UNEMPLOYMENT HAS SURGED AS NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES REMAIN
SHUT DOWN. CAROLEE MCGRATH SPOKE TO RICK
SULLIVAN, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE WESTERN MASS DEVELOPMENT
COUNCIL TO LEARN THE LATEST ABOUT THE LOCAL IMPACT.
>> I THINK GOVERNOR BAKER HAS DONE A NICE JOB OF DOING IT
FOLLOWING THE ADVICE OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, AND IT IS
NOT SOMETHING I THINK YOU CAN JUST FLIP A SWITCH AND OPEN
EVERYTHING BACK UP. SO I'M NOT SURPRISED WE'RE
SITTING HERE TODAY AND HAVING THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
IN FACT, I'M ON A CALL TOMORROW WITH A NUMBER OF THE OTHER
CHAMBERS IN TERMS OF ADVISING THE GOVERNOR'S REOPENING
COMMITTEE ON SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT THE LOCAL BUSINESSES HERE
SEE IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY HAVE TO OVER COME TO REOPEN.
>> WHY DON'T YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THOSE ISSUES THAT YOU'RE
HEARING FROM THOSE MEMBERS. >> IT KIND OF RUNS THE GAMUT.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, ALL OF THE COMPANIES ARE UNDERSTANDING AND
REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TO WE
DO IT CORRECTLY AND FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF THE MEDICAL
PROFESSIONALS. I THINK YOU WILL SEE A PHASED
OPENING, NO ONE IS LOOKING TO RUSH TO OPEN.
I THINK YOU'VE SEEN SOME SECONDS WHERE, PERHAPS THERE COULD BE
SOME FASTER PHASING THAN OTHERS. PEOPLE CERTAINLY HAVE TALKED
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, GOLF COURSES AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE
TYPES OF VENUES. THEY'VE ALSO RELAXED A BIT THE
RETAIL DELIVERY FOR FLOWERS, CERTAINLY COMING INTO MOTHER'S
DAY. THEY WORKED IT OUT IN THE FOOD
INDUSTRY, SO CERTAINLY OTHER ITEMS SUCH AS FLOWERS COULD BE
DELIVERED, AS WELL, SO IT WAS GOOD TO SEE THAT THAT MOVED
FORWARD. TOO, CONCERNS ABOUT SOME OF THE
PPE REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF HOW FAST THE GOVERNMENT IS
EXPECTING, YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMY TO RAMP UP SO STAFFING AGENCIES
AND SOME MANUFACTURERS ARE VERY CONCERNED THAT, YOU KNOW, IT IS
NOT GOING TO RAMP UP AS QUICKLY AS THE GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS
ARE SO THAT THAT PPP IS IN FACT, A GRANT AND NOT A LOAN.
SOME OF THE COMPANIES AND STAFFING AGENCIES ARE CERTAINLY
LOOKING FOR SOME RELIEF, WHICH I THINK IS REASONABLE BECAUSE THAT
IS THE WAY IT IS GOING TO OPEN UP IN PHASES, SO IN ORDER TO BE
COMPLIANT, I DO THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME MORE TIME.
AND THEN, SOME THINGS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, EVERY DAY, YOU KNOW,
BUSINESS AND LIFE ISSUES, SUCH AS CHILDCARE.
ANDS, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO OPEN UP SOME OF THE CHILDCARE
FOR SOME NON-S EMERGENCY FRONT LINE WORKERS, WHICH ARE
CURRENTLY OPEN, THERE IS DESIGNATED PLACES FOR FIRST-LINE
FAMILIES. SOME INDIVIDUALS GOING BACK TO
WORK ARE GOING TO NEED THE DAYCARE, SOME ISSUES LIKE
TRANSPORTATION AND THOSE ISSUES ARE REALLY WHAT HAS COME UP.
>> DO YOU THINK SOME OF THESE BUSINESSES WILL CONTINUE TO
MODIFY AND TRY TO DO MORE OF THAT WORK ONLINE OR REMOTELY?
>> WELL, I DO THINK THAT THAT IS ACTUALLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS, BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE
OF THE THINGS THAT HAS COME OUT OF THIS IS THERE ARE MANY, MANY
INDIVIDUALS AND MANY PARTS OF A COMPANY OR A BUSINESS THAT CAN
EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY WORK FROM HOME AND BE VERY
PRODUCTIVE, WHETHER IT IS AT THEIR HOMES OR TELECOMMUTING OR
BACK OFFICE THAT IS LESS EXPENALTYSIVE AND LESS CROWDED
HERE IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS THAN IT WOULD BE, SAY, IN THE
EASTERN PART OF THE STATE. SO I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE
MANY MEMBERS THAT ARE BANKS AND CERTAINLY MOBILE BANKING AND,
YOU KNOW, OTHER TYPES OF TELECOMMUTING, WORKING FROM HOME
OPTIONS FOR SOME OF THEIR BACK OFFERS, HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, VERY
PRODUCTIVE FOR THEM SO YOU WILL LOOK TO SEE THAT CONTINUE, I
THINK, AS WELL. BUT, I ACTUALLY THINK THAT DOES,
AS I SAID, BECOME AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS. >> CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE AREAS AND THE SECONDS THAT HAVE BEEN HARDEST HIT.
I WOULD ASSUME HOSPITALITY, RETAIL AMONG THEM.
