MASSACHUSETTS STATE BUDGET COMING FOR 2013 WITH INCREASED CALLS FOR NEW TAXES AND FEES....YET, THERE IS AN EPIDEMIC OF EMPLOYERS WHO UNDERHANDILY CHEAT BY OPERATING ILLEGALLY AND NOT PAYING THEIR TAXES CONTINUES WITH GOVERNMENT DOING NOTHING TO GET TAXES DUE....Sincere honest employers and their employees who maintain proper legal standards and must compete in the marketplace in unfair competition continue to be exploited due to little or no enforcement on the unscrupulous who cheat. 


Massachusetts is a cheaters paradise for businesses that do no properly pay taxes, workers compensation, mandated wages and benefits to their workers.

Masssachusetts was formerly the national leader in child labor, employment, and wage enforcement laws. Honest employers and their employees are being forced to compete unfairly against businesses that cheat.

Most cheating businesses have little fear of being caught as the Attoney Generl and Workforce Development do not enforce the laws, rules, and regulations with adequate staffing, oversight, and prosecutions.

The blame squarely falls on those elements in organized labor that destroyed the hard fought Secretariat of Labor instead of monitoring and holding the agency accountable. Those labor bosses have failed to advocate and insure adequate resources and those agencies are doing their mandated functions. They continue to cover up their failure for their decisions with workers and the taxpayers continuing to suffer.

It is unfortunate that workers who are exploited have to retain a lawyer for hire to obtain the fruits of their labor and government in their time of need is not there to help. Unfortunately, some of the elements from organized labor that sat by and covered up the destruction of Massachusetts employment law enforcement are now in charge of those government agencies.

The message to those businesses who cheat,do so, the chances of getting caught is little or nil, and when caught pay up most times cents on the dollar. Massachusetts has welcomed businesses who cheat their employees and do not pay their fair share of taxes
PRESS RELEASE Contact: John Gatti JR
March 8, 2012                                                                        
 
 
MASSACHUSETTS WHISTLEBLOWER CALLS ON THE MEDIA TO ADOPT MODERN CODES OF ETHICS AND CONDUCT DURING NATIONAL SUNSHINE WEEK MARCH 11-17 TO GET STUMBULLED “SHIELD LAW” LEGISLATION AND MORE TRANSPARENCY REFORMS THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE-The MEDIA MUST GIVE CONFIDENCE THESE TOOLS IN THEIR HANDS WILL NOT BE ABUSED.
 
 
John Gatti Jr, Architect of, the Massachusetts Public Employee Law Calls stated, “For years Massachusetts Legislation for a Strong Shield Law and enhanced protections to provide proper protections for Reporters and Citizens honestly reporting improprieties has languished. The Media has not done enough to give confidence that these tools in their hands would not be abused. A strong Media Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct is needed to further help passage of this law”.

March 11-17 National Sunshine Week is the ideal time to move forward for the Media to act. This yearly national initiative includes those from the news media with interested groups and entities along with many other individuals interested in open government operations. The goal of the initiative is to promote discussions and dialogues on Freedom of information by advocating Open and Transparent Government Operations.
Significant challenges were seen in 2010 to the first amendment and free speech by Massachusetts local governments functioning in their operations. Some Governments adhered to promoting transparency for their citizenry served. Others continued old ways lacking openness. Government entities must sincerely strive to follow the intent and spirit of the new Open Meeting State Law placed in the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General. Many local governments are still failing knowingly or unknowingly or using cursory approaches avoiding the intent of the legislative mandate at Transparency and Openness.
The goals and objectives of National Sunshine Week are most important to Freedom of the Press and transparency for all government and private operations.
There are challenges Newspapers, Broadcasters, and all in the Media because of the industry downsizing economic turmoil of recent years coupled with new technologies of the Social Media. This makes traditional reporting as we have known especially investigative reporting quite difficult due to severe budgetary and revenue constraints. This has resulted in the downsizing of media and newspaper coverage of government meetings and operations often limiting the Public Right to Know.
The traditional role of the editorial page has changed. Reporters do not have adequate time to properly research and report the news as formerly existed. This leaves parts of the news or having proper different researched positions or facts by Citizens being left out. This results in government appointed and elected officials having continuous Press Access most times without proper verification obtaining their positions published.
Newspapers, Broadcast, and Social Media management must consider adopting a stated modern Code of Ethics for their entities. Further, I advocate the same standard for Reporter Associations Current Editors, Reporters, and new hires to pledge to a stated Code of Conduct and accepted Journalism Behavior.
The traditional place for biased views and columns of various perspectives is still the Editorial Page. Media reporters that compile the news at all levels must be objective, fair, and unbiased and not subjectively discriminate which views to report without proper verification.
This is an opportunity for all Media by adopting a stated Modern Code of Ethics and Reporters Code of Conduct to be a model for others lacking in the Print, Broadcast, and Social Media during National Sunshine Week as well as well as for the readership and listeners going forward. An Ethics and Conduct Code by all in the Media would stop the continuous attacks by critics and help passage of a much needed “ Massachusetts Shield Law” and other Transparency Reforms.
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