POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Inside the LABOR DAY breakfast — What’s next on BEACON HILL — PARADE protesters in COURT

Inside the LABOR DAY breakfast — What’s next on BEACON HILL — PARADE protesters in COURT

BY STEPHANIE MURRAY GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. The Massachusetts Playbook has returned from its end-of-summer hiatus! It's good to be back in your inbox. INSIDE THE LABOR DAY BREAKFAST — The Labor Day breakfast hosted Sunday by the Greater Boston Labor Council had all the signs of a Senate battle between Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III. There were sign-holding supporters lining the sidewalks, dueling banners hanging from the balconies at the annual political event — the only thing missing was an actual Kennedy campaign. Kennedy made an appearance at the morning breakfast , but he has yet to announce whether he'll run for Markey's Senate seat. Kennedy says he's still in the decision-making process, though he has filed a Senate campaign committee with the FEC and at least one pollshows him with a head start. The congressman shook hands at the event and greeted the supporters drafting him for Senate, but left before the speaking program began. Markey laid out his vision for 2020 during his remarks at the breakfast. The outlook that Markey, who has two already-announced primary opponents, presented had less to do with state politics, and more to do with getting Republicans out of office across the country. "We need in 2020 to defend the House, flip the Senate and defeat Donald Trump to make sure he does not appoint any more Supreme Court justices," Markey said yesterday. Markey also made an appeal to labor. He held up his Senate voting card and compared it to a union card, and said his Green New Deal resolution could "bolster membership in our unions by the millions." "I will have your back on the Senate floor every single day I am there," Markey said. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who also spoke at the breakfast, said Democrats dropped the ball in 2016 and didn't "speak to everyone" or carry a positive message. "The labor movement and Democrats are working people's last hope," Walsh said. "We are not a collection of special interests. We are a movement of hope." Walsh suggested to the New York Times last week that he would look at running for Senate if Markey's seat opened up, but would not run against the incumbent lawmaker. As summer wraps up and we inch toward what might be a Senate showdown between a longtime lawmaker and the youngest member of the Kennedy political dynasty, here's a reminder that we have a long way to go: This time next year, candidates will be in the home stretch before the statewide primary, scheduled for Sept. 15, 2020. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker meets with Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. Rep. Ayanna Pressley holds a town hall in Roxbury. Secretary of State William Galvin hosts a voter registration drive at South Station.   CANNABIS USA: Legal cannabis is the fastest-growing industry in the United States. Eleven states have legalized recreational marijuana and 33 others have legalized medical marijuana. The rest of the country likely isn't too far behind. The future of cannabis will impact industries and employers of all shapes and sizes—from healthcare providers to agribusiness, hospitality to pharmaceuticals. POLITICO Pro Cannabis will fill the need for high-quality, balanced coverage of the cannabis industry and surrounding public policy efforts. Sign up to receive the preview newsletter starting on Sept. 9.     DATELINE BEACON HILL - "Gas tax? Education funding? A plastic bag ban? Here's what Beacon Hill could tackle this fall," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe:"Higher costs at the pump. An overhaul to school funding. A ban on handheld phones while driving. With Beacon Hill beginning to stir from its summer slumber, there's potential — and pressure — for state lawmakers to deliver a bevy of long-promised proposals in the coming months that could touch wallets, classrooms, and commutes statewide. Legislative leaders have repeatedly targeted "the fall" to unveil several major items, among them a broad transportation financing bill in the House that could rely on higher taxes and fees — such as a gas tax hike — to funnel more dollars into the state's aging infrastructure." - "State Sen. DiZoglio to Charlie Baker on victim-requested NDAs: prove it," by Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "State Sen. Diana DiZoglio is questioning Gov. Charlie Baker's claim — that he only uses secret silencing settlements when a sexual harassment victim requests it — because he has refused to produce documentation to back it up. "If you were telling the truth, you would produce the proof," DiZoglio told the Herald. Baker's office tersely dismissed a Herald records request for the number of taxpayer-funded secret nondisclosure agreements made over the past five fiscal years, with the cost per year, and redacted documentation to confirm that the victim requested the secret deal." - "Massachusetts bill would let those in country illegally get licenses," Associated Press: "The Massachusetts House and Senate are planning to hold a joint hearing on two bills that would let immigrants living in the state illegally get driver's licenses. The bills — filed by Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier of Pittsfield and Sen. Brendan Crighton of Lynn, both Democrats — would permit all qualified residents, regardless of immigration status, to receive a standard driver's license. Dozens of other lawmakers have signed on to co-sponsor the bills. Supporters have argued that allowing those living in the state to get licenses, even if they are in the country illegally, will help make the roads safer." - "Backers