Posts tagged Committee for Public Counsel Services
Question 2 passes: Mass. public defenders get the right to form a union
November 4, 2026 // Tuesday night's victory is the latest chapter in the saga of lawyers who work to represent defendants will little financial wherewithal. In 2024, many of the state's bar advocates — private attorneys who pick up the slack when there aren't public defenders available — stopped taking on new cases to protest their own wages. At the time, advocates in Massachusetts were making between $65-85 an hour, the lowest rate in the New England states and a pittance compared to what other private attorneys earn.
Ballot Question 2 asks: Should public defenders have the right to unionize?
September 29, 2026 // Question 2 would allow employees of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, or CPCS, to participate in collective bargaining. If they negotiate a contract, CPCS would then be required to request the funding needed for that agreement from the governor within 30 days. The Yes On 2 campaign was organized to help grant public defenders the right to join a union. The campaign’s central argument states: CPCS employees should have the same opportunity to organize and negotiate collectively that many others have.