BECOMING A MEMBER OF RAM IS ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS YOU CAN MAKE FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
By joining you gain access to exclusive, money saving discounts on services and programs, legislative updates and advocacy as well as valuable educational opportunities. We aim to help you grow and protect your business, promote the retail industry and save your business money. Click here to JOIN NOW!
RETAIL ADVOCACY
CALL TO ACTION: Replenish Unemployment Trust Fund
RAM members are urged to contact their elected officials and request support for using available federal and state resources to replenish the depleted Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. The recent pandemic resulted in a $7 billion UI deficit, which employers will have to pay off via assessments over the next 20 years.
The deficit was caused by government’s decision to shut down the economy during the pandemic -- not business related decisions made by employers. Massachusetts should take on a shared responsibility in covering these costs by following the more than 30 states that have already used available federal recovery funds to replenish their COVID-depleted UI Trust Funds.
Please ask your elected officials to support the appropriation of $2 billion in available funds for UI to mitigate the enduring economic impact of this unprecedented tax increase.
To learn more about the issue please click here.
As published in the August 2, 2021 Boston Globe by Jon B. Hurst, RAM President
Employers alone can’t foot the $7 billion bill for unemployment insurance
Massachusetts employers were recently handed their revised unemployment insurance tax bills for 2021. These lower bills are the result of new legislation that has been marketed as a fix for the unemployment insurance crisis. It authorizes the state to borrow $7 billion to shore up what would have been an insolvent unemployment insurance fund to pay back federal loans and interest on those loans. For many businesses, their revised tax bills dropped dramatically from what was first sent to them in April. The catch? Employers must pay it back. While the reduction in payments is welcome, employers have been handed an unprecedented tax increase for the $7 billion COVID-19 unemployment tab, which is now being amortized over 20 years rather than just two years.
This is hardly a fair fix. What employers need from Beacon Hill is for government to step up with true shared responsibility by significantly reducing the overall unemployment insurance debt. The Legislature can do this by using a portion of the $5 billion in federal COVID relief funds under its control to make a fair down payment to mitigate the unprecedented tax increase for COVID layoff costs, which were triggered by public policy and government administration as a result of the pandemic.
RAM Annual Meeting and Virtual RAMAE Awards Presentation
November 3, 2021 9:00 - 11:30 am
With special guest, Governor Charlie Baker
Click here to register to attend in person (Board members only), or to join virtually (Board members, Legislative Committee members, & any RAM member.)
For questions about this meeting, contact Andi Shea, RAM Membership Director at [email protected].
RAM Continues to Lead Employer Community Request for State UI Relief
August 18, 2021
Dear Senate President Spilka and Speaker Mariano,
On behalf of our collective memberships and the thousands of employers providing countless job opportunities for workers across the Commonwealth, we respectfully ask that you support the language in Governor Baker’s supplemental budget allocating $1 billion to help replenish the beleaguered Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, while leaving open the potential for additional financial relief through American Rescue Plan aid. We implore you to follow the example set by more than 30 states across the nation that have now used federal dollars to offset unemployment costs for struggling job creators.
Massachusetts is facing an unparalleled UI crisis…
The RAM Health Insurance Cooperative is NOW thriving – and growing – in 2021!
The RAMHIC program offers RAM members:
- A 3% discount off premium rates for small businesses in the small group market (groups of 1-50 employees).
- Access to every small group plan offered by BCBSMA. As well as a two plan option for added flexibility.
- Defined contribution options to address the needs of both your business and your employees.
All BCBSMA small group plans through RAM come with:
- A wellness program with potential employee incentives of up to $300 and an opportunity to earn 7.5% in backend employer incentives.
- A free supplemental hospitalization policy for all subscribers, which covers $750 for a hospital admission and $150 each additional day up to 10 days.
- A free $10,000 life insurance policy for all subscribers.
|
