relief for damages, lost wages and other benefi ts for workers. The Attorney General would also have the authority to investigate wage theft complaints and issue stop-work orders against employers who are violating wage theft laws. Governor Maura Healey L and Attorney General Andrea Campbell testifi ed in support of this bill, which would provide the Attorney General and workers with additional tools for holding violators accountable. Reportedly, comRESNEK | FROM PAGE 1 ing that all his email banter to Philbin and his friends was all just hubris. Calling his relationship with the double-dipping O’Connor as “intimate,” Resnek was shown a Feb. 2019 email where O’Connor, who was working for the newspaper at the time he was employed by the City of Everett, off ers up a cartoon idea that would depict a “super enlarged mayor” as a bloated and sickly caricature. Resnek replied to O’Connor, “The cartoon would be gorgeous but too cruel or maybe not cruel enough!” “Yes, sir,” replied Resnek, confi rming his own words in the email thread. Atty. Robbins off ered the defendant countless examples of his braggadocio repartee with many of his friends, including Russel Pergament, the failed Boston Metro newspaper publisher. Resnek was concerned with the fact that the newspaper’s liability and slander insurance policy might not cover the ongoing defamation lawsuit. The attorney also asked him why he represented himself in the emails as owner of the newspaper. In a Jan. 15, 2023, email, Resnek asks, “Russel, do you have any advice? Because of the lawsuit that is open against my partner and I, our fi rst ever panies are stealing almost $1 billion in wages each year from workers across Massachusetts, and this bill will go a long way towards preventing wage theft and helping employees reclaim their hardearned money. “It is indefensible that we allow businesses and contractors to prey on hard working residents year after year, and it is past time that we pass this bill to hold law breaking employers accountable and protect workers’ rights and wages,” said Senator DiDomenico, who is lead sponsor of the Senate bill. “When I fi rst fi led this bill in 2015, Massachusetts workers were losing $300 million per year in stolen wages and now that number has skyrocketed to almost $1 billion. We cannot wait another session to pass this commonsense proposal. I want to thank Governor Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, the and the only one in 7 years of ownership of the Everett Leader Herald, and for me during 40 years of doing this shit, Utica Insurance refused to renew our policy.” Resnek stated that his “partner” didn’t want to go without insurance as the policy holder, Utica Insurance Company, had fi led with the court to have their responsibility for coverage removed due to Resnek’s testimony in the lawsuit. Resnek admitted that he and Philbin were discussing the issue in 2022. Atty. Robbins presented Resnek with a copy of his Answer to the Plaintiff ’s First Amended Complaint and Jury Demand, which stated that he was the sole author and editor of all the content that appears in the Leader Herald specifically involving Mayor DeMaria. When asked if it was the case that he submitted all articles prepublication to Philbin for review, Resnek stated, “nearly all of them” and if Philbin frequently provided comments to him for approval; Resnek responded, “Yes, sir.” When he was asked if Philbin often gave him instructions on what to publish, Resnek replied “very rarely” but admitted that his boss provided direction to what he was writing from “time to time.” Unfortunately for the admitted fabricator, he would once again be proven wrong by his own emails and past tesState Senator Sal DiDomenico is shown testifying in favor of his “wage theft bill” recently. Massachusetts AFL-CIO, my cosponsor, State Rep. Daniel Donahue, and all the advocates who are supporting my bill and standing up for workers in our state.” timony. In one exhibit after the other, Resnek was shown examples where he submitted stories only to be instructed by Philbin to edit an article. “You sent Mr. Philbin a draft of an article, correct?” asked Robbins in one example. “And he writes back to you, ‘Are you serious???? Take it out.’ Do you see that?” – pointing out the email exchange on the exhibit. RESNEK | SEE PAGE 10 GRAND OPENING SPECIAL! GO TO REVERESELFSTORAGE.COM TO RESERVE ONLINE OR SCAN QR CODE • 100% Climate Controlled Facility • Newly Constructed Facility • 5000 Lb. Oversized Elevator • Secure Units–Various Sizes • State-Of-The-Art Surveillance Cameras • Secure Units–Various Sizes

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