jobs

By Rosalie Tirella

Now is the time for:

No to Slots!! lawn signs. EVERYWHERE. ON EVERYONE’S FRONT LAWNS.

Door to door education/outreach. Let folks know this is a big box Walmart type building filled with slot machines. Nothing more. I mean really nothing more if Allen Fletcher and the Canal District biz folks kill the two restaurants and spa slated to go there. This is not a full service casino, this gambling Walmart slated for the Wyman Gordon site. There is no attached hotel, shopping mall, concert venue a la Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods. Let’s not delude ourselves: The building will look like a Walmart – a big box store, with a few frilly flourishes. Cheap, low end. It won’t fool anyone.

Tell folks the truth about Rush Street Gaming and how they run their businesses, their other slots parlors. They are now pressuring their full time slots employees in other cities to ACCEPT BUYOUTS and ALL THE FULL TIME JOBS ARE BEING TURNED INTO PART-TIME JOBS.

The money, billions of dollars, Rush Street Gaming makes goes to Chicago, their headquarters. It does not get plowed back into the local economy, the way local small businesses put their earnings back into local economy. Remember: ALL THE STATE LOTTERY MONEY GOES BACK TO MA CITIES AND TOWNS. Not so with Rush Street Gaming.

The Rush reps we are meeting are SALESPEOPLE. They are not economic development experts. They do not care what happens to our city. They are salespeople, smooth talking and attractive, pushing their product, a slots parlor. To make billions of dollars.

They are betting on Woo’s desperateness. They know our factories are gone. They know we aren’t a Boston or Providence. That there are major gaps in our employment picture They have done their research and see: RUBES. We may think we can out-negotiate them, but we lose IF WE GET A SLOTS PARLOR. Even if we get a fake canal, some part time jobs, etc we still LOSE.

Worcester is a big family town. We don’t do adult entertainment. We do soccer, little league, church, schools … . NOT SLOTS.

Mailings need to go out to every Woo household! Mailings that detail how stupid slots are for Woo. Show folks the truth.

PUSH FOR A $10,000 ADVERTISING LIMIT FOR GAMING GUYS. Otherwise, they will plow hundreds of thousands of dollars into a gambling advertising blitz. Stop their bull shit advertising campaign in its tracks.

Have meetins in churches, schools, halls of all sorts to Stop Slots.

Let’s have all the factions who have said no MOBILIZE THEIR PEOPLE. Sarai Rivera and Mary Keefe – inner city folks/Latinos. Father Madden – the Catholics in town. Harriet Chandler – the Jewish community, etc.

InCity Times will continue to urge Worcesterites TO VOTE NO SLOTS. In the paper and on this website.

The battle has begun. We cannot let up for one second – until AFTER THE REFERENDUM HAS BEEN HELD

LATEST SEASONALLY UNADJUSTED JOB AND UNEMPLOYMENT ESTIMATES FOR LOCAL LABOR MARKETS IN THE COMMONWEALTH

BOSTON – The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development today reported that the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates for February 2013 were down in twenty-one areas and up in one area over the month, according to data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the year, the rates were down in twenty areas and remained unchanged in two areas.

Statewide, the February seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate was 6.8%, down 0.6% over the month. Over the year, the statewide unadjusted rate was 0.5% below the 7.3% rate posted for February 2012.

In February 2013, over the month job gains occurred in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Springfield, Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, New Bedford, and Peabody areas. The remaining six areas all recorded a loss.

Over the year, ten of the twelve areas added jobs, with the largest percentage gains in the Barnstable, Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Peabody, and Haverhill-North Andover-Amesbury areas. Click to continue »

By Jason A. Stephany, MassUniting

At a noon press conference in Randolph on Tuesday, US Senator Scott Brown delivered what his office claimed would be a “major policy speech” on taxes. To the surprise of few in Massachusetts, Brown’s remarks turned out to be nothing more than the stereotypical, failed tax rhetoric of his Republican colleagues in Washington. More telling were the facts Brown failed to mention about his voting record on taxes. Here are five true statements we didn’t hear from the junior senator in Randolph:

1. “I voted to give tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas.”

