GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday said putting the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund on sound footing requires a $500 million infusion from the state’s share of American Rescue Plan Act funding and […]
Economy
Posted inEconomy
Business leader ‘confused’ by unemployment insurance revelations
THE PRESIDENT and CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce says the business community was caught off guard just like everyone else by the news that the state’s unemployment […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker administration unsure of balance in unemployment insurance fund
A TOP AIDE to Gov. Charlie Baker said on Friday that the administration is still trying to determine the current balance in the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund. Rosalin Acosta, […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker urged to clear up unemployment insurance fund confusion
A SENIOR ANALYST at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center who is following the debate over the solvency of the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund urged the Baker administration on […]
Posted inEconomy
Unemployment insurance deficit may have vanished
This story has been updated with a Baker administration response. THE DEFICIT in the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund, expected by some to run into billions of dollars eventually, has apparently […]
Posted inOpinion
Staffing companies help move economy forward
AMID A NATIONAL workforce shortage impacting nearly every industry, connecting people with employment opportunities is vital to keeping the economic recovery of the past year moving forward in the Bay […]
Posted inOpinion
State must crack down on labor brokers
MASSACHUSETTS CONSTRUCTION is once again taking off to pre-pandemic levels. This is great news for working families and for the economy, since responsible development — when conducted with proper labor […]
Posted inOpinion
Making gig economy look like mainstream economy would be big mistake
IN NOVEMBER 2022, voters will determine the future of the gig economy in Massachusetts, deciding two ballot measures related to temporary or contract workers who seek to remain independent freelancers. […]
Posted inEconomy
Marijuana prices show signs of leveling out
ARE POT PRICES in Massachusetts finally dropping? Since Massachusetts allowed the first legal marijuana sales in November 2018, prices for legal cannabis have remained high. High prices are one factor […]
Posted inEconomy
Add paper to the list of things in short supply
BEFORE BOSTON’S preliminary mayoral election, the city sent information about mail-in voting to every voter. For a time, the city considered doing a second mailing, but Secretary of the Commonwealth […]
Posted inEconomy
The silent majority in support of housing action
RECENT HIGH-PROFILE opposition to new housing has many wondering whether Massachusetts has lost its appetite for ramping up housing production. Last year, we saw the bipartisan passage of the Baker […]
Posted inEconomy
Fearing egg shortages, Legislature updates ballot question
A HIGH-STAKES game of chicken between national interests may threaten Massachusetts’s supply of eggs and pork. The Legislature is attempting to resolve the dilemma through some Beacon Hill sausage-making, by […]
Posted inEconomy
Report urges action on addressing inequities post-COVID
DESPITE A NATIONWIDE reckoning on race, Massachusetts society post-COVID could see even worsening inequities in society based on class and race, if policymakers do not make a conscious effort to […]
Posted inEconomy
Auditor Suzanne Bump chronicles dire state of infrastructure in Western Mass
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS have long bemoaned their standing in “a tale of two Commonwealths.” The urban, eastern part of the state, they say, sucks up most of the attention – […]
Posted inOpinion
More workplace protections are needed
ON LABOR DAY, we celebrated working people, and the achievements of the union movement which make our families more secure and make our society and economy stronger. Among them: unemployment […]
Posted inEconomy
ARPA funds open the door for major investment in housing
IN 2018, Gov. Baker attended the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) convention, at which MACDC’s executive director, Joe Kriesberg, presented the governor with Richard Rothstein’s book, The Color […]
Posted inEconomy
California ruling on gig workers latest flashpoint in Mass. debate
IT’S EITHER much ado about nothing, or a “major blow” to Uber, Lyft, and other tech companies looking to have their drivers considered independent contractors, not employees. They agree about […]
Posted inEconomy
On gig economy ballot question, both sides are brawl-in
THERE WILL BE plenty of time for battling over the substance of the looming ballot question on gig workers. For now, the two sides are getting warmed up by hurling […]
Posted inEconomy
End of eviction moratorium brings worry
ANXIETY IS HIGH among tenants, landlords, and housing advocates as the midnight Saturday expiration date for the federal eviction moratorium looms, but what the end of the tenant protection will […]
Posted inEconomy
Healey charges Grubhub with exceeding pandemic fee cap
DURING THE PANDEMIC, as restaurants pivoted to offering take-out meals rather than sit-down dining, they complained that third-party delivery apps were charging them exorbitant fees for providing delivery services. In response, the Legislature imposed a […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Poll shows strong support for workplace vax mandates
AS THE DELTA variant spurs an increase in cases and renewed calls for masking indoors, new poll numbers show Massachusetts employees broadly support their vaccine requirements for their own workplaces. […]
Posted inEconomy
The quiet fortitude of Bob Moses
POLITICIANS OF VARIOUS STRIPES have for years declared education to be the civil rights issues of our time. Bob Moses, perhaps uniquely, could make the case with the authenticity of […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker official pitches housing plan to close racial homeownership gap
NEARLY 70 PERCENT of White households in Massachusetts own a home. Only 37.4 percent of non-White households own a home. That gives Massachusetts the seventh highest racial homeownership gap in […]
Posted inEconomy
McKinsey report lays out need for ambitious state investment
MUCH OF THE commentary on the McKinsey report commissioned by Gov. Baker on the future of work in Massachusetts seems to encourage the prospective reader to simply leave the report […]