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!
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Healey Administration Agrees to UI Deal to Resolve $2.5B Mistake:
Employers Will Pay
The looming $2.5 billion UI liability question that had been hanging over employers’ heads for over 18 months has been answered, with news in January of a deal between the state and the federal government. Under the recent agreement negotiated by the Healey Administration, employers will be required to pay back $2.1 billion over the next decade, to correct an error made during the Baker Administration when federal funds were incorrectly spent. The agreement was signed on one of the last days of the Biden administration. RAM reacted:
“It’s discouraging we have to pay for this,” RAM President Jon Hurst said of the latest settlement. “The fact that we have what is frankly a collapsing system even without this additional $2.1 billion, and adding to the fact we’re still paying the $2.7 billion from the prior administration, and now this, all for claims [related to pandemic-era mandatory shutdowns] that were really the government’s fault, not the employers’ fault, it’s a tough thing, it’s very costly.” On the plus side, Hurst said he’s hopeful “that it appears there’s some willingness to talk about reforming the system. . . . Maybe this will be a tradeoff that employers will see as worthwhile.”
RAM will continue to advocate for the state to cover some of the costs associated with this mistake and will continue to push for meaningful UI reforms this legislative session.
RAM IN THE NEWS:
Boston Globe Op-Eds:
Small Business Summit
Wednesday, June 18 at the State House
Help turn the tide against those trying to make it harder for you to run your small business!
Join RAM and fellow small business owners from across the Commonwealth for the Massachusetts Small Business Summit!
Every week, advocates storm the Massachusetts State House, pushing lawmakers to support higher labor costs, higher energy costs, and higher healthcare costs. Now, it's your turn. Please save the date to help turn the tide against those trying to make it harder for you to run your small business.
We ask that you participate in a day to raise the small business banner in Boston and fight to make Massachusetts more competitive and affordable for employers!
RSVP TODAY!
JOIN US IN PERSON
Learn about RAM's 401K Plan for Members
Join Citizens Bank and the Boston Main Streets Foundation for Beyond the Bottom Line—a focused morning on 401(k) and succession planning for small businesses. Hear expert insights from the Retailers Association of MA, TransAmerica, and Commonwealth Financial Group, plus enjoy networking over breakfast and lunch.
Space is limited - RSVP today!
Tuesday, May 13th, 2025
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
The Craft Food Hall | 1234 Soldiers Field Road, Brighton, MA 02135
RAMHIC Offerings for 2025
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.
Click image above to view a BCBS produced informational video on the power of the RAM/BCBS Cooperative.
Please see our brochure for more detail on the expanded benefit package. Specific information regarding each benefit may be found below:
For more information please visit the RAMHIC page of our website.
We are excited to announce we have enhanced our Multiple Employer 401k (MEP) program. Available only to our members, we have a new partner, Transamerica Retirement Services. Transamerica is an industry leader in retirement plan marketplace and an expert in Multiple Employer 401k Retirement Plans.
In addition to Transamerica, you also have professional fiduciary investment management provided by Atlas Fiduciary Services, Inc., and outsourced fiduciary plan administration through Atlas Pension Administrators Inc. All of this and you can work with an advisor of your choice.
Adopting members will experience:
- Fewer plan administration duties
- Reduced fiduciary liability
- Streamlined costs.
- Flexible plan design
- Online account management
- Employee education and communication support
Now has never been a better time to set up a new 401k plan for your business! The federal government has tremendous tax credits for newly established plan, virtually making the prospects of offering a plan free.
If you already have a plan, a quick evaluation can help determine what your saving might be under our MEP 401k plan with our complementary benchmark analysis.
Massachusetts Child Labor Law Reminder
With the summer season fast approaching, thousands of summer jobs are set to be filled by our youth as the Commonwealth’s school year comes to an end. Retailers are reminded of the state’s child labor laws enforced by the Office of Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
For a complete list of restrictions contained in the law please visit the Attorney General’s website.
Gov. Healey Files $62B FY26 State Budget Plan:
Proposes Sales Tax on Candy, New Synthetic Nicotine Tax
In January, Gov. Maura Healey released her FY26 State Budget Recommendation, which proposes to spend more than $62 billion in the upcoming fiscal year that begins on July 1, a spending increase of 7.4% over the bottom line of the FY25 budget she signed into law in July. As she did last year, the Governor again this budget cycle is seeking to pair her plan with a separate municipal tax package that would allow cities and towns to increase local option taxes on room occupancy, auto excise, and meals. Gov. Healey also filed a supplemental spending bill, H.51, making appropriations in the current fiscal year, FY25, utilizing excess surtax, or “Millionaire’s Tax,” revenue left unspent from FY23 and FY24. The $1.32 billion supp divides the spending between $858 million for transportation needs and $462 million towards education items. Click here to view a few specific tax policy changes of interest to RAM members.
UPDATE: Treasury Suspends Enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act
The United States Treasury Department has announced that it will not enforce the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting rule of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) which required businesses of all sizes to disclose specific and sensitive information about individuals with ownership interest in the company. Under the announcement, small businesses that do not file required BOI reports by the March 21st deadline will not be subject to fines or penalties. Despite this decision by the Treasury, efforts to fully repeal the CTA are ongoing.
MA Attorney General Campbell
Finalizes “Junk Fee” Regulations
MA AG Andrea Campbell recently released final “junk fee” regulations that will take effect on September 2, 2025. The AG’s Office described the regulations as requiring businesses to be more upfront about fees, enable easier cancellation of trial offers and subscriptions, and to prevent unnecessary charges.
The regulations can be found here. A summary of the regulations can be found on the AG’s website here.
All members are encouraged to review the regulations and related summary documents to ensure future compliance.
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