BUSINESS BRIEFS: Labor Market, Maine Wind, Plastic Ban, Eco-Waters, Dogtopia

SPONSOR OF Business Briefs in the Franklin Observer

The chamber serves the communities of Bellingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Medway, Milford, Mendon, Millis, and Upton. More information is available at https://www.tricountychamberma.org

Local Labor Market Steady

The state’s May total unemployment rate was 3.0 percent, a 0.1 percentage point increase from the revised April estimate of 2.9 percent, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced Friday. The Massachusetts unemployment rate was 1.0 percentage points lower than the national rate of 4.0 percent reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Over-the-year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was down by 0.3 percentage points. The labor force increased by an estimated 13,600 from the revised estimate of 3,768,100 in April, with 7,500 residents more employed and 6,000 more residents unemployed over-the-month. The state’s labor force participation rate – the total number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks – increased 0.2 percentage points over-the-month, to 65.3 percent. Compared to May 2023, the labor force participation rate also increased 0.2 percentage points over-the-year. The BLS preliminary job estimates indicate Massachusetts gained 4,200 jobs in May. This follows April’s revised loss of 3,800 jobs. The largest over-the-month private sector job gains were in Leisure and Hospitality, Education and Health Services, and Construction. Employment now stands at 3,733,900. Massachusetts gained 670,400 jobs since the employment low in April 2020.

Comment Period on Gulf of Maine Wind

In support of the Biden-Harris administration’s goals for deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of onshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15 GW of foating off shore wind energy capacity by 2035, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced the availability of its draft Environmental Assessment (EA) of the Wind Energy Area (WEA) located in the U.S. Gulf of Maine. The draft EA analyzes the potential issuance of commercial wind energy leases offshore Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The draft EA considers the potential environmental impacts associated with activities such as surveys and installation of meteorological buoys, but not installation of offshore turbines, which would be covered by a separate environmental review if a project proposal issubmitted by a leaseholder. “As we move forward with our renewable energy process to consider proposed offshore wind activities in the Gulf of Maine, BOEM will continue to engage with Tribes, other governmental agencies, ocean users, local communities and others,” future offshore wind development is done in a way that avoids or minimizes potential impacts on other ocean activities and the marine environment.”

Plastics Ban Wins in Senate

Last week the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation that builds on the state’s climate and environmental leadership by banning single-use plastic bags, making straws and plasticware available by request only, and making it easier to recycle. The legislation passed by a vote of 38-2. “In Massachusetts, we take pride in being a leader when it comes to protecting our environment and people’s health, and this bill continues that leadership” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “Limiting our plastics use means less trash in our water ways and on our streets, and giving our kids the green, clean planet they deserve to inherit. This is a crucial part of achieving the Commonwealth’s climate goals, and I want to thank Senator Rausch for her leadership, Chair Rodrigues, our members, and every advocate who has spoken up on this issue, for their hard work.”

And Mass. Retailers Respond

Our members wholeheartedly support the goal of reducing the amount of plastic and paper bags we are using today. Retailers exist to serve their customers by providing quality service and consumer choice at a good value. The customer is always right. Those same tenets of quality service and choice should be applied to the issue of checkout bags. Many retailers now provide their customers with a choice at checkout of what type of bag – if any – they wish to use to carry their purchased items. Paper, plastic or reusable bags may be found in stores, and depending on the items purchased, the customer is generally the one who makes that decision. Retailers sell reusable bags and many also now provide the opportunity to recycle plastic bags on site. There are benefits to different types of bags, including plastic bags. However, given that there are now more than 150 local plastic bag ban/fee ordinances in effect across the Commonwealth, we recognize that it is time for a uniform state standard.

Ecofriendly Waters

Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) recently announced that more than 40 products within its liquid chromatography (LC) chemistry portfolio have obtained Accountability, Consistency, and Transparency (ACT) Ecolabels from My Green Lab, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a global culture of sustainability in science. For more than 50 years, Waters has built a world-class reputation as a single-source manufacturer of LC column chemistries, with expertise in stationary phase synthesis, column hardware fabrication, and column packing.

Dogtopia Ribbon Cutting

Join the Tri-County Chamber of Commerce in welcoming Dogtopia to the Chamber family at their Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in Franklin Village! 🎉✂️

Dogtopia offers high quality dog daycare and boarding, with a focus on loving attention and outstanding customer service. Stop by to check out their new location. 🐶🐾

Don’t miss out on this pawsome opportunity!