The Legislative Affairs Subcommittee of the Revere City Council voted unanimously to offer a favorable recommendation to the full council for an ordinance strengthening the city's wage-theft rules (council order 25-1-14), after more than an hour of public testimony and debate.

The ordinance would add local enforcement and penalty tools tied to city contracts, tax benefits and licenses while directing cases that implicate state or federal law to the Massachusetts Attorney General or the Department of Labor, according to proponents and supporters who spoke at the meeting.

Councilor Jaramillo, who spoke in support, framed the measure as protection for low-paid workers and read an excerpt from a book about a 2002 janitorial strike to illustrate the human impact. "When we talk about wage theft, we are talking about the people usually, folks who are, lowest paid," Jaramillo said.

Jeff Cohen, identified himself as Salem's Ward 5 city councilor and described Salem's experience drafting and enforcing a similar ordinance. He said the Revere draft resembles Salem's ordinance and noted the local tools available to city governments, including contract termination and loss of tax benefits for entities found to have engaged in wage theft. "Why do businesses commit wage theft? ... because they can," Cohen said, arguing that local rules can level the playing field for law-abiding employers.

Josh Colon, business representative with the Carpenters Union, urged support and cited a construction-industry figure presented at the meeting: "Misclassification in the construction industry alone led to a shortfall of up to $40,000,000 in 2019," he said, adding that wage theft harms honest businesses and leaves vulnerable workers without recourse.

Claudia Correa spoke in support as an organizer involved with the ordinance's filing, and proponents described provisions including anonymous reporting and protections against retaliation that would route complaints to state enforcement when appropriate. The proponents said the measure was intended primarily as a deterrent and a way to use municipal leverscontracts, licenses and tax benefitsto change behavior.

Councilor Hass voiced procedural and legal concerns, asking whether the city would create duplicative bureaucracy where state law already provides remedies. "We already have a state wage law. We already have the attorney general's office that does enforcement for people who are not paid fairly. So all we'd be doing is adding another layer of bureaucracy," Hass said. He also raised privacy and due-process questions about sign-in-sheet requirements and the city's potential obligation if staff do not meet deadlines for referrals to the Attorney General.

Councilor Kelly said the proposal was about fairness and dignity: "For me, this is just a matter of making sure that individuals are treated with respect and dignity and fairness."

Subcommittee members presentCouncilor Greeno Sawaya, Councilor Haas, Councilor Kelly, Councilor McKenna and Chairman Argenciovoted unanimously to send a favorable recommendation to the full council. The roll call recorded five "yes" votes; no "no" votes or abstentions were recorded. The vote is a recommendation; final adoption requires full council action.

Supporters at the meeting described how the ordinance would allow the city to require compliance from contractors and sub-contractors on city projects, permit anonymous reporting, and use contract or tax-benefit leverage when adjudicated violations exist. Opponents or cautious members noted overlap with state enforcement and the potential for legal challenges to local sanctions.

The ordinance will be forwarded to the full Revere City Council for consideration at a future meeting.