Editor’s note: For details on the Massachusetts ballot questions, see Ballotpedia.org.

To the editor:

Vote “yes” on question 4 and give all workers the right to earned sick time.

Currently, one million workers in Massachusetts cannot earn sick time. Earned sick time improves employee retention and productivity. Employees who work for employers having 11 or more employees could earn and use up to 40 hours of paid sick time per year. Employees working for smaller businesses could earn and use up to 40 hours of unpaid sick time per year. Earned sick time can be used for the employee’s own health needs or the health needs of a family member such as a child, parent, spouse or parent of a spouse. It can be used for recovery from a physical or mental illness or injury, preventive care or medical appointments and to address domestic violence needs within the family.

Earned sick time provisions protect employees from losing their job or being punished just for using their earned sick time. This would help our state’s workers, businesses, and economy. While Massachusetts has near universal health care, 1/3 of workers can’t access that health care without the risk of losing their jobs. This gives all workers the right to maintain their wellbeing and that of their families. Businesses would benefit from healthier, more productive and more loyal employees, while the reduction in worker turnover also generates big savings for business.

New York City, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Newark all have earned sick time laws in place. California, Eugene, Ore., San Diego, and several cities in New Jersey have recently passed laws to ensure earned sick time for employees.

Sincerely,

Gary Davis
21R Camp Lane

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Editor’s note: For details on the Massachusetts ballot questions, see Ballotpedia.org.

To the editor:

Voting “no” on Question 1 keeps the gas tax indexed to inflation as adopted by the State Legislature.

Fifty-three percent of Massachusetts bridges alone are now structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, making Massachusetts second worst among the 50 states. Twenty-seven bridges have been closed because they are unsafe. The ten busiest structurally deficient bridges in Massachusetts carry more than one million cars per day. Roadway conditions are a significant factor in one-third of all traffic fatalities. According to current legislation, the turnpike toll revenue may decrease substantially when the western Massachusetts tolls are phased out in 2017.

Last year, the legislature voted to increase investments in our entire transportation system with the passage of a transportation financing bill that raised the gas tax for the first time in 22 years. According to the private Tax Foundation, Massachusetts ranks only 29th of all states for 2013 gas tax rates.

Investments in transportation infrastructure supports thousands of jobs. And every $10 million we invest in public transportation generates $30 million in increased business sales. A good transportation system drives our economy. We can’t afford not to invest in transportation.

Sincerely,

Gary Davis
20R Indian Camp Lane

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.