of ranked-choice voting eye 2020 ballot," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Backers of ranked-choice voting are taking their fledgling effort to change how Massachusetts elects its officials to the ballot box. A coalition of progressive activists, good government groups and lawmakers want voters to approve a switch from the current, winner-take-all system to a ranked-choice method that asks voters to weigh candidates in order of preference. They've filed a proposal to get on the 2020 ballot." FROM THE HUB - "How one routine zoning vote turned into a federal investigation," by Tim Logan and Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: "It is as ordinary a piece of land as there is in this booming city — 4,100 nondescript square feet at 27-29 H Street, a couple of blocks from East Broadway in South Boston. But now it's the focal point of a federal investigation that has again reached into City Hall and shows signs of spreading beyond the one official who has already been charged." - "Harvard student who was denied entry into US makes it to campus in time for start of classes," by Felicia Gans, Boston Globe: "A Harvard University freshman who was denied entry into the United States at Logan Airport last month has arrived on campus in time for the start of classes Tuesday. Ismail Ajjawi, a 17-year-old Palestinian student who lives in Lebanon, had a valid visa to study in the United States but was put on a flight back home after being questioned by immigration officials at Logan. He was reportedly turned away because of political posts his friends made on social media that were critical of the United States, and the Department of Homeland Security said he was deemed inadmissible and his visa was canceled ." - "One year on the job, Boston police commissioner earns praise for outreach," by Gal Tziperman Lotan, Boston Globe: "He's a fixture at festivals and Father's Day walks, neighborhood basketball games and bike rides for peace. In his trademark wide-brimmed hat, he shakes hand after hand, readily offers hugs, and smiles for photos. In his first year as Boston police commissioner, William G. Gross has undertaken a personal goodwill tour of the city, serving as an ambassador for the 2,100-member force in a determined effort to build trust with residents." PRIMARY SOURCES - "At labor breakfast, Dems pummel Trump while girding for primary," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE POLITICAL BACKDROP to Boston's Labor Day breakfast stayed mostly in the background, as Democratic speakers ripped into President Trump but avoided saying anything about the more fraught US Senate race on the horizon. Despite a unified antipathy toward Trump, the Massachusetts Democratic party could endure further disruption itself in the 12 months leading up to next year's primary, where two candidates have already launched campaigns against Markey and a third prominent challenger, US Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, is making moves to get in the race." - "Cyr mum on Senate endorsement," by Geoff Spillane, Cape Cod Times: "With a potential primary challenge from U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III looming large in 2020, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., has been rolling out endorsements more than a year before any election would take place. Last week, Markey announced that 116 Massachusetts state senators and representatives have endorsed his candidacy, including two of the three Democratic members of the Cape and Islands legislative delegation: state Rep. Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown, and Rep. Dylan Fernandes, D-Woods Hole. Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, was noticeably absent from the list, though." THE OPINION PAGES - "As bounty hunters buy our digital footprints, FCC drags its feet," by Rep. Lori Trahan and Jessica Rosenworcel, Boston Globe: "Everywhere we go our smartphones follow. They power the connections that we count on for so much of modern life. But because they are constantly in our palms and pockets, they are also collecting gobs of data about everything we are doing — and where we are doing it. Our phones know our location at any given moment. This geolocation data is especially sensitive. It's a record of where we've been, and by extension, who we are. This information needs to be treated with care." DAY IN COURT - "'Straight Pride' Counter-Protesters To Be Arraigned, Claim Police Were 'Hostile' And 'Aggressive,'" by Tori Bedford, WGBH News: "Thirty-six people who were arrested at Saturday's self-described "straight pride" parade are scheduled to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court Tuesday, according to the Boston Police Department. Samantha Anderson, who was among the more than 1,000 people counter-protesting at the parade, says counter-protesters faced a sea of police officers escalating conflicts within the crowd." WARREN REPORT - "It's now Biden, Warren, Sanders — and everyone else," by David Siders and Elena Schneider, POLITICO: "The bottom is falling out of the Democratic presidential primary. And the top-tier — no longer five candidates, but three — is becoming more insurmountable. For more than a year, Democrats had approached their nominating contest with a widely-shared belief that — like Republicans in the earliest stages of their primary four years ago — they, too, might take turns rising and falling in an expansive field. That expectation sustained the campaigns of more than two dozen contenders this year. But in recent weeks, the leading band of candidates has contracted unexpectedly early ." - "Elizabeth Warren reflects on Labor Day as she woos N.H. voters," by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "US Senator Elizabeth Warren recalled the origins of Labor Day and the early days of unionized workers