What employers still need to know about Biden's big announcement
Nice to be back in your inbox. It’s amazing how much news I missed during a short work week.
Of course, the biggest thing that happened for employers last week was President Joe Biden’s announced new vaccine rules for workers at companies with 100 or more employees, among others.
Generally speaking, Republicans hate the idea while businesses embraced it, largely because it relieved employers for having to impose their own rules and vaccinations are good for the economy.
But let's pause there to clarify one thing: Contrary to the headlines and hysteria, Biden didn’t actually impose a "vaccine mandate."
A calmer way to describe it is: Biden is requiring all large employers to test any employee who is not vaccinated weekly.
It’s really a testing mandate, with an opt-out for anyone who is vaccinated.
Still, employers have questions. Many questions. They’re anxiously waiting for OSHA to provide specifics for rules that could accompany fines on employers up to $14,000 per violation.
They need to know what kind of documentation and record keeping they should require to verify vaccines. They need to know how booster shots will factor in.
What about workers who choose weekly testing? Who pays for it? The employer? The employee who opts not to get vaccinated? Insurance? The feds?
Also: Is there even enough testing supply to meet a substantially increased demand? Perhaps not. Will pool testing qualify?
And if an employer has a vaccine mandate in place now, or was just about to unveil one, do they wait to see if their rules conform to OSHA?
Riverside finally cleared for life sciences addition
Newton finally jumped into real estate’s hottest trend last week, when the Newton City Council finally approved, 23-0, to proposed changes to Mark Development’s Riverside Station project.
Have I used the word "finally" enough?
The proposal to replace a hotel and office space with two life sciences buildings (in partnership with Alexandria Real Estate Equities) at Riverside Station has been slogging through hearings since at least February.
This transformative project also includes 550 residential units; 1.2 acres of public open space; financing for a new exit ramp off I-95 northbound; plus about $10 million to the city in mitigation funds, including $3 million to upgrade the Riverside Charles River trail network.
Swapping the hotel and some office space with life sciences buildings is projected to bring upwards of $850,000 annually in added property tax revenue to Newton, as well as an estimated 36% reduction in traffic, both compared to the previous plan.
Mark Development has also agreed to increase in the number of affordable housing units at the site from 102 to 111 units.
Finally.
Needham, Wellesley yet to adopt CDC mask mandate
The CDC is recommending that everyone in Norfolk County wear a mask in public, indoor settings.
But so far Wellesley only has imposed an indoor mask "advisory." Needham has yet to even take that step.
Wellesley’s indoor mask advisory was announced last week. It urges people ages 5 and up to wear a mask when indoors in public settings.
Masks are mandated inside public spaces in Newton (still no story in the Tab) and Watertown. Both are in Middlesex County and also fall into to the CDC's high risk rankings.
Coming and returning
- A new coffee shop, O'Some Café has opened at 100 Main St. in Watertown.
- After closing its 32 Church Street doors in July, Lyn Evans will reopen this month at 87 Central St. (the former home of Wildflower), according to the Swellesley Report, which also reports that Pure Glow, the organic spray tanning business that shuttered its Church Square spot in February is reopening this week.
- Quebrada Baking Company, with locations in Belmont, Arlington and Wellesley, will open its fourth location in Watertown – at the site of a former gas station at 281 Orchard Street – this fall. Watertown Tab has more.
Chamber joins call for UI help
Our chamber joined close to 30 other business associations statewide last week calling on Beacon Hill to use American Rescue Plan funds to provided additional unemployment insurance relief.
Gov. Charlie Baker has proposed spending $1 billion from the state's surplus tax collections on UI relief. But that's not nearly enough to offset the $7 billion pandemic-created cost increases that will be tacked onto employers’ UI bills for the next two decades.
"If no relief money is committed for the UI Trust Fund, businesses in every corner of the Commonwealth will face UI tax increases with payments amortized over a 20-year span," the letter states.
“Budding entrepreneurs sitting in a Massachusetts classroom dreaming of one day owning their own business will unreasonably be saddled with this debt."
"Businesses that hobbled through the pandemic and are still in the process of recovering will find higher UI taxes as a barrier to job creation and economic expansion."
"Firms looking to relocate to the Commonwealth will instead look to more favorable tax settings once they learn Massachusetts is not only ranked 50th worst in the nation for UI taxes, but also requiring businesses bear the entire UI cost burden of the pandemic without any financial relief from the state.”
Some hope something might happen
House and Senate leaders offered some hope yesterday that calls for UI help or other ARPA funded support efforts might be considered before Thanksgiving, reports Katie Lannan at State House News.
"It would be my hope that we would agree where the money was going to be spent before Thanksgiving," House Speaker Ronald Mariano said after meeting with Gov. Charlie Baker and Senate President Karen Spilka.
Legislative rules set Nov. 17 as the last day of formal lawmaking sessions until 2022. So, if tradition holds, they won't decide anything until 11:55 p.m. that evening.
Baker filed a bill in June to spend $2.9 billion of the ARPA money on what he identified as urgent priorities, including housing, infrastructure and workforce training.
Other need to knows
- A reminder that polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. today for Newton’s preliminary election. Today’s election will narrow the field from three to two candidates for mayor.
- The state's Workforce Training Fund Program will host an info session Friday (Sept. 17) at 10 a.m. to discuss training grant programs for current and newly hired employees. This grant opportunity is available to businesses of all sizes.
- Commuters in Watertown can now use the new WATCconnector shuttle bus to get to and from Watertown Square and Harvard Square during the morning and afternoon commutes. Details.
RIP George Wein
The arts world lost a giant yesterday.
George Wein, 95, an impresario of 20th century music who helped found the Newport Jazz and Folk festivals passed yesterday.
Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Lester Young, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash and so many others graced his events.
We get to to mention him here because he was a Newton kid.
Read the Globe obit here and the AP story here.
And that’s today’s need to knows, unless you need to know why it would be a very bad idea to have a drinking game based on every time you spot an Apple product on "Ted Lasso."
See you tomorrow! (Go vote Newton)
Greg Reibman (he, him, his)
President & CEO
617.244.1688
