What's happening in Franklin, MA: Monday, September 2, 2024?

Monday, September 2 = Labor Day

4:00pm Cruise Night in Franklin (Sierra's Brick Oven Pizza)

**  NO Town Meetings today   **

What's happening today in Franklin? 

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Why are there multiple calendars?

Respectfully, the Library and Senior Center calendars are too full of events to include all their events so we tend to focus on the major events. Town and School meetings are also kept separate. Links for all the calendars are shared here:

Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Library calendar of events ->    calendar link

The Senior Center calendar of events ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/node/39/events/upcoming

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar
The School district calendar is found  https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendars

MA Attorney General: "If you're enjoying Labor Day Weekend, thank a union"

Andrea Joy Campbell (@MassAGO) posted Sun, Sep 01, 2024:

MA Attorney General: "If you're enjoying Labor Day Weekend, thank a union"

Shared from -> https://x.com/MassAGO/status/1830243205406663023

More about the origins of Labor Day -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

Franklin Public Library will be closed Monday for Labor Day

Franklin Public Library will be closed Monday, September 4 for Labor Day

The library will be open on Sundays beginning September 10th

Franklin Public Library will be closed Monday for Labor Day

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/news/franklin-public-library-will-be-closed-monday-labor-day

Franklin Public Schools, MA: No School on Friday, Sep 1 - Schools Reopen on Tuesday, Sep 5

"All Franklin Public Schools will be CLOSED Friday, September 1st, 2023  as well as Monday, September 4th, 2023 (Labor Day). 

We will reopen on Tuesday, September 5th, 2023."

Shared from -> https://twitter.com/FranklinPSNews/status/1696961436541505678

Franklin Public Schools, MA: No School on Friday, Schools Reopen on Tuesday, Sep 5

There is no US labor shortage. That’s a myth | Robert Reich | The Guardian

Robert Reich, author and a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, writes:

"When a public problem is wrongly described, the solutions posed often turn out to be irrelevant or inhumane.

A current example: America’s so-called “labor shortage”.

Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, says the United States has a “structural labor shortage” that’s unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.

The US Chamber of Commerce claims there are over 10 million job openings in the US for which employers can’t find workers.

Here’s the truth: there is no labor shortage.

There is, however, a shortage of jobs paying sufficient wages to attract workers to fill job openings."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/15/there-is-no-us-labor-shortage-thats-a-my

‘If we want more people to take jobs and we wish to live in a decent society, the answer is to pay people more.’ Photograph: Claudio Bresciani/TT News Agency/AFP/Getty Images

More Perfect Union: 060 - Labor Day (audio)

In this episode, the group sits down to discuss the importance of Labor Day, how Unions help workers, current worker conditions and how we can better care for workers, the decline in unions and much more.

Audio file ->  https://more-perfect-union.captivate.fm/episode/060-labor-day

Franklin.TV: A More Perfect Union (audio)

More Perfect Union - WFPR

Discussing American Politics and Current Events

Peter Fasciano, Dr. Michael Walker Jones, Dr. Natalia Linos, Jeff Roy, Chris Woolf and Nick Remissong host a round table discussion on current events and American politics, bringing about thoughtful conversation, compelling discourse, and a look at what the future might hold for the United States.

Find all the episodes online -> https://more-perfect-union.captivate.fm/episodes  or subscribe with your favorite podcast app

CommonWealth Magazine: The future of work; transmission site info sought

"EVERY LABOR DAY working people celebrate the countless contributions the labor movement has made to improve the lives of working people. We reflect on the past and present to organize a better future for all.

Right now, working people are frustrated. Many are struggling to afford the basics, much less save for college or retirement. Amidst this, corporate special interests are lining their pockets off the backs of working people. In 2021, the CEO pay at S&P 500 companies rose 18.2 percent, faster than the US inflation rate of 7.1 percent. In contrast, US workers’ wages fell behind inflation, with worker wages rising only 4.7 percent in 2021. This is not “inflation.” It is “greedflation” — when companies take advantage of consumers by using their market dominance to increase prices and boost corporate profits. We’ve seen this with Uber surge pricing during times when people are most desperate for a ride, little of which goes to the actual drivers."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/economy/the-future-of-work-is-not-for-sale/ 

"FIVE OF THE SIX New England states have launched an effort to better coordinate the process of bringing ashore electricity produced by offshore wind farms and feeding the power into the regional grid.

Currently, states contract with offshore wind developers and the developers select where they want to bring their power ashore and are responsible for all transmission system upgrades needed to make that happen.

The process has gone fairly smoothly so far, with developers picking interconnection points on Cape Cod, in Somerset, and in Rhode Island."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/energy/5-new-england-states-seek-info-on-transmission-issues/

"5 New England states seek info on transmission issues"

Franklin Municipal Building will be CLOSED on Monday, September 5, 2022 for Labor Day

Franklin Municipal Building will be CLOSED 

on Monday, September 5, 2022.

The Franklin Municipal Building will be CLOSED on Monday, September 5, 2022 in observance of Labor Day. We will reopen on Tuesday, September 6, 2022.

