Jobs For Connecticut Now

It wasn’t a silent spring on the energy front; the General Assembly passed the first comprehensive energy bill in 30 years.

“These are things we know we should have been doing,” said state Sen. Gayle Slossberg, a Democrat representing Orange, Milford, and West Haven in the 14th Senate District.

The massive bill, SB 1, aims to jolt Connecticut’s energy policy, lower electricity costs, and push the state to lead in clean technology. It creates a new Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, DEEP. And unlike the 2010 energy bill Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed, this bill will get Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s signature.

“This legislation has multiple benefits for policy makers and for ratepayers – positioning us to bring down the high cost of energy, as well as bolstering job growth and innovation in our renewable energy sector,” said Malloy in a written statement.

However, many of the measures that directly affect consumers won’t go into effect until October.

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Two years ago, the state, national and world economies were in desperate conditions. The future looked gloomy and fear was at a 70-year peak. Some of the pundits, who may have never studied the history business cycles and the power of the Central Bank and fiscal policy, were predicting “the end of the world,” in an economic sense. Thankfully, that did not happen anywhere.

We are on the mend and out economic recovery continues in 2011, although, at a slower pace than desired.

Yes, we went through the worst recession since World War II. However, the economy is growing, business activity and profits are rising, employment is increasing somewhat and consumer and business confidence is up, relative to last year. Even with a few bumps on the road, Connecticut’s economy is set to continue in recovery for the rest of 2011 and beyond. Read More.

Puerto Vallarta, a family-owned Mexican restaurant with locations in Newington, Middletown, Southington and Avon, is opening its fifth location next month in Orange. The grand opening, scheduled for the end of July at 377 Boston Post Road, will feature authentic handmade tortillas, fajitas cooked in a secret family sauce, genuine Mexican ambiance, and numerous food and drink specials.

“When I opened the first Puerto Vallarta in 1991 my goal was to create an environment where the smell, flavor, color and sound embodied the beauty of my hometown of Jalisco, Mexico,” says founder and owner Esaul Rodriguez says. “Now, I am very happy to be bringing traditional Mexican food and an accurate taste of Mexican culture to this new location in Orange and the surrounding communities.”

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The unemployment rate in Easton declined slightly in the month of May, from 6.2 percent to 6.1 percent. Unemployment has also dropped significantly since this time last year.In May 2010, the rate was 7.3 percent., according to the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The state rate also fell in May, from 7.8 percent in April to 7.6 percent last month. This, according to the state, is the lowest rate since February 2009 and substantially under the U.S. rate of 9.1 percent.

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Massachusetts consumers who purchased credit unemployment insurance from Wesco Credit Insurance Co. will be getting premium refunds under a settlement obtained by state officials.

Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office said it has reached a $100,000 settlement with the insurer regarding inflated premiums. This insurance pays for credit card or other types of recurring debts owed by consumers for a set period of time if the consumers lose their jobs.

“As these type of insurance policies become more popular given today’s economy, it is particularly important that companies treat customers fairly and not overcharge them for potentially futile products,” said Coakley. “We appreciate Wesco’s cooperation in this matter, and we will continue to review the conduct of other carriers in this marketplace.”

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It wasn’t a silent spring on the energy front; the General Assembly passed the first comprehensive energy bill in 30 years.

The massive bill, SB 1, which is now SB 1243, aim to jolt Connecticut’s energy policy, lower electricity costs, and push the state to lead in clean technology. It creates a new Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, (DEEP). And unlike the 2010 energy bill Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed, this bill will get Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s signature.

State Sen. Edward Meyer a Democrat representing Madison in the 12^th Senate District and chair of the Environment Committee, co-sponsored the bill because it will create a state energy policy.

“Connecticut has not had a state energy policy and this creates a state energy policy,” he said. “It is directed toward finding cheaper electricity. This is taking dead aim at that cause which has hurt residents and businesses in Connecticut.”

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Connecticut received a C-plus on a report card rating its manufacturing prowess – but an A for the diversity of its manufacturing base, which may have helped the state in the depths of the recession as some niche industries increased employment even as others made cuts.

The report card was issued by researchers at Ball State University, who touched on a range of criteria such as access to quality workers, taxes and the global reach of manufacturers in a given state.

Connecticut was one of just five states to earn an A for the diversification of its manufacturing industries, along with Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi and Washington. Five states received A grades for the overall health of their manufacturing sectors: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Kansas. Michigan and Indiana became poster children for the recession’s impact on manufacturing, as automakers and producers of recreational vehicles cut back production sharply as consumer credit dried up in advance of mass layoffs. Read More.

A survey of companies in the Hartford-Springfield region by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (a.k.a. the glass half-full folks) reveals that half of the larger ones have thought about moving or expanding elsewhere. A quarter of all companies have been approached to move or expand elsewhere. Yikes. Read More.

The fate of thousands of Connecticut state employee jobs and a labor savings-and-concessions deal that’s supposed to balance the $40.1 billion state budget appeared Wednesday to lie in the hands of one Department of Correction union local.

Larry Dorman, a spokesman for AFSCME Council 4, said about 1,850 corrections workers – the last of three corrections locals – are the final AFSCME members who’ve yet to vote on the tentative agreement. The other two already voted down the deal. Read More.

That there’s been a “man-cession” affecting male employment during the tough economy is undeniable.

Job data during the recession show that a disproportionate number of men lost their jobs during the past three years in Massachusetts, due largely to the heavy blow that blue-collar, traditionally male-dominated sectors absorbed as the economy stumbled — hitting manufacturing, construction and financial services hard.

But fresh local and national numbers reveal that employment among guys is gaining ground again, and it is now actually women who are experiencing disproportionate job losses.

Indeed, a “he-covery” seems to be afoot. Read more.