Thousands of people filled the streets of Norwood Center last month for Norwood Day. Among the vendors were plenty of Chamber members showing their support for the community. Shown above are Norwood Bank, Accelerated Performance Rehabilitation and Addie's Grocery.

Chamber members showed off their creativity at last months Connections at Work Noon Networking. Tricia White, T. White Creations, led an exercise where members were asked to use lego's to create a model of their business. The results were impressive!

Jeopardy fans may want to join us in November at our next Connections at Work luncheon at Conrad's in Norwood.

Restaurant members of all types and sizes should be aware that investigators from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) will be visiting restaurants across the state throughout the month of October in an effort to educate employers and employees as to their rights and obligations under the state’s Wage & Hour laws. While the specific focus of visits is unknown, the AGO has authority over laws pertaining to minimum wage, overtime, payment of wages, gender pay equity, sick time, meal breaks, child labor laws, temporary worker protections, recordkeeping and more.

The visits have been presented by the AGO as an educational effort, rather than an enforcement action. Investigators are expected to interview management and employees alike, and will make available educational materials for both employers (labor law posters) and employees (worker’s rights notifications in a variety of different languages). Restaurant owners should also be prepared to share with the investigators sample job applications. This is likely intended to provide insight into compliance with the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act, which among other things, prohibits employers from seeking the salary or wage history of any prospective employee before making an offer that includes compensation.

Regardless of the AGO’s stated intent, RAM strongly suggests that all restaurant members visit the AGO’s website to refresh their understanding of applicable laws and guidance materials issued by that office. This should include a review the AGO’s list of Required Massachusetts Workplace Posters to ensure compliance with employee notification and posting requirements. Particular attention should be given to the AGO’s Wage and Hour Poster, which covers most of the state Wage & Hour Laws.

The 5th Annual Massachusetts STEM Week 2022 will take place from October 17th-21st and is organized by the Executive Office of Education and the STEM Advisory Council in partnership with the state’s nine regional STEM Networks. STEM Week is a statewide effort to boost the interest, awareness and ability of all students to see themselves in STEM fields

To strengthen our partnerships with STEM employers in Massachusetts, we would like to invite businesses to join us on Wednesday, October 19th as we celebrate Industry Day. We are engaging with employers who are interested in hosting open houses, shadow days, tours, and Q&A sessions with middle and high school students.

We hope these engaging experiences bridge the gap between education and industry to help students #SeeThemselvesInSTEM.

For more information, please fill out this brief application.

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) is developing the Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2050 that will help the Commonwealth achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions. We invite you to join in a set of public hearings to provide feedback on EEA’s proposals for 2050, including statewide emissions limit, emissions sublimits for specific sectors, goals for natural and working lands, and strategies to achieve these emissions limit, sublimits and goals.

Each public hearing will be virtual and begin with the same presentation, followed by public oral comments. Recordings of the presentation will be posted at www.mass.gov/2050CECP after the hearings. Written feedback on the proposals is accepted at www.mass.gov/2050CECP and gwsa@mass.gov until end of day October 21, 2022.

As you know, the Chamber has implemented a 401(k) program to bring Chamber businesses and their employees a full suite of retirement plan solutions that save time and money. Businesses of all sizes are eligible.

To learn more about the program click here.