BOSTON — Officials from the broad coalition of Massachusetts law enforcement leaders who have endorsed the Work and Family Mobility Act (WFMA) gathered at 32BJ SEIU’s union hall in Boston today to voice their support for the driver’s license law, which is now before the voters on Ballot Question Four. A yes vote would preserve the law and allow qualified drivers, regardless of immigration status, to pass a road test, buy insurance, obtain a license, and legally drive in Massachusetts
“This law increases the number of drivers being properly trained, tested and insured, and I am proud to urge voters to support it with a Yes vote,” said Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. “As tracked by AAA and noted by many in our communities, crashes and fatalities on our roads have risen dramatically since the pandemic. Several states that have passed similar laws have seen a significant reduction in the number of hit and run crashes, among many other safety benefits,”
“Whether we’re taking a trip to work, dropping our kids off at school, or picking up groceries, we want all drivers to be tested, licensed and insured, for the benefit of all of us on the road,” said Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick W. McDermott. “I am proud to stand with my fellow sheriffs and with District Attorneys, police chiefs, and so many other public safety experts across Massachusetts to say I support the Work and Family Mobility Act, to make Massachusetts’ roads safer for all of us.
As Sheriff McDermott noted, the Work and Family Mobility Act was endorsed by a majority of his fellow Massachusetts sheriffs, as well as by most Massachusetts District Attorneys and all the police chiefs in the Massachusetts Major Cities Chief of Police Association.
“This law has to do with improving road safety for everyone by allowing immigrants without status to follow our state motor vehicle laws, just like they do in Connecticut, New York, Vermont and 13 other states,” said Roy Vasque, President of the Massachusetts Major Cities Chief of Police Association, with several other city chiefs standing behind him. “It makes my life simpler, as well, because I know that when one of our police officers needs to stop a driver, there’s an increased likelihood the driver will have a proper form of identification, they’ll have auto insurance, and they won’t panic about a simple traffic incident.”
Overwhelmingly passed by 75% of the Massachusetts Legislature in June, the Work and Family Mobility Act is similar to laws passed in 17 other states. After enacting their laws, states from Connecticut to California enjoyed drops in hit-and-run accidents, and states like New Mexico and Utah measured massive drops in uninsured driving.
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With over 175,000 members in 12 states and Washington DC, including 20,000 in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, 32BJ is the largest building service workers union in the country.