>> SURE. THEY'RE CERTAINLY AT THE TOP OF
THE LIST. YOU YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY ANY KIND
OF TOURIST, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THE CASINOS, FOR INSTANCE, THEY
OBVIOUSLY HAVE LOST A NUMBER OF MONTHS HERE, AND IT IS GOING TO
LOOK VERY DIFFERENT WHEN THEY ARE ALLOWED TO START TO OPEN UP,
AND IT IS GOING TO BE IN STAGES. CERTAINLY, THE SMALLER
RESTAURANTS, THEY'VE TRIED TO BE ABLE TO DO DELIVERY AND TAKEOUT,
BUT THEY'RE MISSING OTHER PARTS OF THEIRS BUSINESS MODEL.
THEY CERTAINLY DON'T HAVE AS MAYBE PEOPLE EATING AT THE
RESTAURANT. THEY LOSE A LARGE PART OF THEIR
BEVERAGE SERVICE, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THEIR CASUAL
FLOWS AND BUSINESS MODELS. SO THEY'VE ABSOLUTELY BEEN HIT,
BUT EVEN OTHER SMALL MAIN STREET TYPE COMPANIES THAT ARE, YOU
KNOW, BOUTIQUE OR, YOU KNOW, SELLING PRODUCTS THAT WERE
LISTED AS, YOU KNOW, NOT BEING ESSENTIAL.
AND THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO BE DOING, YOU
KNOW, TAKEOUT OR HOME DELIVERY IN MANY CASES.
SO THOSE VERY SMALL COMPANIES, THE BUSINESSES, THE MOM AND THE
POPS, THOSE HAVE ABSOLUTELY BEEN HIT VERY HARD SHAW TALKED A
LITTLE HARD. >> YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
ESSENTIAL, THE PROTESTS AROUND THE COUNTRY AND EVEN IN BOSTON,
RECENTLY, SAYING LISTEN, WE UNDERSTAND FRONT LINE WORKERS
AND CERTAINLY RESPECT THAT, BUT MY JOB IS ESSENTIAL, TOO,
BECAUSE I'M THE BREAD WINNER OR I HAVE TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE.
HOW ARE YOU HELPING PEOPLE THROUGH THIS VERY DIFFICULT
TIME. WE HAVE MORE THAN 700,000
UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS SINCE MID MARCH.
>> WE HAVE BEEN A RESOURCE FOR COMPANIES, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF
THE UNEMPLOYMENT ISSUES. CERTAINLY PPP, ESSENTIAL
BUSINESSES. WE DID WORK WITH A NUMBER OF
COMPANIES, YOU KNOW, GETTING THEM LISTED AS ESSENTIAL SO THAT
THEY COULD BE UP AND RUNNING TO PROVIDE THOSE JOBS.
BECAUSE THAT IS CERTAINLY AN ISSUE WHEN YOU'VE BEEN TEAMED A
NON-ESSENTIAL WORKER, AND UNEMPLOYMENT.
I KNOW THE GOVERNMENT UPPED THE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS TO TRY TO
GET PEOPLE THROUGH THAT TIME, BUT THERE IS CERTAINLY AN
UNDERSTANDING OF THE FACT THAT PEOPLE DO NEED TO BE GOING BACK
TO WORK, IT NEEDS TO BE DONE SMARTLY, AND YOU KNOW, I DO
THINK, WHILE YOU'RE SEEING THE PROTESTS SPRING UP, I DO THINK
THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DO HAVE TO BE MORE THAN JUST SAY THEY'RE
RESPECTFUL OF THE PEOPLE SERVING THE FRONT LINES, PARTICULARLY
THE MEDICAL PERSONNEL, AND PEOPLE DO NEED TO BE FOLLOWING
THE RULES AND THE REGULATIONS AND THE QUARANTINE REQUIREMENTS
AND CERTAINLY THE SOCIAL DISTANCING BECAUSE, OTHERWISE,
YOU'RE JUST MAKING THEIR JOB THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT.
YOU'RE INCREASING THE DEMAND AT THE HOSPITALS AND FRONT LINE
HEALTH CARE WORKERS. I DO UNDERSTAND THAT
FRUSTRATION, BUT, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE TO TREAT OUR
FRONT LINE PARTICULARLY OUR MEDICAL AND FIRST RESPONDING
INDIVIDUALS WITH THE RESPECT THAT THEY REALLY DESERVE.
THEY'VE DONE A HEROES JOB HERE. >> HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT WILL
TAKE US TO COME BACK? I KNOW THERE HAD BEEN SOME HOPE
OF PENT-UP DEMAND BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WILL ROLL OUT SLOWLY.
>> I DON'T THINK IT IS GOING TO BE TOMORROW OR NEXT WEEK OR EVEN
NEXT MONTH. I THINK IT IS GOING TO BE A SLOW
ROLL OUT. I DON'T EXPECT THE COMMITTEE IS
GOING TO HAVE AN IMMEDIATE UPWARD TRAJECTORY AND GO BACK TO
THE WAY THINGS WERE IN JANUARY, SO I DO THINK IT IS GOING TO BE
SLOWER THAN THAT. THERE IS CERTAINLY A LOT OF PAIN
FOR A LOT OF COMPANIES, BECAUSE IT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN
OVERNIGHT, SO I DON'T THINK THE UNEMPLOYMENT IS JUST
MIRACULOUSLY GOING TO GO DOWN IMMEDIATELY, AND IT IS GOING TO
BE A SLOW ROLLOUT SO I THINK THAT MANY ARE OF THE PROGRAMS
THAT, YOU KNOW, THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, STATE AND FEDERAL,
HAVE ROLLED OUT AND GOT TO BE UNDERSTANDING OF THE FACT THIS
IS GOING TO BE A LONGER RETURN TO NORMAL, WHATEVER THAT NEW
NORMAL IS, THAN JUST AN IMMEDIATE FLIP THE SWITCH AND
WE'RE RIGHT BACK TO WORK WHERE WE WERE IN JANUARY.