In the News: job gains for MA, upskirt law revision

Massachusetts posted its largest single-year jobs gain in 2013 since the dot-com boom of the late 1990s. But it still has an unemployment rate above the national average. 

The state’s employers added 55,200 jobs in 2013, the biggest annual gain since 2000 when the economy grew by 95,500 jobs. 

But the state also shed 4,500 jobs in January. The state finished January with an unemployment rate of 6.8 percent, according to data released Thursday morning, a drop from 7.1 percent a month earlier, but still higher than the 6.6 percent national average.

Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140307/NEWS/140307277/1994/NEWS

Governor Deval Patrick on Friday signed a bill passed by the Legislature to close a loophole in state law that the Supreme Judicial Court said made it legal to take cellphone pictures up a woman’s skirt. 

“I’m hard-pressed to think that a person doesn’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their own clothes,” Sen. Brian Joyce, D-Milton, said after the Senate unanimously passed an amendment sent over from the House that now makes it illegal for someone to photograph the “sexual or other intimate parts” of an unsuspecting person. 

“It’s sad and somewhat bizarre that we even have to pass such a law,” Joyce said. “Clearly there are some twisted individuals.”

Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140307/NEWS/140307275

Note: if the Legislature had craft the previous law properly, the Supreme Judicial Court would not have been in a position to overturn it. It is good to see the Legislature turn around so quickly. They can really accomplish something when they want to.

In the News: youth rally, minimum wage

Local legislators and politicians joined nearly 1,000 young people from across the state Thursday to rally for increased funding for youth jobs programs. 

"You are out there giving a voice to a need in our society today, which is that the government needs to work together with the private sector to make sure there are opportunities for every single person here," state Rep. Tom Conroy, D-Wayland, told the crowd inside Boston's Old South Church. 

Conroy spoke alongside Attorney General Martha Coakley and Felix Arroyo, Boston's chief of Health and Human Services.

Read the full article here:
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140221/NEWS/140229298

State Senate President Therese Murray wants the state’s minimum wage raised to $11 per hour. House Speaker Robert DeLeo, supports an increase, but wants it tied to changes in unemployment insurance. 

With dueling bills in the two chambers, there are two questions: what will the final solution be and when it it likely to be arrived at? 

“Both issues are in play in both chambers, but the division is more about process than substance at this point, I think,” Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, said Tuesday.

Read the full article here
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140220/NEWS/140229762

MassBudget: Job Growth Unrelated to States' Tipped Minimum Wage

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. The Tipped Minimum Wage & Job Growth A strong minimum wage helps workers support their families, and it can bolster our economy by increasing the amount of money workers have to spend at local businesses.  In the case of workers who regularly earn tips, like waiters and hairdressers, employers are only required to pay what's called the "tipped minimum wage," which in Massachusetts is well below the regular minimum wage (it is currently $2.63). The law then requires that for any such worker, the combination of hourly pay and tips must be at least as high as the full minimum wage.     Our new factsheet, Job Growth Unrelated to States' Tipped Minimum Wage explores the impact of tipped minimum wage levels on employment in the restaurant and food service job sectors. The new factsheet finds that:   Historically, Massachusetts - with its low tipped minimum wage - has not reliably outperformed high tipped minimum states or the US average for job growth in the restaurant industry Despite Massachusetts low tipped minimum, the restaurant industry itself does not projection strong job growth in Massachusetts over the coming decade, nor meaningfully higher job growth in low tipped minimum states vs. high tipped minimum states generally Tipped workers in states with higher tipped minimum wages have higher earnings and lower poverty rates Job Growth Unrelated to States' Tipped Minimum Wage follows two other papers on the tipped minmum wage: The Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers and The Declining Value of the Tipped Minimum Wage in Massachusetts.   Read JOB GROWTH UNRELATED TO STATES' TIPPED MINIMUM WAGE See ALL OF OUR WORK ON THE MINIMUM WAGE  The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

. Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center | 15 Court Square | Suite 700 | Boston | MA | 02108

Now hiring - Artistry Kitchen

We are looking for people who understand and appreciate the art of hospitality and recognize the

importance of being involved in our community. If you are a motivated, service-oriented team

player who is ready to be part of the pre-opening team of this property, please forward your resume

to jobs@artistryboston.com.

AVAILABLE POSITIONS
Line Cook, Prep Cook, Bartender, Server, Greeter, Busperson, Runner, Dishwasher

BENEFITS
• Competitive Compensation
• Health Insurance
• Paid Time Off

VISIT US AT OUR JOB FAIR!

When: Wednesday, November 13 from 12 PM to 8 PM

Where: Rockland Trust Bank, 58 Main St., Franklin MA

RSVP: info@artistrykitchen.com

Apply at www.artistrykitchen.com

Artistry Kitchen is part of an emerging multi-faceted hospitality company in Massachusetts called
Artistry. In addition to Artistry Kitchen, the organization is comprised of The Inn at Hastings Park,
a boutique inn and restaurant, as well as a full-service catering and event planning company.


The Artistry Kitchen flyer:




Where is Artistry Kitchen?
in downtown Franklin on the corner of Cottage and East Central

In the News: job fair, more marathon runners

Companies look to hire veterans at Gillette Stadium job fair

Veterans are invited to network with more than 50 Boston-area employers on Thursday, Sept. 5 at a job fair hosted by RecruitMilitary and The American Legion. 

2014 Boston Marathon will have 9k more spots

Nine thousand extra runners will be able to run the 2014 Boston Marathon, the Boston Athletic Association announced this morning.  

What will future jobs look like?

In this TED Talk, Andrew McAfee talks about the jobs of the future and what it means for us.

Winston Churchill came to my home of MIT in 1949, and he said, "If we are to bring the broad masses of the people in every land to the table of abundance, it can only be by the tireless improvement of all of our means of technical production." 

Abraham Lincoln realized there was one other ingredient. He said, "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to give them the plain facts." 

So the optimistic note, great point that I want to leave you with is that the plain facts of the machine age are becoming clear, and I have every confidence that we're going to use them to chart a good course into the challenging, abundant economy that we're creating.

"the signal will help alleviate that traffic"

The Milford Daily News reporting on the Big Y hiring 150 writes in part:

D’Amour-Daley said construction, which began last summer, has progressed steadily thanks to the mild winter. 

“We are proceeding right on course and all is going well,” she said. 

Heavy snow and frigid temperatures have plagued past store constructions, she said.
D’Amour-Daley said the store — across the street from the Franklin Municipal Building, on the former site of the Franklin Buffet restaurant — will open sometime in the fall, after the traffic light at the supermarket’s entrance is installed.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1040016488/Big-Y-expected-to-hire-150-people-in-Franklin#ixzz1x0IZUGFB

Big Y Plans to Hire 150-plus

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