LABOR RECORD OF SEN. MICHAEL BARRETT

     Senator Michael Barrett is a Democratic candidate for 
governor.  He is Senate chair of the Health Care Committee and is 
immediate past chair of the Education and Job Training Committee 
of the National Conference of State Legislatures.  

     Mike has an exceptionally strong record on issues of 
importance to organized labor:

ù Over the last six years, Mike has earned an 88% rating from the 
Mass. AFL-CIO.

ù Mike voted to override Gov. Weld's veto of a pay raise to cover 
unfunded state employee contracts going back several years.  Mike 
also voted in 1992 to override the Governor's veto of a COLA for 
retired state workers.

ù In November 1991, Mike was one of just 12 senators to support 
the pro-worker version of the Workers' Compensation Reform bill.  
Despite Mike's opposition, Gov. Weld succeeded in substituting 
his own anti-worker version.

ù Early in 1992 Mike voted consistently with organized labor to 
keep a strong version of the unemployment insurance overhaul 
bill.  In April 1992 Mike voted to override Gov. Weld's veto of 
that bill.  In the summer, when the bill returned to the Senate 
again, Mike voted against several amendments that would have made 
the bill more anti-labor.

ù Mike has been one of the legislature's strongest supporters of 
the prevailing wage law.  He has also voted for labor-backed 
reforms of the prevailing wage enforcement system.

ù In 1988 Mike was named Legislator of the Year by the State 
Conference of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen. 

ù Mike has consistently voted against removing restrictions on 
holiday openings (the Blue Laws).

ù In 1994, Mike was a leading Senate advocate of a bill to 
provide health insurance benefits to part-time MBTA workers.

ù Mike voted to override Gov. Weld's veto of the Lockout bill, 
which extended unemployment benefits to locked out workers.

ù In November 1993 Mike voted to amend unemployment insurance 
eligibility rules to protect workers who unknowingly broke work 
rules. 

ù In January 1994, Mike supported -- and voted to strengthen -- 
the so-called "whistleblower" bill, which was aimed at protecting 
public employees from retaliation when they reported safety or 
criminal violations at their workplace.