FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2020
Mermell Endorsed by International Painters and Allied Trades Union and 12 Additional MA-04 Leaders
Mermell has now been endorsed by 21 labor groups and 75 current and former elected leaders throughout the Fourth District
BROOKLINE – Jesse Mermell today earned the endorsements of the 4,000-member International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 35 and 12 additional local leaders from Norton, North Attleboro, Easton and Brookline.
They are backing Mermell in the crowded Fourth District race because she is the best candidate to stand up to Donald Trump and fight for bold, progressive change.
The Painters are Mermell’s 21st union endorsement, collectively representing 269,000 workers – the most labor union endorsements of any candidate in the 9-person race. She has also now been endorsed by 75 current and former elected leaders throughout the District.
The individuals endorsing today include: Norton Select Board Member Michael Toole, Vice Chair of the Brookline Housing Authority Board of Commissioners Joanne Sullivan, Democratic State Committee Member Prerna Jagadeesh of North Attleboro, Easton Democratic Town Committee Member and President of the UMass Amherst College Democrats Andrew Abramson, Brookline Town Meeting Members Alan Christ, Arthur Conquest, Joyce Jozwicki, Barr Jozwicki, Scott Englander, Mark Levy, and Carolyn Thall and Brookline Library Trustee Carol Axelrod.
“Elected officials, labor unions, and progressive organizations are uniting behind my candidacy because they know that I’m the proven progressive in this race who has been fighting for economic, social and racial justice my entire career and will do the same in Congress,” said Mermell. “I look forward to working hand-in-hand with these leaders to take on Donald Trump, stand up for workers and lead an equitable recovery to COVID-19.”
District Council 35 is an organization of approximately 4,000 members in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island. They are affiliated with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, AFL-CIO. Their members include construction industry painters, wallcoverers, glaziers, drywall finishers, residential painters, glassworkers, sign painters and sign erectors, institutional maintenance trades workers and public employees.
“Jesse Mermell has stood on the side of workers her entire career – fighting for Paid Family and Medical Leave, a higher minimum wage, earned sick time, equal pay and more,” said Jeff Sullivan, Business Manager & Secretary Treasurer. “We know that she will continue to fight for us in Congress and will make sure COVID-19 relief benefits workers. District Council 35 is proud to endorse her.”
“Of all the candidates in the Fourth District race for Congress, only one stands above the rest and that is Jesse Mermell,” said Toole. “Her vision and experience are why she has earned my vote. No matter what is the issue: workers’ rights, women’s health she has always been a positive catalyst for change we need here at home and in Washington.”
“I’ve known Jesse for over 20 years, having first served with her in Town Meeting, then with the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus and the Alliance for Business Leadership,” said Sullivan. “She represents all that can be good and thoughtful in leadership and government: collaborative, resourceful, innovative and decisive. I am thrilled to support her for Congress.”
“As a woman of color and a young person, I want my next Representative to fight for bold progressive policy – and, as someone who lives in the southern part of the Massachusetts Fourth, I want them to have detailed plans on how to help my area of the district,” said Jagadeesh. “Of all the candidates, Jesse Mermell best combines strong progressive and activist credentials with detailed plans and a history of fighting hard for justice and equity. Her experience in both government and advocacy work gives me faith that she won’t back down from the hard fights in Congress and her broad support from elected officials across MA-04 shows that she can build coalitions and bring people together. I’m proud to endorse Jesse Mermell.”
“A consensus-builder and community leader, Jesse will fight for bold policies while also advocating for her constituents as our first Congresswoman,” said Abramson. “Her varied experience in progressive politics and her wide array of endorsements stand out in the MA-04 race. I’m supporting her because she will not just legislate and advocate: she will use her platform to help people.”
“Jesse’s leadership on climate issues in Brookline, as well as her work on the Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave law, demonstrate the strong and effective advocacy for progressive issues that she will bring to Washington as our representative,” said Christ.
“Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said, ‘Stand for something or fall for anything.’ Jesse Mermell stood tall and spoke volumes when she came before Brookline Town Meeting a year ago during the debate to extend an apology to Black firefighter Gerald Alston, and publicly acknowledged that the decisions she had made while she was a member of the Select Board were inappropriate and hurtful to him,” said Conquest. “It is because she stood tall that I am casting my vote in the upcoming primary for U.S. Congressional seat for Ms. Mermell.”
“Jesse Mermell will be a congresswoman for everyone. We are proud to support her,” said the Jozwickis.
“Jesse is one of the most courageous leaders I know,” said Englander. “She’s shown that she has the intellect, the passion, and the chops to advocate for our communities in Congress.”
“In 20 years of dedicated progressive activism, Jesse has grown into a seasoned champion of social, legal and economic justice,” said Levy. “Whether organizing behind the scenes, marching in the streets or working in government office, Jesse has time and again fought successfully for working families and minorities, for LGBTQ and immigrant rights, for reproductive freedom, and for the unique needs of the very young and the very old.”
“Jesse has been at the forefront of major issues affecting Massachusetts families throughout her career – protecting reproductive rights, negotiating Paid Family and Medical Leave, fighting for a higher minimum wage and more,” said Carolyn Thall. “She is a proven progressive and will deliver bold results for the people of the Fourth District in Congress.”
“I trust Jesse implicitly to have the right priorities and to work hard to achieve them, all in the interests of people, especially the ones that have struggled the hardest and been left behind,” said Axelrod. “From the time I first worked with her on Brookline Town Meeting when she was very young, I predicted that she’d be heading to DC to lead. I am looking forward to seeing her get there.”
Last week, Mermell received endorsements from United Auto Workers Region 9A and Boston Carmen’s Local 589. She has dominated the crowded field with broad support from top progressive leaders and organizations including Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, former First Lady Diane Patrick, the National Women’s Political Caucus, the SEIU State Council, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, IBEW Local 103, the Machinists, and the Coalition for Social Justice, as well as local leaders across the district and state. A full list of endorsements can be found here.