Tagged: jobs

According to state officials in Massachusetts, the unemployment rose to 6.7% in December, and for the Berkshires, the unemployment rate is now above the state average.

Although the numbers released by the State Executive Office of Labor and Workforce development are not seasonally adjusted, the Berkshires now face an unemployment rate at 6.6% That’s up half a percentage point from October and November, and the highest it’s been since February 2012.

Massachusetts has once again been recognized as the number one state in the US for its “New Economy.” WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…

  Advocates for a higher minimum wage in New York plan to rally Monday at the state Capitol, where they say lawmakers also want a pay hike.

Members of the coalition, following a Thanksgiving week press conference on hunger at a nearby Albany church, say the rally will be held in an adjacent park, followed by a prayer vigil.

The group includes the Hunger Action Network of New York State, FOCUS Churches of Albany and Capital District Area Labor Federation.

Supervalu is cutting 700 positions at grocery stores at a subsidiary in New England, two weeks after it posted a loss for the second quarter and said it was considering selling the company.

The company says the job cuts will take place at 169 Shaw's and Star Market stores. Shaw's, with about 17,000 staffers, is one of the oldest supermarkets in the U.S., dating back to the 1860s.

Supervalu, based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, fired its CEO in July after closing stores and suspending its dividend.

A large employer in Berkshire County has recently announced they are expanding and planning to bring more jobs to the area, with an agreement to purchase a stationery company based in Southern Maine. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…