The Transportation First Series offers a platform to discuss the challenges faced by our region, with the input of experts and changemakers.
02/12/2025
2:45pm - 4:30pm
Hybrid | Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Hear from James E. Rooney about the state of the economy, and how it all matters to businesses, residents, and policymakers.
02/13/2025
10:00am - 10:30am
Virtual
Join us for our first Words of Wisdom dinner of the year featuring Callie Crossley, host & commentor at GBH.
02/20/2025
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Dorchester Brewing Company
Go deeper than basic DEI training to achieve higher productivity, satisfaction, and revenue growth with our new corporate workshop.
This program is in redevelopment. Click this page for DEI resources.
Our Women’s Leadership Program enables you to take your leadership to the next level by arming you with the most in-demand leadership toolkit.
Our Boston’s Future Leaders (BFL) program provides emerging leaders with a socially conscious and civically engaged leadership toolkit, as well as the opportunity to apply their knowledge through experiential assignments.
City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.
We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).
Small businesses are the backbone of the Boston economy. Learn more about the resources available through the Chamber.
BIMA (the Boston Interactive Media Association) serves a vibrant community of like-minded professionals from agencies, brands, publishers, and ad-tech companies with business interests in the New England market.
For 30 years, the Chamber’s Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all background and career levels. Today, our Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women each year.
The Massachusetts Apprentice Network convenes employers, training providers, and talent sources interested in developing and implementing apprenticeship programs in occupations across industries and statewide in fields such as tech, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and more.
Explore our mission and values to better understand how we are leading the business community forward.
Our member directory is your resource to discover, connect, and engage with Boston’s businesses from every industry and sector.
November 14, 2023
On behalf of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and our 1,200 members, I write to offer testimony opposing S.1192, An Act relative to banning noncompetition agreements in the Commonwealth. As you know, the Massachusetts Legislature passed comprehensive noncompetition agreement legislation in 2018 that added numerous protections for employees while preserving the use of noncompetition agreements for legitimate business interests during limited timeframes and with limited geographic reach. Since passage, this negotiated legislative agreement stands as a model for other states regulating these agreements while ensuring their limited use can continue in Massachusetts. Upsetting the carefully negotiated law now would hurt local employers while undermining the collaborative relationship between the business community and policymakers. For these reasons, we encourage the committee to reject this policy change and send S.1192 to study.
The noncompetition agreement legislation passed in 2018 was the result of extensive negotiation among stakeholders including the Chamber. That law created several protections for workers, including, but not limited to:
• Exempting employees classified as non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, students, employees laid off, or employees under the age of 18. • Creating garden-leave pay for employees throughout the duration of the agreement. • Limiting the duration of noncompetition agreements to one year. • Ensuring agreements are no broader than necessary, reasonable in scope, and reasonable in geographic reach. • Requiring agreements be in writing and signed by both employer and employee.
These restrictions ensure that noncompetition agreements are focused on the legitimate competitive and proprietary concerns of employers and that any employees subject to a noncompetition agreement are fully informed, freely agree to the terms, and are compensated for their use. The protections also prevent employers from severely restricting a worker’s ability to change jobs. Therefore, legislation eliminating these agreements is unnecessary, particularly absent any demonstrated need to further regulate in this area.
Popular Resources