In 2006, Representative Angelo Puppolo of the 12th Hampden District spoke to The Republican on his endorsement from the state federation of labor unions, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.
“I have always been in close touch with concerns and issues of working families, and I will continue that commitment on Beacon Hill,” he said.
Yet a peek into Puppolo’s voting record with record to organized labor yields a grocery list of votes against the interests of workers. In 2011, he voted for an amendment to strip municipal employees of most of their rights to collectively bargain over health care benefits.
Robert Haynes, president of Massachusetts AFL-CIO, the very labor federation whose endorsement Puppolo had previously touted, was stung by the vote. Speaking on the betrayal to The Boston Globe, Haynes said, “It’s pretty stunning. These are the same Democrats that all these labor unions elected. The same Democrats who we contributed to in their campaigns. The same Democrats who tell us over and over again that they’re with us, that they believe in collective bargaining, that they believe in unions…It’s a done deal for our relationship with the people inside that chamber.”
Massachusetts AFL-CIO wasn’t the only labor organization Representative Puppolo’s betrayed, however. During his first election bid in 2006, he also touted an endorsement from the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
“Strengthening public education at all levels is a cornerstone of my beliefs, and is an important issue for our district,” he stated to The Republican.
Yet once again, the tables turned once he entered office. Puppolo voted thrice against the Fair Share Amendment, in 2016, 2017, and 2019. This was a piece of legislation the Massachusetts Teachers Association had championed. Enacting a 4% surtax on income exceeding $1 million, the amendment has led to the state legislature appropriating $3.85 billion for public education, all with Fair Share Support.
Again in 2019, Puppolo struck another blow to organized labor when he voted against a proposed House rule that would’ve given employees in the House of Representatives the right to unionize and collectively bargain.
With politicians like Puppolo who don’t stay true to their word, it’s no small wonder that some people become alienated from the political process altogether. When canvassing in Springfield the other day for Puppolo’s progressive challenger, Michael Lachenmeyer, a man I spoke to said he’d tell his wife about it, but pass on voting.
“These politicians, they’re all the same. They say one thing to get into office, then do another,” he said. Whether it be a constituent from Springfield or the president of Massachusetts AFL-CIO, no one likes a turncoat.
Thankfully, Michael Lachenmeyer is a man of his word. While still in college, he was arrested at a sit-in for graduate students attempting to unionize on his campus. On the campaign trail, Lachenmeyer has stood on the picket line with striking workers at Square One in Springfield.
Constituents deserve a legislator who won’t back down from a fight for the working class. This September 1, let’s give them one.
Cayla Bartosz
Wilbraham
