Massachusetts Workers Win an $11/hour Minimum Wage and Put Paid Sick Time on November's Ballot! Thanks to all those who helped win these victories! Recognizing that a higher minimum wage and the right to earned sick days are basic parts of a social justice agenda, Massachusetts Peace Action joined close to 100 other community organizations to win the campaign. Raise Up Rally at State House: Present Signatures to Put Paid Sick Days on Ballot Monday, June 30, 11 AM, at State House Steps This Thursday, at a packed signing ceremony in Nurses' Hall at the Massachusetts State House, Gov. Deval Patrick recognized the power of the RaiseUp coalition and gave it full credit for the passage of the $11.00 an hour minimum wage, the highest state minimum wage in the country. Richard Trumka, national AFL-CIO president, also addressed the ceremony, as did representatives of the Coalition and low wage workers who will directly benefit. Bills to raise the minimum wage were considered and rejected year after year until RaiseUp collected over 350,000 signatures and mounted our massive grassroots lobbying campaign. Mass. Peace Action has reason to be proud of our contribution. Over 100 of our members responded directly to our organized efforts to help, collecting signatures and contacting state Representatives. Many more probably acted in separate efforts. The minimum wage will increase by $1.00 an hour each year until it reaches $11.00 in January 2017. This Monday the coalition will also celebrate our victory in collecting enough signatures to place the right to Earned Sick Time on the ballot for the November 2014 election. We will rally on the State House steps and formally turn in the thousands of second round signatures collected over the last 4 weeks. Now begins the campaign to win that vote -- and make Massachusetts the first state to give all workers the right to earn paid sick days. Please Join Us on Monday, June 30, at 11 AM at the State House steps to present the Earned Sick Time petitions. Then we have to organize to win the vote in November. Together we will make this happen! In solidarity, John Ratliff Massachusetts Peace Action Economic Justice Coordinator

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