HARTFORD—The signs of Connecticut’s largest paper still linger around downtown side streets within view of the State Capitol. The name is everywhere. Lights flash on idled shipping docks. Signs denote parking for Hartford Courant employees though nobody from the paper works at the Broad Street
NORTHAMPTON—On a sun-blasted afternoon in July, a mix of celebration and mourning was afoot outside the Daily Hampshire Gazette’s building. Decked out in union red shirts, staffers demonstrated in support of their imminently unemployed colleagues. The paper was closing its press, idling 29 workers, and
UPDATED 7:49PM: To include comment from the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. United States Representative Richard Neal received another key nod last week when Speaker Nancy Pelosi tapped him to lead House Democrats’ trade working group. On its face, the appointment was not surprising. The committee Neal chairs,
SPRINGFIELD—On December 3, 1990, amid disputes over the bargaining process, a grim City Council voted 8-0 to approve a contract awarded after “interest arbitration” that ended city cops’ obligation to live in Springfield. The move effectively killed what was left of the residency ordinance as
This post is part of It’s Working, an occasional series on labor and employment issues. SPRINGFIELD—The horn of a Magic Hat brewing truck roared as it thundered through an older part of downtown. Another brief blast sounded as the truck looped around Chestnut Street and
UPDATED 1/14/16 10:40AM: To reflect an update in endorsements and to reflect a correction. Candidate James Gill is running as an independent, not, as previously reported, as a Democrat. With the slow gel of Democratic primary for Hampden County Sheriff is finally starting to firm
SPRINGFIELD—Despite the best efforts of the its finest inertia, the City Council finally agreed to dip its toe into social media while tackling a budget that was more complex than it appeared. A slew of financial measures ahead of the new fiscal year and a
SPRINGFIELD—In a victory for organized labor, the City Council unanimously approved an arbitration award, securing a contract between the city and it’s the International Brother Hood of Police Officers, Local 364 through July 2016. Despite fears that the mayor’s office was maneuvering to kill the
Beacon Hill (WMassP&I) Yesterday, the Massachusetts House of Representatives effectively voted to give cities and towns the unilateral right to set deductibles and co-pays for their employees health insurance. Additionally, communities would no longer required to seek public employee approval to transfer insurance to the
WI State Capitol (wikipedia) The stalemate in Wisconsin is entering its third week and the second with little or no change since Democrats in that state’s senate took refuge in Illinois beyond the grasp of the State Police. The entire ordeal has led both sides