Page 6 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2020 ~ OP-ED ~ Fighting For Workers’ Rights: My Agenda For Labor By Joseph Gravellese I n an election year, everyone claims to support working people. The way we can truly show we care about workers is by supporting ambitious policy that defends collective bargaining rights, ensures workplace safety, and fi ghts for fair wages and better opportunities for working families. I’m proud to introduce my campaign’s agenda to fi ght for working people if elected State Representative by the voters of Revere, Chelsea, and Saugus on September 1: Cracking down on wage theft: We need legislation that holds large contractors accountable for hiring subcontractors who stiff workers, undercut unions, and shirk safety rules. We need zero tolerance for this behavior and must pass the wage theft bill that continues to languish in the House each year. Emergency paid sick time: Essential workers like grocery store workers, healthcare workers, bus drivers, and others on the frontlines of COVID-19 should be covered by emergency paid sick time until the pandemic is over. Nobody should have to choose between feeding their families and staying home when they’re sick, especially when they risk spreading a deadly virus. Harnessing investment in www.eight10barandgrille.com We Have Reopened for Dine-In and Outside Seating every day beginning at 4 PM WE'RE OPEN! 8 Norwood Street, Everett (617) 387-9810 Greater Boston: When commercial projects like the Suffolk Downs development take place, we need to make sure labor agreements include funding for job training, to help build the pipeline to union jobs for residents of that neighborhood. Building the pipeline: We need an ambitious plan to clear the waiting list for vocational and technical education. Thousands of students want to learn skills that can help them enter a trade, and we need to unlock their ability to do so. A voice in safety regulations: Labor must be represented on all boards that set safety requirements on job sites. A key priority for Operating Engineers is to have a voice in determining who is eligible for a hoisting license. Labor leaders across the state fought to have frontline workers represented in discussions on safely restarting economic activity. We must always include worker representation in these discussions. Affordability and transit: STAY SAFE! Working people can’t get ahead if they can’t aff ord to live in communities with adequate access to jobs and transportation. We need regional rail, better bus service, repairs to the subway system, and other investments that will reduce traffi c and increase equitable access to jobs and housing. These investments will also help us tackle escalating cost of living. Structural reforms: Every year at the State House, popular legislation - like the bill cracking down on wage theft - dies without ever coming to the fl oor for a public vote. I am the only candidate in this race to sign the Act on Massachusetts Transparency Pledge, pushing to make more votes public so more well-supported ideas can get to the Governor’s desk and into law. If elected this fall, I'll keep all of these items on the forefront as I work in the Legislature. I’ve demonstrated my commitment to working families not only through my policy agenda, but also through my work in the trenches of state government. As Legislative Director to Rep. Lori Ehrlich when she was vice chair of the Labor and Workforce Development committee, I played a role in passing a bill that protects workers from exploitative noncompete agreements, and pushing for legislation that prevents workers from being unfairly classifi ed as independent contractors. I have a long, well-documented history of standing up for what I believe in - not just what is politically expedient. What I believe in is fi ghting for the working families of Massachusetts. You can count on me to do just that if elected as your next State Representative - and this agenda will be at the core of living up to my promise. Coronavirus Count Revere continues with 6th highest rating in state for COVID-19 O ver the past week, the number of confi rmed COVID-19 cases in Revere increased from 1,748 to 1,782 cases – a 2 percent increase, according to the latest weekly city/town cases available Wednesday. Revere has the 6th highest rate in the state, with an average of 2,925.32 per 100,000. Of the 8,517 people who were tested for COVID-19, 20.92 percent tested positive for the virus. People can compare the number of COVID-19 cases confi rmed in Revere to those in neighboring cities and towns as well as communities of similar size by going to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) website at https://www.mass. gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting – click on COVID-19 cases by city/town. Chelsea (7,816.28 per 100,000), Brockton (4,300.33 per 100,000) and Lawrence (4,029.45 per 100,000) have the highest rates in the state for people testing positive for COVID-19. Here’s how nine other area communities compare to Revere: Lynn: 3,635 cases, 3,602.46 per 100,000 (5th highest in state). Revere: 1,782 cases, 2,925.32 per 100,000 (6th highest in state). Everett: 1,765 cases, 3,636.45 per 100,000 (4th highest in state). Malden: 1,237 cases, 1,825.73 per 100,000 (29th highest in state). Peabody: 984 cases, 1,764.52 per 100,000. Saugus: 556 cases, 1,956.00 per 100,000 (21st highest in state). Wakefi eld: 314 cases, 1,162.76 per 100,000. Melrose: 245 cases, 847.10 per 100,000. Reading: 296 cases, 1,076.99 per 100,000. Lynnfi eld: 95 cases, 815.52 per 100,000. Statewide totals: 103,858 cases, 1,490.76 per 100,000. (Data compiled by DPH and made public as of July 1, 2020 count and rate [per 100,000] of confirmed COVID-10 cases in Massachusetts by city/town, January 1, 2020–July 1, 2020.) On its website, the DPH noted that the rate specifying the number of cases per 100,000 “provides a standardized way to compare the burden of disease in cities and towns regardless of the size of their population.” The DPH stressed “these are reported cases only.”
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