Emily Byrne

LOWELL, Mass. (Dec. 3, 2019) –  Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) was endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in her 2020 re-election campaign to represent Massachusetts’ Third District.

“You have demonstrated strong support for sexual and reproductive health and rights, and we feel confident you will be a dedicated advocate for Planned Parenthood health centers and the people they serve when you are elected to the House in 2020,” wrote Alexis McGill Johnson, acting President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, in a letter to Congresswoman Trahan.

Trahan said she is honored by the endorsement and appreciative of the work that Planned Parenthood does to improve access to high-quality, affordable health care for millions of families.

“I ran for Congress to fight for women and to ensure they have access to the care they need and the freedom to make their own personal healthcare decisions,” Trahan said. “I strongly support Planned Parenthood’s work and mission. I appreciate the trust and support they have placed in me to continue my work in Congress on these critical issues.”

LOWELL, Mass. (Nov. 20, 2019) –  Democrat Lori Trahan proudly announces the endorsement of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts in her re-election bid for Congress in Massachusetts Third District.

The Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM) is a strong and respected union representing more than 12,000 courageous men and women. Richard MacKinnon Jr., president of the PFFM, praised Trahan for her work on behalf of firefighters across the Commonwealth. 

“As the daughter of a Union Ironworker, Congresswoman Trahan has a deep-rooted understanding that the best way to bolster middle-class families is to support organized labor,” MacKinnon said. “Congresswoman Trahan plays a crucial role in Washington D.C. to secure funding for vital federal programs used to purchase necessary firefighting equipment. Not only do we enjoy a great working relationship with Congresswoman Trahan, but her entire staff. The Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts is proud to endorse her for re-election.” 

Trahan thanked the union for it support and for its tireless work on behalf of all families.

“The brave men and women of this union give generously in time and effort to make our communities safer and stronger and are always ready to put their own lives at risk to save others when an emergency arises,” Trahan said. “Firefighters face uncertainty and danger every time the alarm sounds and I will always do everything in my power to ensure that they have the equipment and resources they need to return home after a shift. I am humbled by the PFFM’s support and I thank them for their immeasurable service to us all.”

LOWELL, Mass. (Nov. 13, 2019) –  Democrat Lori Trahan proudly announced the endorsement of IBEW Local 103 in her re-election bid for Congress in Massachusetts’ Third District.

IBEW 103 represents over 10,000 workers in the Boston area, said Business Manager Lou Antonellis.

“Labor unions are a family and nowhere is that family stronger than here at IBEW Local 103. Lori Trahan grew up in a strong union household and grew up knowing her family would always be protected and cared for because of her union family,” Antonellis said. “We need people like  Lori in Congress, people who understand that unions protect and provide for our families. We need leaders like Lori who will stand up in Washington for labor and stop the attacks on our pensions and apprenticeships. Most of all, we need Lori in Congress to ensure workers’ groups like Local 103 stay in business and fighting for families like yours.”

Trahan, who was first elected to Congress in 2018, said she was both honored and humbled by the support of IBEW 103.

“IBEW 103 has placed its trust in me to fight for a better future for families across the district,” Trahan said. “The 2020 election is all about making sure workers have a strong voice in Washington. I am proud to be that voice.”

Oct. 29, 2019

Endorsed by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07)

“I am so grateful to have Lori as a friend and partner in Congress – she is a trailblazer in her own right, a committed and effective legislator, and a tireless advocate for the people of MA-03. I am proud to have worked with Lori on the first bill I introduced in Congress – to provide back pay for federal contract workers impacted by the government shutdown – and I am deeply thankful for Lori’s continued leadership on behalf of workers, and on pressing issues like the cost of prescription drugs, access to affordable higher education, and equity in economic opportunity. Lori’s work in Congress has helped to uplift communities across the MA-03.” — Rep. Ayanna Pressley

LOWELL, Mass. (Oct. 10, 2019) — Today, Senator Elizabeth Warren Endorsed Congresswoman Lori Trahan’s re-election campaign in Massachusetts’ Third Congressional District. In a video released by the Trahan Campaign, Senator Warren applauded Congresswoman Trahan’s commitment to working families by fighting for good jobs, strong unions, healthcare, Social Security, and gun safety reform. 

“I am honored to have Senator Warren’s endorsement for my re-election campaign, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her support in my fight for working families in Congress. Supporting strong unions, common sense gun safety measures, good jobs, an economy that works for all of us — these are just a handful of the shared values that have united us from the beginning,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “It is why I was so honored to be with her in Lawrence when she launched her presidential campaign, and endorse her bold, game-changing candidacy. I look forward to continuing to fight for families across Massachusetts’ Third District.”

Story and Photo originally published in the Oct. 1, 2019 edition of The Sentinel & Enterprise

AYER – J.P. Sullivan & Co. was able to personally thank Congresswoman Lori Trahan on Tuesday for her and her office’s efforts in bringing their workers in from Jamaica for the picking season.

Trahan visited the company’s shipping and packing facility in Ayer, along with one of the orchards the company owns in Groton, to tour both locations and meet some of the facilities’ migrant workers. The congresswoman’s office helped clarify a clerical error the company had with the Department of Homeland Security last month while it was trying to acquire visas for its 30 workers coming from Jamaica.

According to Ed O’Neill, president of the company, the New England Apple Council prepares the proper 14-page documentation to submit to Homeland Security for the workers to acquire visas. Though either Ed or his son Sean, who oversees operations at Fairview Orchards in Groton, usually initial the documents before sending them to Homeland Security, Ed O’Neill said the documents were sent to the department without an initial. He said that he wasn’t sure why the documents weren’t initialed before being sent to Homeland Security. O’Neill added that the company was not made aware of this error because Homeland Security sent the documents back to a different address in Ayer.

“So we were waiting for our approval and thought, ‘What’s the problem?’ Then they said, ‘You never responded to the deficiency,’ ” O’Neill said. “We didn’t get that, so what were we going to do?”  

O’Neill said that the company should’ve gotten approval from Homeland Security on Aug. 15 so that the workers could book their flights and be prepared for work by Aug. 31. With this “snafu,” as he referred to it, the company contacted Trahan’s office for help. By Aug. 29, the visas were approved and workers started the season on Sept. 10. O’Neill noted how the workers at Fairview Orchard usually pick about 125 bushels of apples a day during the season

“Without these guys, it’s over,” he added. “We could not find American workers to do this. We have almost half-a-million invested in this land. Most of the large commercial growers in Massachusetts are now out of the commercial business. They’ve gone for ‘agritainment,’ as they call it, with hayrides, pick your own apples, cider, all that stuff.”

Congresswoman Lori Trahan, right, observing an apple with Ned O’Neill, vice president of J.P. Sullivan & Co., at the company’s packing and shipping facility.

As she toured the facility and the orchard, Trahan complimented the company for being “vertically integrated” with its orchards and packing facility. She also noted the innovation the company provided through the equipment and the workers.

“People would die to have the retention you have,” she said during the tour. “I’m glad I get to see this up close.”

Trahan said she was contacted by the company in late August about the visa issue and had less than a week to push the paperwork through the proper channels in order for the workers to come to the Nashoba Valley area in time for the picking season.

“It would’ve sunk their business, so we had to get up to speed pretty quickly on where that paperwork nightmare lived and we had to sort it out,” she explained. “We didn’t have a lot of time to deal with it. There were plane tickets being bought and paperwork to file and square away. But it worked out and I got to see the fruit of that labor today, no pun intended, which was pretty cool.”