at a campaign rally here Monday, connecting the struggles of striking Massachusetts millworkers more than a century ago to those of modern Americans. "Children were working. One in every three adult workers . . . at that mill lost their life by the time they were 25 years old. That's how dangerous the machines were. That's what it meant to breathe the dust that they were all breathing," Warren said of Lawrence mills in 1912. Faced with such conditions, the workers — mostly women and nearly all immigrants, decided they had had enough, Warren said." IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN - "Can Solar Power Save Massachusetts' Cranberry Bogs?," by Chaiel Schaffel, WGBH News: "A state solar energy incentive program launched last November has a handful of Massachusetts cranberry farmers hoping for a new way to farm their fruit — and stay in the farming business. The Solar Massachusetts Renewable Energy Target (SMART) program awards farmers a stipend for the solar energy they produce from solar panels built over their active farmland. Some cranberry farmers are skeptical and say building solar panels over their bogs is too risky; it could destroy their crop. Others say solar panels are their only option to keep afloat in a struggling industry." ABOVE THE FOLD — Herald: "DEADLY DORIAN," — Globe: "US pulls back on ousting severely ill immigrants," "Dorian stalls over Bahamas," "At labor event, unity, with hint of political split." NO PLACE LIKE THE CITY OF HOMES - "In Crowded Casino Market, MGM Springfield's Revenue Falls Far Short Of Projections," by Sam Hudzik, NEPR: "When applying for its casino license, the company told regulators it would generate $412 million in its first year. Through the end of July — about three weeks less than a full year — MGM reported $253 million in gambling revenue. That fell short of the projection by well over $100 million. Speaking to reporters last week, MGM Springfield President and COO Mike Mathis defended the estimate as realistic at the time, but he said the regional casino market is tighter now." THE LOCAL ANGLE - "Opioid overdose calls down by a third in Lowell," by Elizabeth Dobbins, The Lowell Sun: "Calls for opioid overdoses in the first seven months of 2019 are down by 33 percent in Lowell compared to the same period last year, according to data tracked by Trinity EMS, the company that provides ambulance services to the city of Lowell. Could the city finally be turning a corner in opioid use and addiction? Lowell Fire Chief Jeffrey Winward said the news is "hopeful." "There's still people using in the streets, but it's definitely encouraging," he said. Still, officials are reluctant to label the recent numbers as a definitive shift in the epidemic that has resulted in the overdose deaths of at least 287 Lowell residents from 2014 to 2018." - "Marshfield trash collectors' strike 'still going strong,'" by Erin Tiernan, Patriot Ledger: "There was no respite for trash collectors working the picket line in front of the waste management company where they work on Labor Day on Monday. "We are still on strike today. Still going strong," said Michael DeVito, union president for the 24 trash collectors at Republic Services' 965 Plain St. location who went on strike last Thursday to push for better health care, wages and pensions. The strike, which will extend to its sixth day on Tuesday, has meant inconsistent curbside trash pickups for residents in Marshfield, Abington and Rockland, where the striking workers collect trash." - "Central Mass. Labor Day breakfast speakers praise solidarity, denounce Trump," by Brian Lee, Telegram & Gazette: "The recent 11-day work stoppage by 31,000 Stop & Shop employees, described as a strike of "unprecedented" proportions, and allegations of the president's desire to weaken unions were widely discussed topics at Monday's Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO Labor Day breakfast and awards ceremony at the Manor Restaurant. Steve Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL/CIO, called the 11-day strike "perhaps the strongest show of solidarity in the retail sector history," with empty aisles, shelves and parking lots decimating Easter sales for Quincy-based Stop & Shop, a division of Dutch supermarket giant Ahold Delhaize." WEEKEND WEDDING - Tyler Griffin, a real estate development associate with the RMR Group, this weekend married Dr. Elisa Schunkert, who is doing a post-doctoral fellowship in the Dermatology Department of Brigham & Women's Hospital. The couple met while studying at Cushing Academy; Elisa, a native of Germany, did one year abroad at Cushing in Massachusetts. Pic ... Another pic HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to Al Thomson and Alan Dershowitz, who celebrated Sunday. And to former Rep. Michael Harrington, who turned 83; Raney Aronson-Rath, executive producer of "Frontline"; and Jennifer Hanley of Tusk Ventures, who all celebrated Monday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to former Rep. John Olver, who is 83; state Sen. Jo Comerford, state Rep. Andy Vargas, the Boston Globe's Dan McGowan and Leo Stella, aide to state Sen. Nick Collins. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.   NEW—POLITICO's UNITED NATIONS PLAYBOOK: The 74thSession of the United Nations General Assembly will jam some of the world's most influential leaders into four blocks in Gotham. POLITICO's man-about-town Ryan Heath will take you inside UNGA—revealing juicy details from the lighter-side of the gathering and insights into the most pressing global issues facing decision-makers today. Sign up for U.N. Playbook.       Follow us on Twitter Stephanie Murray @StephMurr_Jour   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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Joseph Stiglitz | Can We Trust CEOs' Shock Conversion to Corporate Benevolence?

