The Download: New AFL-CIO president Chrissy Lynch on the changing face of labor
The new face of labor
This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith is joined by Chrissy Lynch, the new president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, to discuss the current pivotal moment for organized labor, the changes she’s seen in the movement over the years, and her policy priorities.
Boston’s large nonprofits fall short once again
Since the PILOT program’s creation in 2010, the city has been shorted over $204 million. Imagine what the city could have done had those funds been collected.
Why did MassDOT hang T employees out to dry?
A Boston Globe story on employees working long-distance at the MBTA had 4 corrections. The employees who were incorrectly targeted and the reporter who lost her job were victims of a state bureaucracy that failed to stand up for its workers.
Let’s be honest about cost, challenges of electrification
Before asking constituents to dismantle gas stations, turn off natural gas-fired power plants, stop cooking with gas and propane, abandon a newly updated gas or oil furnace, or turn over their beloved car, policymakers need to be realistic about the timeframes associated with electrification.
A Marine’s perspective on gun control
It’s clear now that there were many warning signs in the months leading up to the shooting in Lewiston, Maine that the shooter was a danger to the community and to himself, and many policy failures that allowed him to keep access to military-grade, semi-automatic rifles.
Healey’s shelter cap of 7,500 families is triggered
The number of families housed in the state’s emergency shelter system hit Gov. Maura Healey’s limit on Thursday afternoon, triggering a new regulation that will allow the shelter system to begin to turn people away.
Who’s in charge at the Cannabis Control Commission?
With its chair indefinitely suspended, the four remaining members of the Cannabis Control Commission are having a hard time deciding who’s their leader. They can’t even agree whether they are in a pickle or a conundrum.
SJC prods Brookline’s ‘novel’ phased tobacco ban
The Supreme Judicial Court is weighing the legality of a Brookline ordinance that bans tobacco sales to anyone born in 2000 or later, a move that would eventually phase out all tobacco sales in the town.
MBTA plans to eliminate all 191 subway slow zones by end of 2024
MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng outlined a plan on Thursday to eliminate all 191 slow zones on the subway system by the end of 2024 and restore service to regular speeds.
Senate pushing again for drug pricing legislation
The Senate is preparing to take up drug pricing legislation that would also create a licensing process for pharmacy benefit managers.
Growing choice in education is a benefit, not a threat
AFTER DECADES OF progress, learning outcomes across US public education have stagnated and declined. Between 2011 and 2019, nearly two-thirds of states saw falling scores on the National Assessment of […]
In Revere, Latino victory reflects a changing city
With his election victory on Tuesday to an at-large city council seat, Juan Jaramillo will become the lone Latino and only non-white official serving on the 11-member council.
Wu goes four for four in City Council races
Two years after her barrier-breaking victory, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu rallied behind four progressives looking for seats in the City Council. All four of her picks won in the low-turnout election, a feat without precedent in 40 years of Boston politics.
Durant, amiable conservative, wins Senate seat
Durant swept to what appeared to be a double-digit victory in an election that offered a glimmer of hope that Republicans can actually win seats on Beacon Hill. An amiable conservative, Durant appealed to the rural, conservative-leaning voters in the central Massachusetts district and did a better job of getting his voters out in a low-turnout special election to find a replacement for Democrat Anne Gobi.
House bill takes hands-on approach in providing $250m for shelters
House leaders on Tuesday indicated they plan to give Gov. Maura Healey the $250 million she asked for in September to support the state’s cash-strapped emergency shelter program, but the money would come with specific directives on how all of it should be spent.
SJC justices raise concerns about Tufts tenure tinkering
The Supreme Judicial Court hears arguments about a change to the tenure guidelines at Tufts School of Medicine that cuts salaries of those who fail to raise enough money to support their labs. Several justices seemed wary of the changes.
Pharmacy benefit managers are engaging in thievery
Pharmacy benefit managers were created with the intention they would negotiate discounts and pass them on to patients. Instead, they’ve taken advantage of not being regulated using several tactics to reap profits, sometimes in the billions.
Somerset approves $20m tax break for offshore wind supplier
Town meeting in Somerset voted Monday night to approve a $20 million property tax break for the Prysmian Group, which is planning to build a $250 million to $300 million subsea cable manufacturing facility at Brayton Point to serve the offshore wind industry.
Big 3 uncertainty over extra shelter funding
Speaker Ron Mariano said the House will vote to provide additional funding for the cash-strapped emergency shelter system on Wednesday, but neither he nor the governor nor the Senate president seemed to know how much money is needed
After SCOTUS setback, a new tack for student debt cancellation
THE US SUPREME COURT dealt advocates of canceling student debt a blow when the justices knocked down President Biden’s program as unconstitutional last June. Local advocates have reworked their focus. […]