Scott Brown voted to filibuster the Creating American Jobs & Ending Offshoring Act, a bill would have ended tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs or build plants and offices offshore to replace American facilities. The vote came as thousands of American workers face impending layoffs while training their replacements from China, India, and elsewhere. (US Senate roll call vote #242, 9/28/10)

2. “I gave $24 billion of your tax dollars to Big Oil.”

In the face of drastic budget cuts, Scott Brown voted three times to give more than $24 billion in taxpayer funds to the oil industry over the next decade. The top five Big Oil companies – BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell – are amongst the most profitable corporations in the world, posting $137 billion in profits in 2011 alone. (US Senate roll call votes #187 6/15/10; #72, 5/17/11; #63, 3/29/12)

3. “I’d really like to take more money out of your paycheck.”

Scott Brown voted to filibuster legislation to extend the payroll tax cut for working families – holding low and middle income workers hostage to shield the wealthiest Americans from a small surtax on income over $1 million. In effect, Brown cast a deciding vote to raise taxes on 113 million working families. In Massachusetts, the surtax would have affected just 0.6% of taxpayers with an average income of more than $2 million. (US Senate roll call vote #219, 12/1/11)

4. “I support tax breaks for millionaires…just not middle class or low-income families.”

Three times in 2010 and again in 2012, Scott Brown voted to kill measures that would extend tax cuts for the middle class. Like his vote for payroll tax hikes, Brown used the same rationale to justify his votes to raise taxes on middle and low-income families: those making $250,000 to $1 million or more each year shouldn’t have to pay their fair share like the rest of his Massachusetts constituents. (US Senate roll call votes #258 & #259, 12/4/10; #275, 12/15/10; #184, 7/25/12)

5. “I filibustered tax credits and loans that help small businesses grow and create jobs.”

Despite his claims of supporting job creators, Scott Brown repeatedly filibustered and opposed major legislation that helps small businesses grown and create jobs. Brown twice voted to filibuster the Small Business Jobs & Credit Act – a bill that connected growing small businesses to credit through community banks and offered significant tax credits to small firms that create American jobs. When his filibuster failed, Brown voted again to kill the legislation. The Massachusetts Bankers Association stated that failure to act on the bill “would be a missed opportunity that our struggling economy cannot afford.” (US Senate roll call votes #218 & #221, 7/29/10; #237, 9/14/10)

Per usual, Senator Brown took no questions from constituents or reporters, ducking out a back door immediately following his speech. But anyone who takes issue with Brown’s out-of-step voting record on taxes – or any other issue, for that matter – may contact his office at (617) 565-3170.

Boston – The Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and Bedford VAMC are partnering with the MA Department of Veteran Services and the community to host a benefit and job Expo for those who have served our nation. The Veterans Expo will have many federal, state, and local agencies on hand to explain benefits and programs available to assist Veterans with their transition back into civilian life.

“This event will bring together many government service agencies under one roof to assist our returning service men and women with navigating the often-times confusing benefits process,” said Michael M. Lawson, Director of VA Boston Healthcare System. “These men and women need jobs, support, and answers to their benefit questions; this is just the venue to provide that and much more.”

The Expo will also feature seminars throughout the day on Accessing VA benefits, Life after Deployment, Women Veterans Healthcare, Financial Planning, Communication for Couples, and more.

“Veterans have earned a wealth of benefits from their government and their communities. Ready access to those benefits is an on-going task and the VA Outreach team is there to help our Vets clear a path right through those obstacles,” said David Hencke, Outreach Coordinator for VA Boston Healthcare System. “This Expo is a high-energy, resource packed afternoon for anyone who has ever worn the uniform as well as their families and friends who support them.”

Veterans should bring their resume and proof of military service as there will be many businesses in attendance looking to employ Veterans. In addition, over 40 support agencies will be attending including the Mass. Department of Veteran and Career Services, Veterans Inc., US Department of Health and Human Services, American Consumer Credit Counsel, Army Wounded Warrior Program, Military Family Life Consultants, MA Spiritual Strength Network, Veterans Upward Bound, the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program and many more. For a comprehensive list of businesses and agencies that will be at the Expo visit our web site www.boston.va.gov.

