Western Massachusetts CPUSA

Yes on Question 1: allow the state auditor to audit the legislature

The Massachusetts legislature has consistently been one of the most obscure out of any state in the country. This lack of transparency has made democratic oversight of our elected officials incredibly difficult, and has made drafting proposals against existing resolutions difficult without understanding the process by which those resolutions were created. A ‘yes’ vote for Question 1 is a first step towards holding our elected officials accountable for their decisions and give Massachusetts residents a better understanding of how their money is spent.

Yes on Question 2: eliminate the MCAS as a graduation requirement

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) has force teachers to teach a rigid curriculum to potential test questions, rather than working with students to address their particular needs directly. Strict graduation requirements like the MCAS are used to funnel an army of workers into low-wage, hyper-exploitative industries that make massive while repressing the creative and political potential of the working class. The campaign is led by Committee to Eliminate Barriers to Student Success for All Massachusetts, with heavy involvement from Mass. Teacher’s Association, who have built a broad coalition of trade unions, progressive organizations/nonprofits, and community members. Their outreach includes frequent canvassing and public engagement, and they have managed to secure endorsements from dozens of city councils and school committees. 

In opposition to this ballot initiative are capitalist organizations like Massachusetts Business Roundtable and Massachusetts Restaurant Association. The largest single donor to the opposition is pro-Trump billionaire Jim Davis, who has spent $250,000 on the campaign. A ‘yes’ vote for Question 2 is a clear stance in support of working teachers and the continues exploitation of the working class in general.

Yes on Question 3: Unionization for ride-share drivers

Companies whose workforce are comprised of “gig” workers like Uber and Lyft were constructed to be as exploitative of their workers as possible. Workers for these companies are classified as “independent contactors” and are thusly not entitled to the same rights as other workers, including a base pay rate and benefits, despite many employees working well over 40 hours per week. These companies often signed shady deals with legislators in order to supplant existing wage workers in the transportation industry, who were often organized under unions. 

If Question 3 passes, workers for companies like Uber and Lyft will have a path to organization for the first time in Massachusetts, finally gaining the right to collectively bargain and bring arbitration against their employers for workplace violations, a right that the CPUSA believes should be inalienable for all workers. A ‘yes’ vote for Question 3 expands the right of workers to form trade unions in general, and to give ride-share drivers a medium to fight back against companies that are notoriously abusive and exploitative in general.

Yes on Question 4: Legalization of natural psychedelics

Natural psychedelics have been shown to effectively treat mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and help dying patients deal with their final moments. The pharmaceutical industry has thrived by over-prescribing harmful, ineffective opioids. Relatively harmless psychedelics can take the place of these opioids in many settings. The illegalization of psychedelics is part of the continued repression of indigenous peoples who have used these substances before the creation of the USA. A ‘yes’ vote for Question 4 is a vote in support of indigenous communities and against Big Pharma.

Yes on Question 5: minimum wage for tipped workers

The tipped service industry in its current form is rife with harassment and wage theft. Bosses are able to rake in the money created from the labor for barely any compensation, while customers make up the difference. Unions have had difficulty organizing restaurants because this relationship obfuscate the real exploitative relation between the bosses and the workers, and companies can exacerbate tensions between tipped servers and wage-earning back-of-house workers effectively against workers’ collective interests. Workers have to bear abuse and sexual harassment from customers often. 

Question 5 will increase base wages for tipped workers gradually to the state minimum wage over the course of five years. While opponents of Question 5 say that this measure passing will greatly decrease tips and balloon costs for restaurants, the evidence points to the opposite. In states that already have a base minimum wage for tipped workers: CA, OR, WA, NV, MT, AK and MN, all have higher tipping averages and job growth than MA. These states also report a massively lower sexual harassment rate than the rest of the country, half of the national average. A study from UMass Amherst released in October 2024 found that adopting this measure would only increase costs for restaurants by about 2% and would not result in significant job losses. A ‘yes’ vote for Question 5 will improve workplace conditions for tipped workers and pave the way for increased union density in the service industry.