The Work Environment Justice Fund: Five Years of Funding Work Environment Justice in Massachusetts

Abstract

This article provides an assessment of the impact of five years of funding on work environment justice in Massachusetts. It first outlines the economic, historical, and political context in the 1990s in Massachusetts. Next, it describes the distribution of the Work Environment Justice Fund grants in detail by amounts presented, types of organizations and grants funded, and geographic representation of grantees. A discussion of the lessons learned from the work funded by the WEJF introduces a summary of major accomplishments of the grantees. The report concludes with recommendations for continuation and expansion of funding for grassroots work environment justice in Massachusetts.

This is a “wake-up” call to all [Massachusetts] businesses to ensure they are exercising reasonable care in providing for their employees' health and safety.

—Scott Harshbarger, former Massachusetts Attorney General, 1994

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