While at the Expo, Veterans will be able to enroll for VA healthcare and meet with representatives from the Veterans Benefits Administration to learn about VA Home Loans, Educational / Post 911 GI Bill Benefits, VA Non-Service Connected Pension Benefits, Service Connected Compensation Benefits from injuries related to military service and Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) Benefits. In addition, Veterans will be able to enroll in eBenefits which is a collaboration between the Department of Defense and VA. Our online eBenefits is a one-stop shop for benefits-related on line tools and information.

The Expo is free and will be held at Bunker Hill Community College, from 1 p.m. – 8 p.m. on June 20th, at the Multi-Purpose Center, Building G, 250 New Rutherford Ave., Boston.

Worcester – Unemployed constituents from the Worcester area sent a loud-and-clear message to US Senator Scott Brown yesterday at Worcester State University: “We won’t be fooled.”

 Dozens of out-of-work residents gathered at the Bay State Jobs Fair to share the junior senator’s multitude of votes against jobs with event attendees. The cast of concerned job-seekers fanned out across the campus, ensuring that area residents knew the truth about Brown’s eight votes to end employment benefits.

They spread the word about Brown’s vote to gut 400,000 jobs for teachers, fire fighters and police officers across the country, as well as his vote to keep 11,000 construction workers in the unemployment line.

And they were sure to point out that Scott Brown did all that while protecting tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas.

 View photos from the Worcester State University action here  

With Scott Brown already stamping out more than two million jobs in less than two years, unemployed constituents promised to carry their public education effort to future job-related events hosted by the senator or his staff.

Boston –The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported today that preliminary November estimates show an increase of 5,000 jobs in Massachusetts, for a total of 3,245,400 jobs. The total unemployment rate was 7.0 percent, down 0.3 of a percentage point from the October rate of 7.3 percent, and well below the national rate of 8.6 percent. It is the lowest monthly rate since December of 2008.

Six of the ten private sectors added jobs in November with gains in Leisure and Hospitality; Trade, Transportation, and Utilities; Education and Health Services; Financial Activities; Professional, Scientific and Business Services; and Other Services. The November job gain follows a revised 11,900 job gain in October originally reported as 10,800.

Year-to-date (December 2010 to November 2011), 51,600 jobs have been added in the Bay State with 56,400 private sector jobs added. Over-the-year (November 2010 to November 2011), jobs are up 55,600, a growth rate of 1.7 percent, with private sector jobs up 59,900, for a growth rate of 2.2 percent. Over-the-year, the national rate of job growth is 1.2 percent with private sector job growth up 1.7 percent.

Employment Overview

Leisure and Hospitality added 4,300 (+1.4%) jobs over-the-month with gains in Accommodation and Food Services and Arts, Entertainment and Recreation. Over-the-year, the sector has added 6,400 (+2.1%) jobs as the Accommodation and Food Services component added 8,300 (+3.2%) jobs.

Trade, Transportation, and Utilities added 3,000 (+0.5%) jobs over-the-month with gains in Retail Trade and Wholesale Trade. Over-the-year, jobs in Trade, Transportation and Utilities are up 9,500 (+1.7%) with Retail Trade adding 6,100 (+1.8%) jobs, Wholesale Trade gaining 2,600 (+2.1%) jobs and Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities adding 800 jobs (+1.0%).

Education and Health Services added 900 (+0.1%) jobs over-the-month as both components recorded gains. Educational Services added 600 (+0.4%) jobs and Health Care and Social Assistance gained 300 (+0.1%) jobs. Over-the-year this sector has added 6,500 (+1.0%) jobs.

Financial Activities jobs were up 700 (+0.3%) over-the-month with a gain in Real Estate, Rental and Leasing. Over-the-year, jobs are up 3,500 (+1.7%) with a 1,200 (+0.7%) job gain in Finance and Insurance and a 2,300 (+5.8%) job gain in Real Estate, Rental and Leasing.

Professional, Scientific and Business Services gained 500 (+0.1%) jobs over-the-month, the sector’s twelfth consecutive monthly gain. Within the sector, both Administrative Services and Waste Services and Management of Companies and Enterprises added jobs. Over-the-year, the sector has added 22,900 (+5.0%) jobs.

Other Services added 400 (+0.3%) jobs over-the month. Over-the-year, jobs are up 4,400 (+3.8%).

Over-the-month, Mining and Logging employment remained unchanged while losing 100 (-8.3%) jobs over-the-year.

