About Jonathan

My Work

Championing the Labor Movement

At SEIU Local 888, I represented public- and private-sector workers – from custodians to librarians at Boston University. I helped win strong contracts, protected jobs during layoffs, and led a statewide food-service worker campaign that secured gender pay equity across several bargaining units.

At SEIU CIR, during the first COVID-19 outbreak, I fought for medical residents and fellows who were treating patients without basic PPE at Boston Medical Center and Cambridge Hospital. We pushed hospitals to provide safer working conditions and fair protections on the job.

Seeing frontline workers forced to fight for both safety and dignity during a public-health crisis solidified my belief that every American deserves affordable, accessible healthcare – not as a privilege, but as a fundamental right. And when workers have power, we can build a thriving economy with sustainable, good-paying jobs for everyone.

Standing Up to Big Tech

As Organizing Director at Mass Not For Sale, I led the campaign that defeated Uber and Lyft’s $100 million ballot initiative – a corporate effort to slash worker protections. I managed a statewide team of organizers, built a coalition of labor unions and community groups, and mobilized over 80 state legislators and dozens of local leaders.

Our team reached thousands of drivers through multilingual outreach, peer-to-peer organizing, and public forums. We not only won a major legal victory – we laid the groundwork for app-based workers to win the right to form a union in Massachusetts.

Protecting workers from corporate abuse isn’t just an economic issue – it’s how we ensure families can afford healthcare, housing, and basic stability without being exploited by billion-dollar companies.

Winning for Waltham Working Families

As a Waltham City Councilor, I turned community input into real results. I secured over $1.2 million in public-housing improvements, secured funding for a new, state-of-the-art high school, and helped transform Waltham’s Downtown into a vibrant hub for outdoor dining at Moody Street – saving jobs, small businesses and strengthening local culture during the pandemic. 

I started public service with the slogan “Community First” and refused money from corporate landlords. I organized town halls, built a COVID neighborhood task force, and engaged residents directly – because I’ve always been beholden only to working people, not corporate interests.

This approach – putting people first – is the same spirit we need to rebuild the Democratic party and fix our rigged political system.

Protecting Communities with Rapid Response

When Trump’s ICE targeted immigrant families, we didn’t wait for Washington to save us: we organized, protected our community, and fought back with courage. I founded Fuerza Waltham and supported LUCE’s statewide emergency hotline for ICE raids. We created a rapid-response system that trained hundreds of residents to document ICE activity, protect neighbors, and support families in crisis. I also founded the Fuerza Interfaith Emergency Fund (FEIF) providing direct aid to families harmed by immigration enforcement.

I’ve understood the cruelty of our immigration system since I was 14, when my family was separated. Everything I’ve seen since confirms what I knew then: we need an immigration system rooted in humanity, not brutality and fear. Rejecting violence against families – here at home – must also mean rejecting endless wars abroad. The money spent on war and ICE should instead go to lowering the cost of living and expanding access to healthcare, housing, and creating sustainable jobs.