02 September 19

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Joseph Stiglitz | Can We Trust CEOs' Shock Conversion to Corporate Benevolence? 

Joseph Stiglitz, Guardian UK
Stiglitz writes: "For four decades, the prevailing doctrine in the US has been that corporations should maximize shareholder value – meaning profits and share prices – here and now, come what may, regardless of the consequences to workers, customers, suppliers and communities." 

EXCERPT: 

The first responsibility of corporations is to pay their taxes, yet among the signatories of the new corporate vision are the country’s leading tax avoiders, including Apple, which, according to all accounts, continues to use tax havens such as Jersey. Others supported the US president Donald Trump’s 2017 tax bill, which slashes taxes for corporations and billionaires, but, when fully implemented, will raise taxes on most middle-class households and lead to millions more losing their health insurance. This in a country with the highest level of inequality, the worst healthcare outcomes and the lowest life expectancy among major developed economies. And while these business leaders championed the claim that the tax cuts would lead to more investment and higher wages, workers have received only a pittance. Most of the money has been used not for investment but for share buybacks, which served merely to line the pockets of shareholders and the CEOs with stock-incentive schemes.

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Greta Thunberg. (photo: Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images)

Greta Thunberg: We Need a 'Concrete Plan' for Climate Action, Not Nice Words
Oliver Milman, Grist
Milman writes: "Unprecedented pressure exerted by young activists will push world leaders to address the unfolding climate crisis, even with a recalcitrant U.S. under Donald Trump."
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The Rosie Rally Home Front Festival last month in Richmond, Calif., honored the strides women have made in the workplace. (photo: John G. Mabanglo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

A Labor Day Tribute to Unpaid Labor
Christopher Ingraham, The Washington Post
Ingraham writes: "As the U.S. Department of Labor styles it, Labor Day 'constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.' But there’s one category of labor that tends to get overlooked - the uncompensated labor of moms and dads whose primary occupation is child-rearing and managing their households."
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A portrait of José Antonio Elena Rodríguez is displayed on the Nogales street where he was killed. (photo: Anita Snow/AP)

