Labor, childcare issues are aired at latest mayoral forum

Boston’s mayoral candidates discussed labor issues – including affordable housing, universal childcare, and reviving Boston’s hospitality industry – during a mayoral forum hosted by the Greater Boston Labor Council last Thursday.

Moderated by Darlene Lombos, the council’s executive secretary-treasurer, the event featured questions from local workers across different sectors, from plumbing to healthcare.

Six candidates participated, including Acting Mayor Kim Janey, City Councillors Andrea Campbell, Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu, state Rep. Jon Santiago, and former City of Boston Economic Development chief John Barros.

The candidates— all of whom have secured a spot on September’s preliminary ballot— generally agreed on topics. They were first asked about how they would create both “good jobs and good homes” as mayor.

“For too long our economy has neglected our hard-working residents and prioritized wealth building over communities of color and workplace health and safety,” Essaibi George said. “We need to work together to recalibrate our economy so that it works for everyone. To do that, we have to listen and learn from all of our residents across the city.”

For her part, Wu said she would “ensure that we are fighting for jobs of the future to be here, to grow for this city, to continue to expand, and to add opportunities, to add housing that people can afford.”

Barros said there’s “no debate between good jobs and housing. We need both, our families need both. It is critical. It’s why I fought for both jobs and quality, good, affordable housing in Boston for the majority of my professional career.”

Campbell pointed to her record: “As a councillor, I’ve been really proud to work on both and to be creative in my policymaking to ensure that we get both,” she said.

One question asked about the influx of resources that Boston will receive from the American Rescue Plan and how the candidates would use the funds to rejuvenate the city’s hospitality industry.

“We need to make sure that our employers are bringing people back to work and not looking to save money by firing people and hiring new people with lower wages and less benefits,” Barros said. “We need to make sure there is economic justice in rehiring.”

Janey pointed to the coronavirus and its impact. “Covid has impacted all of us, but certainly this industry in particular. In terms of the resources coming, certainly making sure that we are centering workers, that we are activating our creative economy – the creative economy contributes so much to so many other economies in Boston,” she said, adding:

“As we spend these funds, I want to hear from workers like you to make sure that you have a seat at the table in City Hall.”

Another question raised the matter of women having to quit jobs because of a lack of affordable childcare during the pandemic. All the candidates said they would support a universal childcare program from birth to age 12.

“I am the only candidate who put out a plan almost three years ago on this very issue,” said Campbell, “and it’s one of the reasons I actually jumped into the mayor’s race because I was frustrated by the inaction with respect to implementing that plan.

“The thing that was frustrating to me is that we had everything – the resources, the human capital, the ecosystem, to make it happen in the city of Boston.”

Wu said she spoke from experience: “I know what it’s like over this pandemic to have babies bursting in, to have kids hanging off you while you’re trying to do work, to be trying to wake up in the 4 a.m. hour to get a few hours of quiet work in, to be able to then manage everything with the kids at home.” She added: “Our families have such a tremendous burden on their shoulders and our essential workers who have been working in person have been carrying that load for everyone.”

To Santiago, there is a need “to recognize that childcare is a public good and should be treated as such. As mayor of Boston,” he said, “I want to move the city forward in that direction that underscores the importance of early childhood education.”

In a rapid-fire Q&A session, the candidates were asked a series of specific questions, including whether they would require Amazon to agree to a “Project Labor Agreement”— if the company decides to build a facility in Boston. All six said they would while also indicating that they would support the right of Amazon workers to unionize.

Other questions that received unanimous support: a new tax— dubbed the Fair Share Amendment— assessed on people with income over $1 million; classifying ride-share and delivery workers, like Uber and Door Dash, to be employees rather than contractors, enabling them to unionize; and committing to the establishment of a ‘chief of Labor’ in their mayoral cabinet within 10 days of taking office and also working with the Greater Boston Labor Council “to define the scope and priorities” of the office.

The forum, held virtually, was the latest of a six-part series organized by a coalition of progressive groups and unions. The next event was scheduled for Thursday May 27 at 6 p.m. with its focus on education issues. Go to bostonmayoralforums.org to register and watch past forums.

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