Collective Bargaining for CPCS Employees
Argument AGAINST was compiled by the Secretary of the Commonwealth (no organized opposition), per M.G.L. c.54 §54 — not written by opponents.
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Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 6, 2026? SUMMARY: This proposed law would specify that employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (“CPCS”) are permitted to engage in collective bargaining with their employer. It would also require CPCS, after executing a collective bargaining agreement, to request the appropriation necessary to fund such agreement from the Governor.
A YES VOTE would specify that Committee for Public Counsel Services employees may form a union to collectively bargain with their employer.
A NO VOTE would make no change to the law governing labor relations for Committee for Public Counsel Service employees.
Not published by the state
The proposed law may have an impact on state finances. CPCS receives its funding, in part, from state government appropriations. The fiscal impact of the proposed law is difficult to project due to the uncertainty regarding the outcomes of any such collective bargaining by CPCS employees.
A YES vote will give employees of the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) the right to organize a union and collectively bargain with their employer if they choose to do so. CPCS employees provide critical support for the constitutional right to counsel and help ensure that Massachusetts residents who cannot afford an attorney have access to legal representation. Yet, unlike other state employees, CPCS employees do not currently have the right to choose whether to organize and collectively bargain over wages, benefits and working conditions. This ballot question would allow CPCS employees to form a union if they so choose. It simply gives CPCS employees the right to make that choice for themselves. Vote YES to give CPCS employees the right to choose.
Tom McKeever Labor Unions for Public Counsel Workers Rights PO Box 9536 c/o North Side Ventures Lowell, MA 01853 617-241-3300
As of the printing of this book, there was no organized group urging a “No” vote on Question 2. The information below has been compiled by the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, in part from arguments presented in the Legislature’s Majority Report. The argument below does not reflect the opinions of the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Allowing employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) to collectively bargain creates serious operational and fiscal risks for the judiciary. CPCS operates as an independent judicial branch agency tasked with providing constitutional defense to indigent clients. Introducing collective bargaining into this framework could disrupt existing management and supervisory frameworks, introduce ambiguity into lines of authority, and create operational inefficiencies. Changes to labor relations policies of this scale could have unintended consequences for the delivery of legal services, particularly if they limit the agency’s ability to respond flexibly to fluctuating caseloads, staffing needs, and court demands.
“If no argument is received by the secretary from the principal proponents or opponents of a measure within the time allowed by this section, the secretary shall prepare such argument.” – M.G.L. c. 54 § 54.
Both columns use the same layout. Text is quoted from the official state guide. Views expressed belong to the argument authors.