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!
Help us find our 2023 winners.
The RAMAEs have honored small and large retailers, rookies and veterans, identifying hidden gems from all corners of the state.
Have a favorite restaurant, book shop, food store, or boutique? Show your appreciation and nominate these stores today by clicking here.
All MA retailers and restaurants are eligible, and winners are chosen based on their creativity, enthusiasm, and commitment. RAM membership is not necessary to nominate or to be nominated. We encourage entries from all segments of the retail community and all parts of the state.
There is no limit to the number of businesses you can nominate. There are so many incredible retail stores and restaurants in MA who are deserving of this recognition. So nominate all those you love.
The winners will be celebrated at a luncheon on November 15 in Waltham, and all RAM members are invited to attend!
Tell Congress to Support the “Credit Card Competition Act” – S. 1838, H.R. 3881
The bipartisan “Credit Card Competition Act” (S. 1838/H.R. 3881) was introduced to bring competition to the credit card network routing market. Under the legislation, a credit card would be required to have more than one network option on which to route financial data.
Requiring more than one network would foster competition and security – bringing down the cost of the swipe fees, increasing transparency of terms, and encouraging innovative services and fraud protection. The legislation is an important step in mitigating the hidden swipe fees levied on merchants. These hidden processing fees negatively impact U.S. consumers, artificially driving up the prices they pay for goods and services.
Please join us in urging Congress to support S. 1838/H.R. 3881, the “Credit Card Competition Act!” Reforming the credit card market would foster competition and significantly help Main Street businesses and their customers during these challenging economic times.
Click here to contact Senator Markey and Senator Warren.
MA Pork Regulations & Enforcement Effective Aug. 24
The long-delayed MA Pork Regulations (330 CMR 35.00) are now slated to take effect on August 24, 2023, after a compromise was agreed to and approved in a joint motion in federal court between regulators at the MA Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and other industry groups. The agreement paves the way for the implementation of Question 3 from 2016, Relative to the Housing of Farm Animals, and the resulting MA regulations, specifically as they relate to pork.
Question 3, approved by the voters in 2016, banned the sale of eggs, veal and pork products produced by cage-confined farm animals. The egg and veal portions of the law and regulations took effect last year, while the treatment of pork remained in dispute and tied up in the courts.
One remaining unresolved issue is the treatment of pork products “transshipped” through Massachusetts and on the way for final sale in other states. Enforcement of restrictions on "transshipped" pork meat will not begin for at least six months, while MDAR considers additional regulatory changes on transshipment.
MA retailers and restaurants may no longer sell any whole pork meat derived from animals that were housed in a non-compliant manner. Food products considered “combination products," where pork is just one ingredient, such as hot dogs, are not included.
RAM has requested from MDAR additional compliance information and guidance for retailers and restaurants, who will be reliant on suppliers’ assurances that their products are compliant.
RAM and others remain concerned that by the end of the year MA consumers (and CA) will begin to see price increases and decreasing availability of compliant pork products on store shelves.
Boston Globe OPINION
June 9, 2023
Installing bike and bus lanes requires public debate
The problem isn’t with the concept of bike lanes but, rather, the lack of public conversation or transparency.
By Jon Hurst and Barbara Anthony
The City of Boston is planning to create bus-only lanes on Summer Street in the Seaport starting in June as a part of a pilot program to see if the design can reduce congestion.
DAVID L. RYAN/GLOBE STAFF
They are popping up everywhere. On main streets across the Commonwealth, roads are being redesigned and parking spots and travel lanes are being taken over for bike and bus lanes.
While reducing carbon emissions is a sound goal, achieving this goal without trampling over the rights of residents and small businesses is a real challenge.
Increasingly, we see municipalities install bike and bus lanes with little public debate or notice. Seniors, the disability community, neighborhood associations, or small businesses are not seriously consulted.
Hurst Statement on HPC Cost Growth Benchmark
RAM urged the Health Policy Commission (HPC) to return the state healthcare benchmark back to 3.1%. RAM President Jon Hurst reported on the results of the survey of the Association’s members. The survey returned an average member premium increase of 11.7%, which was the largest member increase since 2017. The member survey also showed 27% were forced to increase employee cost sharing, 20% changed carriers, and 3% dropped coverage. Hurst also noted that medical inflation seems to continue to disproportionately hurt small businesses of 50 or fewer employees (those in the Merged Market), when compared to large employers and government payers. He urged a detailed investigation of why small businesses pay more for less coverage versus large employers, and what has happened to the 400,000 small group lives that have disappeared from the merged market risk pool since 2007.
RAMHIC Offerings for 2023
RAMHIC continues to partner with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to offer members access to the carrier's entire portfolio of high quality, small group health insurance plans.
All members purchasing their health insurance coverage through the cooperative will also receive an expanded list of ancillary benefits, FREE of charge.
Please see our brochure for more detail on the expanded 2023 benefit package. Specific information regarding each benefit may be found below:
For more information please visit the RAMHIC page of our website.
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