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| Raise Up Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
| Name | Raise Up Massachusetts |
| Formation | 2016 |
| Type | Advocacy organization |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Region served | Massachusetts |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
| Leader name | Sara Nelson |
Raise Up Massachusetts is a statewide coalition and advocacy organization that campaigns for labor rights, minimum wage increases, paid leave, and community organizing across Massachusetts. It operates through grassroots mobilization, electoral engagement, and policy advocacy, often coordinating with labor unions, community groups, and national progressive organizations. The coalition has been active in ballot initiatives, legislative campaigns, and public demonstrations involving diverse constituencies including service workers, immigrants, and faith groups.
Raise Up Massachusetts emerged from post-2010 organizing networks that included activists connected to Service Employees International Union, Jobs with Justice, and community groups in Greater Boston. The coalition became prominent during the 2016-2018 period with campaigns echoing earlier minimum wage efforts such as the 2014 Massachusetts minimum wage ballot measure and drawing tactical lessons from national campaigns like Fight for $15 and local campaigns modeled after Living wage movement efforts in cities like Seattle. Key early actions included coordination with advocates from United Food and Commercial Workers and clergy networks modeled on alliances seen in campaigns led by Faith in Action. Raise Up Massachusetts expanded its profile by partnering with electoral coalitions aligned with progressive leaders connected to Elizabeth Warren and labor-aligned members of the Massachusetts State Legislature.
The stated mission centers on raising wages, expanding paid family and medical leave, and strengthening worker protections across Massachusetts. Goals align with broader progressive policy agendas similar to those advanced by organizations such as MoveOn, Center for American Progress, and Economic Policy Institute analyses promoting living wage standards. The coalition frames its objectives in the context of disparities highlighted by advocacy groups like NAACP Massachusetts State Conference, labor research from AFL–CIO, and public health concerns foregrounded by collaborations with organizations like Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health.
Raise Up Massachusetts has led and participated in multiple high-profile campaigns, including statewide initiatives to increase the minimum wage and to expand paid family and medical leave. Campaign tactics have included ballot drives similar to the 2018 Massachusetts ballot questions, legislative lobbying modeled on strategies used by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and grassroots canvassing operations resembling those run by Indivisible (organization). The coalition has staged rallies in venues such as the Massachusetts State House and organized worker strikes and rallies in coordination with unions like SEIU Local 1999 and UNITE HERE Local 26. Their outreach has included multilingual voter engagement modeled after programs by Voto Latino and immigrant rights partnerships akin to National Immigration Law Center coalitions.
The coalition is organized as a network of member organizations, labor unions, faith-based partners, and community groups with a central coordinating office in Boston. Key affiliates have included chapters of Service Employees International Union, community organizations modeled on City Life/Vida Urbana, and neighborhood groups similar to Metropolitan Area Planning Council partners. Governance typically involves a steering committee composed of representatives from allied organizations, akin to structures used by Coalition of Immokalee Workers and broader networks like Working Families Party. Financial oversight and campaign coordination have mirrored practices seen in multi-organization coalitions such as Make It Work and National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Raise Up Massachusetts endorses policy positions including phased minimum wage increases, statewide paid family and medical leave programs, and enforcement mechanisms for wage theft and workplace safety. These positions echo provisions in laws like the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave framework and proposals debated within the Massachusetts General Court. The coalition’s lobbying and ballot efforts have influenced legislative debates alongside testimony from policy organizations like Bureau of Labor Statistics analysts and social policy research by Brookings Institution and Urban Institute scholars, contributing to local policy adjustments and executive actions by officials such as the Governor of Massachusetts.
Funding sources have combined small-dollar grassroots donations, grants coordinated through philanthropic intermediaries similar to Open Society Foundations and Ford Foundation, and in-kind support from affiliated unions such as Service Employees International Union and AFL–CIO locals. Fiscal sponsorship and campaign expenditures often follow compliance practices overseen by entities like the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance and are coordinated with allied nonprofit infrastructures exemplified by Tides Foundation-style arrangements. Public reporting of expenditures mirrors disclosure norms applied to other Massachusetts advocacy coalitions and ballot committees.
Critiques of the coalition have come from business groups, some Massachusetts Manufacturers Association-aligned chambers of commerce, and conservative think tanks that argue wage mandates may affect small businesses, echoing analyses from Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute-linked commentators. Labor opponents have at times faulted coalition tactics for prioritizing electoral messaging over workplace organizing, similar to debates within AFL–CIO affiliates. Controversies have also arisen around campaign spending and messaging strategies, prompting scrutiny by watchdogs comparable to Common Cause and press coverage in outlets such as The Boston Globe and statewide broadcasters.
Category:Political advocacy groups in Massachusetts