Public sector unions in particular are key players on the state’s political landscape, so it’s no surprise to see a burst of activity by organized labor heading into the November election. And this year, along with backing labor-friendly candidates, unions are deploying significant energy and resources on the thicket of ballot questions.

Unions have been some of the loudest critics of a proposal to place a tighter limit on state tax collections, wary that any changes to Beacon Hill’s spending approach could spell cuts for their membership. Another question is itself a labor matter, seeking to allow staff at the state’s public defender agency to unionize. Yet a couple of unions have taken an even broader approach to the issues facing voters in November.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association this summer gave $500,000 to Yes for a Safe Massachusetts, the campaign urging voters to keep a 2024 gun reform law on the books in the face of an attempted repeal. That makes the state’s largest teacher union by far the effort’s biggest financial backer, far outpacing contributions from groups like the Everytown For Gun Safety Action Fund and the Alliance For Gun Responsibility.

MTA delegates supported the spending at their annual meeting in May. The union “has consistently taken stances to support the safety of educators and students through gun controls,” it wrote in a summary of the votes.

It’s not the only educator group to back the tighter gun law. On Tuesday, the Boston Teachers Union endorsed keeping the gun measure on the books.

“Along with other frontline workers, educators and students are impacted by gun violence every day, whether that is navigating the trauma of violence in the community, participating in active shooter drills, or experiencing the fear created by school shootings elsewhere in the country,” Ruth Zakarin, chair of the Yes on 9 campaign, said in a statement.

On the other side of the issue, the biggest single donor to the campaign pushing the repeal question remains firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson. The former Massachusetts company – Smith & Wesson decamped from its longtime Springfield headquarters for Tennessee in 2023 – contributed $50,000 two years ago, when the effort launched. (A reminder that Question 9 is a bit quirky: Unlike all other questions, proponents here want “no” votes, which will erase the law Gov. Maura Healey signed. A “yes” vote will keep the law on the books.)

More Context

• Deep-pocketed donors flood the ballot-question field with cash (September 2026)
• Post-Bruen decision, everyone has to be a gun-law historian (October 2024)