EASTERN BANK USED to be a typical employer. Be in the office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an hour break for lunch. Its employees in Lynn, Boston, and elsewhere fought the traffic with other rush hour commuters. No more. That model, says CEO Bob Rivers, is likely gone for good. Once the pandemic […]
business
Posted inUncategorized
Unemployment insurance bill kicks the can
A BILL BEING CONSIDERED by the state Legislature to freeze businesses’ unemployment insurance payments may be a short-term fix, but it does not solve the longer-term problem of how to keep the fund solvent in the future. “This is a perfectly reasonable, short-term fix for our unemployment insurance shortfall, but it’s a missed opportunity to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Trump suspends visa program bringing workers to US
PRESIDENT TRUMP on Monday extended existing restrictions on the issuance of new green cards and temporarily suspended new work visas that will bar hundreds of thousands of immigrants from coming to the United States to work through the end of December. The Trump administration said that the move will keep as many as 525,000 foreign […]
Posted inEconomy
Rent payments pile up for business owners
DANIEL BOJORQUEZ, the owner of the La Brasa and Fat Hen restaurants in Somerville, is being squeezed by his landlord and the coronavirus. His restaurants have been shut down since mid-March by the virus and they’re unlikely to reopen before June. Bojorquez owes $13,000 in rent for April and May, and he’s staring at another rent payment coming due on June 1. He […]
Posted inOpinion
Union push hinders housing production
DEMANDING CONSTRUCTION of more affordable housing is the right thing to do. Getting it done is another thing entirely, which is why it’s fair to question practices that slow the pace of or obstruct production altogether. In Boston, the tradition of city officials arm-twisting developers to hire union workers has undoubtedly hurt affordable housing production. […]
Posted inEconomy
Gloucester lobsters caught in trade war
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WHEN CANADA NEGOTIATED a new trade agreement with Europe several years ago, Vince Mortillaro, the owner of Mortillaro Lobster in Gloucester, made a business decision. No longer able to compete on price in Europe with the non-taxed Canadian lobster, he turned to the Asian market — specifically China. “We went in […]
Posted inEconomy
New voices, proposals emerging in Boston’s biz community
WINDS OF CHANGE are starting to blow through Boston’s business community. One clear signal came earlier this month, when close to 20 business organizations said they would heed an appeal from House Speaker Robert DeLeo to help develop a transportation policy that likely will call for additional revenues. “It’s time for a united voice from […]
Posted inThe Download
New voices, proposals emerging in Boston’s biz community
Winds of change are starting to blow through Boston’s business community. One clear signal came earlier this month, when close to 20 business organizations said they would heed an appeal from House Speaker Robert DeLeo to help develop a transportation policy that likely will call for additional revenues. “It’s time for a united voice from […]
Posted inOpinion
More than ever, Earth Day needs to be about the next generation
GROWING UP, Earth Day was always about opportunity — a chance to come together to celebrate our environment and recommit, through small deeds and community events, to taking better care of our planet. This year, as we face dire warnings from scientists and researchers that climate change poses a real threat to our world, Earth Day is […]
Posted inPolitics
Lawmakers reach short-term rental agreement
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH THE CLOCK TICKING on the end of the two-year session, House and Senate leaders finalized a deal Thursday to tax and regulate short-term housing rentals through websites like Airbnb, reviving a bill that passed in July but was imperiled by concerns raised by Gov. Charlie Baker. The new version still […]