IN THE CONFUSION surrounding the initial weeks and months of the pandemic, when businesses were ordered to close their doors and workers were losing their jobs by the thousands, the […]
Economy
Posted inEconomy
We need a ‘universal application’ for crucial public benefits
THIS MONTH MARKS two years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As many of us begin to embrace the new “near-normal,” too many individuals and families still struggle. The […]
Posted inEconomy
Fixing early ed system could cost $1.5 billion a year
MASSACHUSETTS’S EARLY CHILDHOOD education system is unaffordable and inaccessible to too many families, and it will cost an estimated $1.5 billion a year to improve it, according to a report […]
Posted inOpinion
Progress being made on digital inequity — but more needed
THE COVID-19 pandemic brought education to computers and tablets, business to online marketplaces, and social activity to Zoom – all while bringing deep, systemic digital inequity fully to light. As […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Parsing words at the Mass. Gaming Commission
MASSACHUSETTS LAWMAKERS MADE it pretty clear in 2014 that they wanted to protect midsize theaters from having to compete against event venues run by casinos, inserting into the gaming law that […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Boston’s downtown at risk as workers stay remote
AMERICA IS DOTTED with remnants of economies of the past. Think gold rush towns, factory cities, rail towns, and coal towns, to name a few. All served their purpose, and […]
Posted inEconomy
Report knocks Senate staff pay scale as unclear, lacking transparency
LEADERS IN THE Massachusetts Senate are vowing to overhaul the pay structure for Senate staff, after a confidential report found that the Senate lacks transparency in how salaries are set […]
Posted inEconomy
We should use remaining ARPA funds to combat racial inequity
CONFRONTING INEQUITY BY race in housing, education, wealth and business investment is the smartest use of the state’s remaining $2.3 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. It is […]
Posted inOpinion
Designing benefit plans for ‘platform workers’
THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY has seen significant growth in the “platform workforce:” workers who complete tasks via apps or platforms that allow them to control their own schedule. As of August, […]
Posted inOpinion
Biden’s PLA order is way off the mark
A FEW DAYS AGO, President Biden signed an executive order requiring that all federal construction projects over $35 million be conducted under a project labor agreement, or PLA. The executive […]
Posted inOpinion
PLAs get a big lift from Biden
PRESIDENT BIDEN’S recent executive order #14063 on the use of project labor agreements for federal construction projects is a major step toward fulfilling the pledge to build America back better. It’s […]
Posted inEconomy
A&F Secretary Heffernan calls millionaire’s tax ‘dangerous’
RAISING TAXES ON income over $1 million would be a “dangerous policy,” given how well the state is doing financially under the current tax system, Secretary of Administration and Finance […]
Posted inEconomy, Race/Racism
Combating climate change could yield societal change
IT IS HARD to miss the urgent calls to do something about global warming. The Paris Agreement, Greta Thunberg, President Biden’s infrastructure legislation — the unusual climate patterns and the […]
Posted inOpinion
Gig economy is critical to closing the racial wealth gap
EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK today, you see independent workers. They’re delivering our packages, driving us across town, checking us out at the register. And more often than not, they’re people of […]
Posted inEconomy
Unprecedented federal funding is chance to push for priorities
WE ALL WORRY, too many get sick, and all of us are limited by the COVID crisis. We all shudder at what might happen in the 2022 and 2024 elections. […]
Posted inEconomy
Is it time for the tipped minimum wage to go?
IN MOVING TESTIMONY at a legislative hearing in October, Western Massachusetts native Marie Billiel recounted the sexual harassment she experienced as a restaurant server. Billiel, who has worked in the […]
Posted inEconomy
Forecasters predict modest state tax revenue growth next year
AFTER TWO YEARS of unexpected soaring tax revenues, economists are predicting continued growth next year. But they caution that there are a lot of uncertain factors that could constrain growth, […]
Posted inEconomy, Health Care
Boston institutes COVID vaccine mandate for leisure-related indoor spaces
THE CITY OF BOSTON is instituting a vaccine requirement for entry into leisure-related indoor spaces, including restaurants, gyms, and entertainment venues. “This is just one step in an aggressive approach […]
Posted inEconomy
Egg issue unscrambled as lawmakers hatch compromise deal
HOUSE-SENATE NEGOTIATORS finally got cracking days before many of the state’s eggs would need to be pulled from store shelves, reaching a compromise Sunday evening on a bill that tweaks […]
Posted inEconomy
SJC case could upend franchise laws
QUESTIONS ABOUT how to classify workers have been lingering for years over industries as diverse as ride-hailing and construction. Now, add franchise convenience stores to the list. The Supreme Judicial […]
Posted inEconomy
No answers yet on unemployment insurance trust fund
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION said on Monday that it still hasn’t completed a financial accounting of the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and may not be ready with one anytime soon. […]
Posted inOpinion
Apprenticeships create new pathways into life sciences
DURING THIS EXCITING time of growth for biotech and the life sciences industry in Massachusetts, the future of this industry depends on growing the pool of trained, qualified workers. Currently, […]
Posted inEconomy
What if we didn’t shop till we drop?
YES, THERE’S THAT big meal, with all the talk of gratitude and fellowship, as people gather tomorrow with family and friends. But for many, it also serves as the pregame, […]
Posted inEconomy
Rural towns seek money to repay broadband debt
THE RURAL HAMPSHIRE County town of Goshen is in the middle of installing broadband internet service. Even with state subsidies for the project, town officials estimate that Goshen will have […]