Over-the-month, Construction lost 1,400 (-1.3%) jobs. Over-the-year, this sector has added 1,900 (+1.8%) jobs with gains in Specialty Trade Contractors, Construction of Buildings, and Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction.

Manufacturing lost 1,400 (-0.5%) jobs over-the-month with losses in both Durable Goods and Non-Durable Goods. From November 2010 to November 2011, Manufacturing jobs are up 2,800 (+1.1%) with most of the gain in Non-Durable Goods.

Over-the-month, Information jobs were down 200 (-0.2%), but over-the-year, the sector has added 2,100 (+2.5%) jobs.

Over-the-month, Government lost 1,800 (-0.4%) jobs. Local Government lost 1,300 (-0.5%) jobs. Federal Government was down 300 (-0.6%) jobs while State Government lost 200 jobs (-0.2%). Over-the-year, Government jobs were down 4,300 (-1.0%).

Labor Force Overview

The November estimates show 3,251,500 Massachusetts residents were employed and 244,200 were unemployed, for a total labor force of 3,495,700. The labor force increased by 4,700 from 3,491,000 in October, as 13,900 more residents were employed and 9,200 fewer residents were unemployed over-the-month. Since October 2009, there are 83,100 more residents employed and 60,200 fewer residents unemployed as the labor force increased by 22,900. Totals for November may not add exactly due to rounding.

The unemployment rate is based on a monthly sample of households, while the job estimates are derived from a monthly sample survey of employers. As a result, the two statistics for November exhibit different trends.

By Jay Chambers

It’s 6 p.m. on a Tuesday, and I’m being ushered out of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. The Capitol Police have been great throughout the day, but it’s closing time and they’ve asked the hundred-or-so unemployed Massachusetts residents gathered here to call it a day.

Most of us came down by bus – a 9.5 hour drive that I wouldn’t necessarily recommend – to make our voices heard in Washington. We’ve been camping out in church basements, union halls, and tents set up along the National Mall (the downpour last night made the latter a hell of an experience.) And this morning, we marched half our crew of 250 Bay Staters down to the Dirksen building, straight to the office of our US Senator, Scott Brown.

See, Brown ran on a platform of job creation. He promised that jobs would be his top priority if we elected him to the US Senate, and that his policies were just the right recipe to put people back to work. That was almost two years ago, but from the stories my fellow travelers have shared over the last few days, I know a good chunk of them have been unemployed since then – some even longer. And for years now, we’ve all had the same question on our minds: where are the jobs?

Usually, we’d get to ask such a simple question at a town hall or public forum, the kind of event politicians host to give their constituents a chance to interact with the people who represent them – but not Scott Brown. This guy has been dodging us since he took office in February 2010, turning down every single invitation for a public discussion on the issues we elected him to work on.

So we all made the long trek from Massachusetts down to the nation’s capital, to ask Scott Brown face-to-face about the half-dozen jobs bills he’s voted to kill, along with the unemployment benefits most of us stand to lose at the stroke of midnight December 31 (Happy New Year from Scott Brown!)

There was an important vote on the session calendar today, so we knew Brown would be in the house. His staff has even confirmed it. But the man’s not coming out; he’s “unavailable to meet with constituents,” they told us. And so a dozen of us took seats in his office to wait Brown out, with a hundred other unemployed workers camped out in the hallway. Eight hours and two dozen interviews later, we were still holding strong, but Brown never showed face. We didn’t even get a wave hello.

On my way out the door at 6:00pm, I’m now wondering why. Why would an elected leader ignore a personal visit from a hundred of his constituents – the ones who are most in need of his help? The answer came pretty quickly: Scott Brown is a coward.

Brown doesn’t want to face his constituents after voting eight times to end unemployment benefits, especially since he’ll likely do it again by year’s end. He’s afraid of what we’ll say about his votes for tax breaks for the corporations that shipped our jobs overseas. Our senator doesn’t want to answer the tough questions on why he’s cool with raising taxes on the middle class while pushing corporate welfare to the extreme.

No one forgets a coward, though. And those of us who are still struggling to find work certainly won’t forget what happened here today. One way or another, Brown will have to answer for his broken promises.

Jay Chambers is an unemployed ironworker and Boston Occupier from Charlestown.

