Collective Bargaining for Public Defenders
Would let the state's public defenders unionize and bargain collectively, something almost no other state employees are barred from today.
A YES vote
Gives roughly 500 staff attorneys and other employees at the Committee for Public Counsel Services (), the agency that provides lawyers to people who can't afford one, the right to form a union and bargain collectively. CPCS would have to request funding from the Governor for any agreement within 30 days of signing it.
A NO vote
CPCS employees continue without collective bargaining rights, as is the case today.
Who this affects
- CPCS staff attorneys and other agency employees
- People who rely on court-appointed lawyers
- The state budget, which would need to fund any bargaining agreement
Who's for it, who's against it
Supporters say
Organized by CPCS employees and union allies under the name Yes on 2: Right to Unionize for Public Defenders, with support from the Massachusetts Defenders Union, SEIU Local 888, AFT Massachusetts, and the National Association of Government Employees.
Opponents say
No organized opposition campaign had been identified as of August 2026.
Who's paying for the campaigns
Funding the YES side
Backed by SEIU Local 888, the Massachusetts Defenders Union, AFT Massachusetts, and the National Association of Government Employees; exact committee totals weren't broken out in available filings.
Funding the NO side
No organized opposition committee had been identified as of August 2026.
Figures reflect filings as of late August 2026 and will shift before Election Day.
Official summary and full text: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Information for Voters. Background and funding figures compiled from nonpartisan research by Tufts University's Center for State Policy Analysis and OCPF campaign finance filings.