BOSTON/State House - The Massachusetts legislature is currently reviewing three bills this session that may lead to food products containing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) to carry identifying labels.
In a public hearing Tuesday the Joint Committee on Public Health considered testimony for and against the bills, while about 150 anti-GMO protestors filled the hearing room after a short rally outside the State House.
BOSTON/State House - The Boston Teachers Union called on lawmakers Tuesday to keep limits on the number of charter schools in the Bay State.
Addressing an audience at the State House, the union joined with members of the Boston Area Youth Organizing Project in support of the public school system over charter schools, which would rise in number if state caps are lifted.
BOSTON/Financial District - J.P. Morgan Chase in Boston was picketed Wednesday to call on the company’s Chairperson, Jamie Dimon, to pledge not to sell its share of the Tribune newspaper company to the Koch brothers. The iconic building at one international place saw about 40 protesters picket outside the entrance to the building as part of a coordinated effort in cities across the US.
BOSTON/State House - The Grand Staircase in the State House played host Thursday to a number of labor supporters there to advocate for a new minimum wage bill being considered by state lawmakers. The groups are seeking a new minimum wage in the Bay State of $11 or $12 an hour on top of other labor legislation. Speaking at the event, employee at BJ's Wholesale store spoke of the difficulty of making ends meet on minimum.
Cambridge, Mass. - In the less than two weeks since a devastating collapse at a Bangladeshi garment factory on April 24, over 650 workers have been confirmed dead with many more still missing and the death toll is still expected to rise.
Following the loss of life that allegedly resulted from a management decision to ignore structural faults in the building, picketers targeted the Gap outlet at 15 Brattle St. in Harvard Square on Saturday to call on the company – a major purchaser of garments from Bangladesh – to sign a safety agreement in the country.
BOSTON/East Boston - Deportations, ongoing labor disputes, raising the minimum wage, health care, student loans, workplace safety, social security, housing foreclosures, bank debt, drivers’ licenses, and community investment were just some of the issues raised on May Day in East Boston.
BOSTON/Dewey Square - The Boston rally to honor programmer and activist Aaron Swartz had tearful moments, but it went beyond remembrance. Supporters of Swartz’s work called for a move from sadness and outrage to sustained political action that will reform computer regulations and the criminal justice system.
