“Boston has the opportunity and responsibility to learn from our past, and not just rebuild our economy, but build a better economy that works for everyone.”
Boston City Councilor At-Large Annissa Essaibi George released a new economic justice and workers’ rights policy plan that outlines a comprehensive vision to fight back against economic inequality, close the racial wealth gap, and build an economy centering shared success and Boston’s hard working residents.
Informed by Essaibi George’s time as a union member and small business owner, and by the ideas and lived experiences of advocates, experts, labor unions and Boston residents, the plan includes short- and long-term solutions to rebuild an economy for all.
“For too long, our economy has neglected our hard working residents, prioritized white wealth building over Black and Latinx, and ignored workplace health and safety,” said Councilor Essaibi George. “Boston has the opportunity and responsibility to learn from our past, and not just rebuild our economy, but build a better economy that works for everyone.”
Demonstrating her commitment to these issues, Essaibi George highlighted her plans to establish the first-ever City of Boston Department of Economic Justice and Workers’ Rights to advocate for the city’s hard working residents and fight for fair wages and benefits, work to close the wage gap, stand up for our marginalized workers, and be a partner to Boston’s labor unions. The head of this office will be a cabinet-level chief reporting directly to the Mayor and have a seat at the policymaking table to assess the potential impact proposed policies and initiatives may have on Boston’s working families.
Directly overseen by the Chief of Economic Justice and Workers’ Rights will be an Economic Justice Task Forse to intentionally address racial discrimination, identify problem areas in our City, and create and implement city-wide initiatives that focus on economic justice and prosperity, while consistently measuring impacts and progress.