This also applies to the Library, Senior Center, and all the Schools.

Shared from ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/franklin-municipal-building-will-be-closed-monday-september-5th-2022

Franklin Municipal Building will be CLOSED on Monday, September 5, 2022 for Labor Day

One Day Trash/Recycling Delay during week of Sept 5-9, 2022

One Day Trash/Recycling Delay Sept 5-9, 2022

One Day Trash/Recycling Delay during week of Sept 5-9, 2022

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/recycling-solid-waste/news/one-day-trashrecycling-delay-sept-5-9-2022

Franklin Public Library Closed on Labor Day - Sep 6. 2021

Franklin Public Library Closed on Labor Day

The Franklin Public Library will be closed Monday, September 6th for Labor Day.

Shared from ->  https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/news/franklin-public-library-closed-labor-day

Franklin Public Library Closed on Labor Day - Sep 6. 2021

Franklin's Event Outlook: Sep 3 - Sep 9, 2021

"I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day."   https://youtu.be/1phe6Pe3djY

 

Friday, September 3
2:00pm - Farmers Market
3:30pm - Kids craft activity by Library Youth Services

Saturday, September 4
10:00am - Historical Museum (always free)

Sunday, September 5
1:00pm - Historical Museum (always free) 

Monday, September 6

Labor Day - Library and Town offices closed for holiday

Find the full calendar  https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://forms.gle/oPdi8X3ZbHHyrHzo6

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar

The School district meeting calendar is found   https://www.franklinps.net/calendar-by-event-type/26

 

Community Calendar

Franklin Residents: Trash Delayed by one day during week of September 6-10, 2021

Trash Delay September 6-10

one day off from the normal pickup schedule due to the Labor Day holiday on Monday

• If you need another copy of the Curbside pickup flyer for 2021-2022   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/franklin_program_guide_2021-2022_2.pdf

Franklin Residents: Trash Delayed by one day during week of September 6-10, 2021

Catching up to some National news

‘The Great Resignation’: June’s US jobs report hides unusual trend 

"The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday (07/02/21) that the US economy added 850,000 jobs last month. Hidden by this encouraging figure is the hint of an unusual trend: people are beginning to quit their jobs in extraordinary numbers.

June’s numbers, in combination with last month’s figures, suggest that the economy is continuing to recover at a steady pace. The rate of unemployment was 5.9% and 9.5 million people remain unemployed."

Continue reading about this job report at The Guardian 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jul/03/us-jobs-report-june-trend

The battle for Mount Rushmore: ‘It should be turned into something like the Holocaust Museum’

"The national memorial draws nearly 3 million visitors a year – and Native Americans want the site back with a focus on oppression

Mount Rushmore national memorial draws nearly 3 million visitors a year to its remote location in South Dakota. They travel from all corners of the globe just to lay their eyes on what the National Park Service calls America’s “shrine of democracy”.

Phil Two Eagle is not opposed to the fact that the giant sculpture of American presidents is a major tourist attraction but he thinks the park should have a different focus: oppression.

“It should be turned into something like the United States Holocaust Museum,” he said. “The world needs to know what was done to us.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/03/mount-rushmore-south-dakota-indigenous-americans

Can you identify signs of labor trafficking?

Mass. Municipal Assn (@massmunicipal) tweeted on Tue, Jan 19, 2021:

.@MassAGO @maura_healey's office launches new training video & digital toolkit to help people identify signs of labor trafficking & generate referrals to her office for potential investigation & prosecution.

MMA article to provide context for the new awareness campaign https://t.co/dMFDXPzpZx

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/massmunicipal/status/1351536119083528196
Video link = https://youtu.be/jKXNa824N9I

"Everyone has a stake in ensuring that the workers we all depend on are secure and healthy"

From CommonWealth Magazine we share an article of interest for Franklin: 

"It’s simple. If the workers who make our economy run aren’t healthy and secure, then our economy isn’t healthy and secure. Especially in the absence of any leadership or plan from the Trump administration, we need Massachusetts leaders to walk the walk when it comes to our workers, and not just talk the talk.

Essential workers need a bill of rights. They deserve hazard pay for the dangerous and critical work they are performing for the public. Everyone agrees on the importance of people with symptoms staying home from work and school, but that should come with the guarantee that nobody will lose their job or the ability to feed their families should they need to stay home.

Essential workers here in Massachusetts, like many of their counterparts in other states, deserve a presumption that if they contract COVID-19 they did so in the line of duty so they are covered by workers compensation. Workers need a reliable place to turn to if they think their workplaces are unsafe, and they need protection from employer retaliation for whistleblowing.