Justice for Jose Antonio: Family Demands Accountability for Mexican Teen Killed by US Border Agent
Democracy Now!
Excerpt: "Nearly seven years ago, 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez was killed in Nogales, Mexico, by U.S. Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz, who fired his gun from the U.S. side of the border."
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Workers striking. (photo: Tobias Jussen/Library of Congress Prints/Messala Ciulla/Unsplash)

Why Is It OK for Employers to Constantly Surveil Workers?
Gabrielle M. Rejouis, Slate
Rejouis writes: "The surveillance of workers and the workplace is far from a modern phenomenon. Like racial minorities, immigrants, and religious minorities, poor and working people have long been disproportionately surveilled by their employers and the government."
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The number of signatures against the U.S. blockade has been achieved in record time. (photo: AVN)

Venezuelans Gather Eight Million Signatures Against US Blockade
teleSUR
Excerpt: "At least eight million Venezuelans added their signatures to a document rejecting the U.S. blockade, which will be presented to the United Nations, according to official reports."
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The Amazon burning. (photo: Joao Laet/AFP/Getty Images)

The Destruction of the Amazon, Explained
The Week
Excerpt: "The 'lungs of the earth' are on fire, and shrinking every day. What are the consequences for the planet? Here's everything you need to know."
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FOCUS: Juan Cole | On Labor Day, US Workers Are 1/3 Poorer Than in 2003 and Top 1% Is 2x Richer

02 September 19

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FOCUS: Juan Cole | On Labor Day, US Workers Are 1/3 Poorer Than in 2003 and Top 1% Is 2x Richer 

Juan Cole, Informed Comment
Cole writes: "So it really isn't for the workers, it is for the bosses." 

 

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Dan Rather: Labor Day

Dan Rather

 · 

This Labor Day morning, I pause. The news that swirls is of tragedy and destruction. A horrific hurricane devastating the Bahamas and taking aim on potentially hundreds of miles of coastline along the Southeastern United States. A historically massive footprint of wind, rain, and storm surge, What horrors await?

Another mass shooting, lives ripped from families and friends with a cycle of violence that only seems to intensify. Where will be the next dateline of carnage? And now, a massive boat fire off the coast of California with many feared dead.

If we look beneath the breaking news, we know there is pain everywhere, in wartorn countries, in those being separated along our border, in those facing hate and intolerance, sickness and poverty. We know that larger forces of suffering march onward, like the opioid epidemic and the crisis of our climate, which we see reflected in not only models for the future but in our present.

Add to that, a president who seems intent on exacerbating or even creating challenges rather than solving them. The bleakness of this administration and those who enable it fills newspapers and newscasts daily, not to mention the unsettling conversations of citizens.

I have spent several days with close family, on a weekend of conversation, trips to the movie theater, shared meals. It has been calming and contemplative, but I know that millions feel no safety or joy in the present. How do we not lose hope?

I take some solace in the movement this day commemorates. There was a time in this nation when labor was exploited virtually without recourse. When children toiled and died in dangerous conditions, when people could be fired for no reason, when workdays and workweeks stretched on with no pause, when wages were not subject to any legal oversight. I know that we still have a long way to go and the economic system of our times comes with many challenges and injustices. But what I remember was that what changed the course of our nation then, as it can now, is the collective movement of people coming together, bonded by a common story of work and a search for dignity.

The labor movement and unions have made mistakes to go along with their victories. We can debate what form of labor rights our current system should take. But we should recognize that we are stronger when we are confronting our struggles together.

We are in a moment of reckoning. We are at a time when we are being told that we are different, from our fellow Americans and from others in the world. We are at a moment where the size of the hurdles is being used to demoralize rather than inspire. The fight for basic labor rights did not seem to be a foregone conclusion in the America of my youth, much like the struggle for civil rights. And we are seeing now that those battles continue. But the fact that we celebrate a Labor Day is a sign that there can be triumphs in the future even if the present seems bleak.