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Boston's Morning Newsletter
There's a snow plow shortage in Massachusetts. Here's how one town is sweetening the deal for drivers
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Congrats to everyone who made it through that dreary — in more ways than one — Patriots game. Today will at least be a little sunnier. While we eye the chances of some snow later this week, here is what’s ahead today.
Plowing ahead: With winter — and a possible “Snowmageddon” — on the way, some communities in Massachusetts are getting creative in the face of the perennial snowplow driver shortage. While many have increased the hourly pay for drivers, Arlington is going a bit further, offering a base of $3,500 to plow drivers who commit to work for the town this winter — regardless of whether or not it even snows.
- Why? The guaranteed minimum earning incentive is designed to address the rising upfront costs that many plow drivers face — from special commercial insurance to equipment to vehicle repairs. Arlington Town Manager Jim Feeney told WBUR’s Samantha Coetzee they’ve seen a decline in plow contractor interest, due to those costs and the region’s relatively snowless winters of late. “It’s not necessarily as lucrative or even worth it sometimes for folks to sign up to be plow truck drivers,” he said.
- The big picture: Those factors have compounded what is already a generally tight labor market for truck drivers, according to Feeney. MassLive reported last month that Springfield is offering drivers a $750 “performance bonus,” while other cities across the state are offering hourly rates ranging from $100 to $260. MassDOT has also increased its base rates for drivers.
Supp?: Democratic leaders in the State House will try (again) to pass a supplemental budget in informal sessions today, after House Republicans blocked the bill three times late last week. The $2.8 billion spending deal includes extra funding for the state’s strained emergency shelter system and raises for unionized state workers. Despite their massive majority in both chambers, Democrats failed to reach a compromise on shelter funding before the formal legislative session ended last month — meaning any single lawmaker can voice an objection and block legislation during informal sessions.
- Republicans are using that power, arguing the shelter system funding should be addressed in a formal session. “The migrant shelter crisis is unsustainable, and we need systematic reforms,” MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale told WCVB on Sunday. “So, I really applaud our Republican leadership in the House and Senate for standing up to this broken process to demand accountability.”
- Meanwhile, Democrats are blaming the small GOP minority for holding up the bill ahead of the holiday season — particularly the raises for state workers. “People who were set up to buy a home have to delay and have to stop the process, because they can’t afford it until these raises come through,” Dave Foley, president of the local Service Employees International Union chapter, told WBUR’s Irina Matchavariani.
- Listen: Amid the stalemate on Beacon Hill, WBUR’s Gabrielle Emanuel has the latest on the shelter system situation here.
Getting back on track: Green Line trolleys are slated to return to the tunnels this Wednesday. But first, the MBTA is expanding the downtown service suspension today and tomorrow from North Station out to Lechmere. Shuttle buses will replace service along the brief stretch, as the sprawling, nine-day diversion wraps up.
- Remember: Even when downtown service resumes Wednesday, the Green Line will still be suspended between North Station and Government Center until Dec. 16, due to demolition work on the Government Center Garage. The Green Line Extension will also continue to close early at 8:45 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 10.
- Shuttles are also replacing some trains on the Haverhill commuter rail today and tomorrow between Haverhill and Andover due to work on a condemned pedestrian bridge in Lawrence.
On the docket: Massachusetts’ top court will hear a challenge today to the state’s ban on carrying switchblades. While the ban has been in place for decades, a petition argues it is unconstitutional in the wake of a 2018 ruling overturning the state’s ban on stun guns. It also comes amid the Supreme Court’s more conservative recent interpretations of the Second Amendment.
- Go deeper: As CommonWealth Beacon recently reported, the case stems from a Boston man’s arrest in 2020 for carrying a switchblade, but never using or threatening anyone with it.
P.S.— The first episode of HBO’s new docuseries on the infamous Charles Stuart murder and how its fallout was felt across Boston airs tonight. Watch the trailer and read critic Erin Trahan’s review of what the three-part documentary does — and doesn’t — do well.