By William S. Coleman III

It is so good to see the positive, high energy of young adults working throughout the city of Worcester at many summer job locations to making our neighborhoods clean and safe. Thanks to the help and leadership of the city and community leaders we were able to secure $1,723,368 to provide 1,211 summer jobs for our city youth.

It is very important for the city of Worcester to provide summer jobs for city youth, fun activities for families and a place to cool off. The public safety of our community is dependent upon our city being a welcoming place that is safe and secure for all of our residents and visitors.

The city with state aid and the support of the business community and private foundations along with Community Development Block Grant Funding made a positive effort to help our young people develop positive work experiences.

According to Jesse Edwards, City of Worcester, “With state Youth Works funds all the youth are paid $8 per hour. WCAC Coordinates that program and some of the larger employers are the Boys & Girls Club and YouthGrow. UMass’s program Building Brighter Futures with Youth also employs a large number of youth using their own funds all are great programs to highlight.”
As I drove around the city and observed young people doing their summer jobs I had the opportunity to speak with many and they were all grateful to have jobs, make new friends and welcome the opportunity of helping their families with some of their summer earnings. Click to continue »

Boston – The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported this week that the preliminary July job estimates show an increase of 12,700 jobs, for a total of 3,246,800 jobs in Massachusetts. The private sector gained 11,600 jobs. The July total unemployment rate remained at 7.6 percent, well below the national rate of 9.1 percent.

Six of the ten private sectors added jobs in July with the largest over the month gains in Education and Health Services; Other Services; Trade, Transportation and Utilities; Manufacturing; Professional and Business Services; and Financial Activities. The July job gain follows a revised 9,400 job gain in June, previously reported as a 10,400 job gain.

Over-the-year (July 2010 to July 2011), jobs are up 56,800, for a growth rate of 1.8 percent. Private sector jobs are up 61,900, a growth rate of 2.2 percent, with gains in nine of the ten sectors. Year-to-date, (December 2010 to July 2011), 53,000 jobs have been added in the Bay State with 58,200 jobs in the private sector.

Employment Overview

Education and Health Services gained 3,000 jobs (+0.4%) as Health Care and Social Assistance added 2,600 jobs (+0.5%) and Educational Services gained 400 (+0.2%) jobs. Over-the-year, this sector has added 17,300 (+2.6%) jobs with Health Care and Social Assistance gaining 15,000 (+3.0%) jobs and Educational Services 2,300 (+1.4%) jobs.

Other Services added 3,800 (+3.2%) jobs over-the-month. The increases in the sector are the result of seasonal hiring, some of which occurred later than in prior years and at higher levels than the last few years. Since July 2010, jobs in this sector are up 3,100 (+2.6%).

Trade, Transportation, and Utilities gained 2,900 jobs (+0.5%). Of the component industries, Wholesale Trade gained the greatest number of jobs, 1,400 (+1.1%); Transportation and Warehousing gained 1,100 jobs (+1.3%) and Retail Trade gained 400 jobs (+0.1%). Over-the-year, jobs are up 5,300 (+1.0%) with Wholesale Trade gaining back 2,000 (+1.6%) jobs and Retail Trade adding 3,300 (+1.0%) jobs. Click to continue »

By Michael Moore, filmmaker

From time to time, someone under 30 will ask me, “When did this all begin, America’s downward slide?”

They say they’ve heard of a time when working people could raise a family and send the kids to college on just one parent’s income (and that college in states like California and New York was almost free). That anyone who wanted a decent paying job could get one. That people only worked five days a week, eight hours a day, got the whole weekend off and had a paid vacation every summer. That many jobs were union jobs, from baggers at the grocery store to the guy painting your house, and this meant that no matter how “lowly” your job was you had guarantees of a pension, occasional raises, health insurance and someone to stick up for you if you were unfairly treated.

Young people have heard of this mythical time — but it was no myth, it was real. And when they ask, “When did this all end?”, I say, “It ended on this day: August 5, 1981.”

Beginning on this date, 30 years ago, Big Business and the Right Wing decided to “go for it” — to see if they could actually destroy the middle class so that they could become richer themselves.

And they’ve succeeded.

On August 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fired every member of the air traffic controllers union (PATCO) who’d defied his order to return to work and declared their union illegal. They had been on strike for just two days. Click to continue »