In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.
These five things can cover a whole range of subjects and issues that we feel are pertinent to understanding what’s going on in the city and the cities and towns surrounding Worcester.
In today’s edition – Friday, March 25 – Clark University graduate student workers vote to unionize, CENTRO receives $975,000 in federal funding, the Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District launches a new website, MassHire offers a free training class to drive school buses for Worcester Public Schools and a new study ranks Massachusetts the second most innovative state.
Clark University Graduate Workers Vote to Unionize
Graduate workers at Clark University announced on Wednesday they have voted to unionize with the Teamsters Local 170.
Of 107 eligible voters, 100 voted to form the union.
Graduate students working at teaching assistants or research assistants at private universities have been eligible to unionize since a 2016 National Labor Relations Board ruling.
We are THRILLED to announce that @CUGWU_Teamsters have won our union election with 93% (100/107) of the vote!!!
This is a HUGE win & we are so excited to begin the bargaining process with @ClarkUniversity to advocate for comprehensive benefits, fair stipends, & much more. (1/6) pic.twitter.com/OWdVtvpe2W
— ClarkU Graduate Workers United (CUGWU) – Teamsters (@CUGWU_Teamsters) March 23, 2022
CENTRO Receives $975,000 in Federal Funding for Health IT
CENTRO, a Worcester non-profit, will receive $975,000 in federal funding to expand their use of telehealth and health information technology to improve health care access and outcomes for the city’s low-income and disadvantaged communities of color.
U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern announced the funding as CENTRO headquarters in Worcester on Thursday.
The funding will support CENTRO health professionals to operate a state-of-the-art, electronic health record platform that will allow real-time connectivity to and collaboration with acute-care providers that monitor and support home-based patients.
Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District Unveils New Website
The Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District (BID) has unveiled a new website featuring maps of restaurants, retail services, cultural attractions, public art, and historical sites – making it a true one-stop shop for anyone exploring Downtown Worcester.
The BID seeks to establish and sustain a vibrant, welcoming, and economically and culturally viable Downtown Worcester for all. The organization invests in, coordinates, and promotes improvements and activities to attract more people Downtown, generate more business activity, and elevate the overall experience for everyone within the Downtown area.
Free Training to Drive Worcester Public Schools Buses
MassHire opens a free class on March 28 for Worcester residents to train to get a CDL/ school bus learner’s permit for free to drive buses for Worcester Public Schools.
For more information, or if you are an interested non-Worcester resident, contact MassHire at (508) 799-1600 or [email protected].
Massachusetts Ranked 2nd Most Innovative State
A new study ranks Massachusetts the second most innovative state in the country.
The study ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 22 key metrics to ranks each and find the 2022 Most and Least Innovative states.
The key metrics contributing to the Massachusetts ranking:
- 1st – R&D Spending per Capita
- 1st – Venture-Capital Funding per Capita
- 3rd – Eighth-Grade Math & Science Performance
- 4th – Share of STEM Professionals
- 5th – Share of Science & Engineering Graduates Aged 25+
- 6th – Projected STEM-Job Demand by 2028
- 6th – Share of Technology Companies
Those metrics were broken down into two categories, which Massachusetts ranked highly in each:
- 1st – Innovation Environment
- 3rd – Human Capital
New England States are found througout the rankings:
- 2nd – Massachusetts
- 9th – New Hampshire
- 15th – Connecticut
- 24th – Rhode Island
- 25th – Vermont
- 39th – Maine
The top 5 states in the rankings;
- 1st – District of Columbia
- 2nd – Massachusetts
- 3rd – Washington
- 4th – Maryland
- 5th – Colorado
The states ranked least innovated are:
- 47th – Arkansas
- 48th – West Virginia
- 49th – North Dakota
- 50th – Louisiana
- 51st – Mississippi
To see the full results and the methodology behind the rankings, visits WalletHub.com.
