THE SENATE APPROVED legislation on Thursday that would extend the unemployment benefits of 1,250 locked-out National Grid workers, but the measure, at least temporarily, stalled in the House, which passed its own bill on December 6. House officials offered no explanation for their inaction, but they said they would return for another informal session on […]
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Posted inEconomy
Baker backs more worker benefits if Grid lockout doesn’t end soon
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER acknowledged on Wednesday that extending the unemployment benefits of locked-out National Grid workers would be an “unusual precedent,” but he said he was willing to take that step if a bill can be crafted that doesn’t run afoul of state and federal law. Baker tried to steer a neutral path on the […]
Posted inThe Download
Oops: DeLeo says Grid bill drafted incorrectly
House Speaker Robert DeLeo acknowledged a bill to extend the unemployment benefits of locked-out National Grid workers doesn’t do what he thought it would do. The bill was approved with no debate during an informal session of the House on December 6. DeLeo issued a statement at the time saying the bill would extend the […]
Posted inPolitics
DeLeo acknowledges drafting error in Grid bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS THE HOUSE on Dec. 6 passed legislation authorizing wage benefits for locked out utility workers, House Speaker Robert DeLeo announced that the utility responsible for locking out its workers would be on the hook for any related costs under the bill. That’s still the intent, but it appears that’s not […]
Posted inEconomy
Guess what’s anchoring many small downtowns?
THE NEW ENGLAND MOBILE BOOK FAIR of my childhood wasn’t exactly mobile; it was a cavernous cinderblock warehouse of a store in Newton. Yet visiting the store was like going on a voyage, something like a trip to the Dead Sea caves where you might stumble upon ancient scrolls. A couple of years ago, I […]
Posted inOpinion
BIDs can play role in climate resiliency
THE OCTOBER ANNOUNCEMENT of the “Resilient Boston Harbor” proposal by Boston Mayor Martin Walsh united two critical public policy considerations: long-term adaptation response to climate change and increased access to open space. The mayor’s vision for the city’s 47-mile shoreline offers a much-needed framework to protect waterfront neighborhoods while increasing the public’s enjoyment of Boston’s […]
Posted inPolitics
House, in informal session, passes Grid legislation
THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE, in a sparsely attended informal session on Thursday, approved legislation that would extend unemployment assistance for the 1,250 locked-out workers of National Grid or any other utility that locks out its employees. Typically, only noncontroversial issues are taken up in informal sessions. But the Republicans in the House, who held the bill […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
National Grid takes pounding on Beacon Hill
NATIONAL GRID took a public relations pounding on Tuesday at a Beacon Hill hearing where steelworkers testified that the utility’s decision to lock them out in June had compromised public safety and the health and well-being of them, their spouses, and their children. The workers and their union leaders did not dwell on the nitty […]
Posted inEconomy
Glynn to lead Harvard’s Allston venture
Tom Glynn, who just left his job as CEO of Massport, is moving over to Harvard University on Monday to run a subsidiary that will oversee the planning and development of a new, 36-acre neighborhood in Allston. Glynn’s appointment gives the university a skilled inside player to deal with the real estate side of the […]
Posted inEconomy
Grid, locked-out workers appear far apart
NATIONAL GRID AND THE UNIONS representing 1,250 locked-out steelworkers head back to the bargaining table on Thursday, but it doesn’t appear as if the two sides are close to an agreement. The utility released a statement on Wednesday saying the counteroffer made by the unions last week “only seeks to maintain the status quo” and […]