Hello From MassCOSH’s New Executive Director
On March 27, I joined the staff at MassCOSH as its new Executive Director. I could not be more excited to put my 20 plus years of experience in the social and environmental justice movements in Boston to work for an organization with such a long track record of ensuring that all workers earn their living and return home alive and well. I’ll be joining Al Vega, now our Director of Programs and Policy, in leading MassCOSH into the future. I very much look forward to meeting you and your fellow MassCOSH supporters who have made this great organization what it is today.
As you know, these are difficult times for workers, and especially immigrant, youth, low-wage earners and workers of color. The progress we’ve made together over the last forty years is now under attack. Just this week, we shared news that President Trump signed a bill that permanently eliminated the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule which required businesses competing for large federal contracts to disclose and correct serious safety and other labor law violations. The President’s budget proposal includes 20% cuts to OSHA and 21% cuts to the Department of Labor that if went into effect, would have a devastating effect on the government’s ability to ensure that corporations are not putting workers in needless danger to increase their own profit. Workers at our Immigrant Worker Center are afraid of what the future holds should the Administration move forward with their plans of mass deportations.
With all this, we are more resolved than ever to continue our work organizing for safe, secure jobs, and advocating for healthy communities. In my short time at MassCOSH, I have been incredibly inspired by the dedication and passion of our staff, youth leaders, and volunteers. They work tirelessly to provide services to injured workers, ensure students, teachers and custodians will breathe easy in healthy schools, educate workers of all ages about their rights in the workplace, and organize and advocate for solutions to the issues that cause unsafe work conditions.
But we could not do the work we do without the generosity and support of our donors and partners. And that support is more important now than ever. Our 40th Anniversary Gala is just one week away. If you have not already, please buy your tickets here www.masscoshat40.brownpapertickets.org and join us as we celebrate our past victories and unite together for the fight ahead.
If you can’t join us on April 6th, consider making a donation to ensure that we can continue to advocate for the causes you care about. You can make a donation online here: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/masscosh.
And, finally, please stay up to date on the latest developments and how you can get involved by signing up for our newsletter here: http://www.masscosh.org/content/get-masscosh-info-and-newsletters or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/masscosh. I hope to see meet you very soon.
In Solidarity,
Jodi Sugerman-Brozan
Executive Director
jodi@masscosh.org