the 2012 massachusetts Senate election is shaping up as a competition for the hearts and minds (and votes) of the Bay State middle class. Both US Sen. Scott Brown and […]
Employment
Posted inEconomy
The stimulus
State officials gave a green light to the $29.6m North Bank pedestrian bridge because it was shovel ready. The bridge, which looks like a roller-coaster, runs underneath the Zakim […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Senate president backs $20-$40m for training effort
Even though the numbers tell us that the Massachusetts economy is growing faster than the national average, we still have a long way to go, and the recently revised jobs […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Patrick credits stimulus for 90,000 Mass. jobs
Gov. Deval Patrick defended President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy this morning, blaming a “sclerosis” in Congress for impeding the president’s ability to make the type of investments that […]
Posted inEconomy
Employers, economists push for paid sick leave
Employers, workers, and economists rallied and lobbied at the State House in support of legislation that would offer sick leave to the estimated 1 million Massachusetts employees who don’t have […]
Posted inEconomy, Health Care, Opinion
Workers comp reform offers wellness lessons
Obesity, and the chronic disease conditions that it causes and exacerbates, is the leading cause of the growth of healthcare spending in America. These growing costs hurt our businesses and […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Back to the trenches
even in massachusetts, the bluest of blue states, labor unions are on the defensive. Union membership keeps slipping. High unemployment plagues unions in the private sector, while public-sector unions are […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Report: 2.7m green jobs in US; 63,523 in Mass.
A new report from the Brookings Institution indicates 2.7 million people hold down green jobs in the United States. The report says 63,523 of those jobs are in Massachusetts, virtually […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Politics
A way out of gridlock
with unemployment too high, economic growth too low, and the gap between the rich and poor widening, the American Dream is hurting. Adding to the gloom is the polarization in […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Health Care
97.4
the bay state economy expanded by more than 10 percent last decade—8 percent growth on a per capita basis after accounting for inflation. It’s not the Massachusetts Miracle, but given […]
Posted inEconomy
Court administrator wanted; pay $140,358
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court today posted the job description for a new court administrator. Recent legislation eliminated the post of chief justice for administration and management and split that […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Clean energy employs 64,310, report says
A new report by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center finds that the Massachusetts clean energy sector has 4,909 firms employing 64,310 workers, or 1.5 percent of all employment in the […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
MTA head responds to pension column
Stephen Eide’s argument for switching public employees in Massachusetts from a defined benefit pension system to a defined contribution system (“Time for Real Pension Reform,” July 5, 2011) ignores one […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Unions, think-tank spar in Connecticut
Public sector unions in Connecticut filed a complaint last month with the state’s attorney general alleging a conservative think tank located in Hartford unlawfully tapped into the state’s email system […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
Time for real pension reform
In January, Gov. Deval Patrick filed a pension reform proposal that could save $5 billion over 30 years, through measures such as raising the retirement age and basing pension payments […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, State House News Service
Labor pains
It’s always sad to witness the estrangement of a long time committed couple who have been good for each other over so many years. Could we be seeing this today […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
The middle-class squeeze
The much-heralded demographic change seen in the latest Massachusetts census numbers is at least partly the reflection of a decade of economic change that was particularly challenging for the state’s […]
Posted inEconomy, Health Care, State House News Service
House health vote enrages union officials
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Labor unions were in open revolt Tuesday against the Democratic leaders of the House, promising political consequences for House Speaker Robert DeLeo and other state representatives […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
State House Wisconsin rally
A rally Feb. 26 at the State House in support of Wisconsin public sector unions attracted hundreds of people. Halfway through the rally hundreds more arrived as part of an […]
Posted inEconomy
MAP shows the way
“damn, I was doing so good!” Gerry exclaims as he buries his 30-something bald head in his hands. “Then he had to ask that question.” Gerry is one of […]
Posted inOpinion
Jobs held hostage by housing
Like new england Patriots victories, high housing costs became matter of fact in Massachusetts over the last decade. As we rebuild from the Great Recession and the housing bubble that […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
On Beacon Hill, help is easy to find
Massachusetts lawmakers have pared back the size of the legislative staff in the midst of the current recession but the state still ranks as one of the most aide-heavy legislatures […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
A business improvement district in Boston-finally
With city services cut and unlikely to rebound to pre-recession levels any time soon, Bostonians are stepping into the breach.Businesses in the Downtown Crossing area are banding together and voluntarily […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Opinion
Overcoming tough times
Economic crises are social accelerators—things that were abstractly understood as trends are suddenly new and crushing realities. Twenty-five years ago, while the “Massachusetts Miracle” of growth charmed a generation of […]