We need comprehensive data collection on the infection rates of workers — by occupation, industry, and employer — which are crucial data points to identify new outbreaks and guide future responses to protect these workers and the public they serve.  And we need science, workers, and occupational safety experts to guide how our workplaces and economy reopens, definitely not CEOs. "

Continue reading the article online
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/essential-workers-need-a-bill-of-rights/

Arbor Day, Labor Day - Both are worthwhile celebrations

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 09/06/2020

"As a school kid, I recall Arbor Day, and ‘Trees’ by Joyce Kilmer.  The holiday was little more than the starting blocks for another school year. There wasn’t much meaning behind it. No giant festivities, fireworks, parade, big doin’s, junk food – nothin’.  Not even a corn dog.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbor_Day

It was – uhhm, Arbor Day. Then somewhere in those early school years it became Labor Day.  Again – nothing. At least, nothing for us kids to get jazzed about.

Now, both of these holidays are fine occasions that commemorate deserving causes. As an adult in these times of global warming with record high temps and record high unemployment – ? I get it. These are among the burning issues of our time. Firing up the backyard grill is nice, but – Somehow, we need to jack up the holiday gravitas and cobble together some appropriate Arbor Day/Labor Day traditions, including labors that promote the greening of our planet – and our wallets.

This notion of combining Arbor/Labor Days (or at least the causes they celebrate) is what Democrats are espousing in their Green New Deal.

Backstory  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_New_Deal

House Resolution 109  https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hres109/BILLS-116hres109ih.pdf

The NGO that started it  https://www.sunrisemovement.org/green-new-deal

Now you know.

And – This just in:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/opinion/ed-markey-young-progressive-voters.html
Fittingly, the first job that the Green New Deal saved – was that of its author.

There’s another day that we should celebrate – Election Day. Get out the vote. And – as always 

–  Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm. And, thank you for watching. "

Find the weekly Franklin TV and Franklin Public Radio program guide online at

http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf

the home page of Franklin.TV features a link to Franklin Matters

Franklin Commuter Line: Commuter Rail to run regular Sunday schedule on Labor Day - Sep 7

All Commuter Rail lines will operate on a regular Sunday schedule on Labor Day, Monday September 7.

Please note that there is no Sunday service for the Stoughton and Needham lines.

Last Updated: Aug 24 2020 02:36 PM

Franklin Commuter Line: Commuter Rail to run regular Sunday schedule on Labor Day - Sep 7 

Franklin Public Library and Town Offices - Closed on Labor Day

The Franklin Public Library and Town Offices will be closed on Monday, Sep 2 for the Labor Day holiday.

Franklin Public Library and Town Offices - Closed on Labor Day

 

FBRTC: Upcoming Events - membership drive; Labor Day walk

View this email in your browser Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Upcoming Events  Summer Membership  Drive:  Become a member between now and Labor Day and be eligible to win one of three $10 DD gift cards! More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/2358050251079771/  SNETT Group/Nature Walk    - Labor Day   Please join us for a walk on the SNETT on Monday, September 2, 2019 (Labor Day) at 10 AM. We will meet at the Grove Street parking area (next to Metcalf Materials) in Franklin. More info https://www.facebook.com/events/2319534728363380/  Copyright © 2019 Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have opted in to stay informed about the Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Our mailing address is: Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee PO Box 68 Franklin, Ma 02038 Add us to your address book

“You’ve got to regard education as a lifetime process"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"For generations, the career path for smart kids around Detroit was to get an engineering or business degree and get hired by an automaker or parts supplier. If you worked hard and didn’t screw up, you had a job for life with enough money to raise a family, take vacations and buy a weekend cottage in northern Michigan. 

Now that once-reliable route to prosperity appears to be vanishing, as evidenced by General Motors’ announcement this week that it plans to shed 8,000 white-collar jobs on top of 6,000 blue-collar ones. 

It was a humbling warning that in this era of rapid and disruptive technological change, those with a college education are not necessarily insulated from the kind of layoffs factory workers know all too well. 

The cutbacks reflect a transformation underway in both the auto industry and the broader U.S. economy, with nearly every type of business becoming oriented toward computers, software and automation."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20181201/salaried-workers-beware-gm-cuts-are-warning-for-all

This is not new. One can debate as to when this phenomenon started but I'd posit that it began in earnest with the great recession in 2007-2008.

I was affected at that time in late 2008, one of 3,000 cast off by a giant in financial services. Note, the company is still a giant in financial services.

The Bureau of Labor maintains the stats on unemployment and while the 'one' rate is easily quoted, there are other rates that are more insightful to showing what is happening with the work force.

The six state measures are based on the same definitions as those published for the U.S.:

• U-1, persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of the civilian labor force;
• U-2, job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian labor force;
• U-3, total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (this is the definition used for the official unemployment rate);
• U-4, total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers;
• U-5, total unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other marginally attached workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers; and
• U-6, total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers.

https://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm

This PDF shows the unemployment rate for 2013 to 2017. I'll have to spend some time to put it together to show the year over year changes. This only depicts the stats for the individual years  https://www.bls.gov/lau/maps/maseries.pdf

The Bureau of Labor also provides an outlook for careers based upon the stats they have acquired.  https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/

The chart shows the percentage change in employment for selected industries from June 2009, the end of the recession, through August 2017

There is a wealth of information available on employment and earnings
https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2017/data-on-display/wage-gains-by-industry.htm