BOSTON, MA - On July 23, 2026, the Senate passed Amendment 544 to the economic development bond bill (S.3178), “Protecting Massachusetts Labor Unions & Workers from Federal Threats,” to ensure private sector workers in Massachusetts maintain their organizing rights if federal action dismantles our nation’s bedrock labor laws.

“Massachusetts has nearly 200,000 private sector union members who could lose their right to a union at the stroke of a pen from Trump and his billionaire cronies. Trump has already illegally ripped up tens of thousands of union contracts for federal workers, fired the chair of the National Labor Relations Board, and signed an Executive Order to remove the collective bargaining rights of two-thirds of the federal workforce,” said Chrissy Lynch, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, which represents over 500,000 union members across over 800 local unions in the Commonwealth. “With this vote, the Senate has once again stood up in support of workers and against a hostile federal administration. We are grateful to Senate President Spilka, Chair Rodrigues, and our sponsor and union brother Senator Paul Feeney for their tireless work to get this across the finish line. We are looking forward to working with our House sponsor, Representative Marjorie Decker, and House leadership to ensure that this important provision is accepted in the final conference committee report.”

"Massachusetts has long been a leader in protecting workers' rights. At a time when the right to organize is facing unprecedented challenges at the federal level, now is the time to enshrine these federally protected rights in Massachusetts law, ensuring workers remain protected should the National Labor Relations Act ever be weakened or repealed," said Senator Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough). "With the passage of this amendment, we are sending a clear message to workers across the Commonwealth: if the federal government steps back, the Massachusetts Legislature will step up to protect the rights workers have relied on for nearly a century. Thank you to the AFL-CIO for their steadfast leadership on behalf of working people, to the business community for their partnership, and to the Senate President for her leadership in getting this done. The right to organize will always have a home here in the Commonwealth."

About Amendment 544 to S.3178, Protecting Massachusetts Labor Unions & Workers from Federal Threats:

Private sector labor rights are established under the federal National Labor Relations Act - if the NLRA falls or is otherwise dismantled, private sector union members in Massachusetts will be left in the lurch.

The Protect LABOR Act ensures that Massachusetts workers have strong labor protections even if those rights are no longer protected federally, including:

• Department of Labor Relations certification of pre-existing federally-recognized unions

• written majority authorization for all newly formed unions

• protections from anti-union “right to work” policies

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