



TECHNOLOGY
Women still lag in tech sector, holding just 1 in 4 core jobs
The technology sector is booming, but there’s been no progress in boosting women’s share of some of the state’s best-paying jobs. Women remain vastly underrepresented in so-called core tech jobs, holding little more than a quarter of positions such as programmer and cybersecurity analyst for which computer and math skills are paramount, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council. The trade group found the number of men in core tech jobs expanded by about 15 percent, to 94,500, from 2007 to 2014. The gain for women was 12 percent, to 34,000, leaving them with 26.5 percent of the total, slightly less than what they held in 2007. The analysis was conducted by the UMass Donahue Institute using the most recent US census data. The findings underscore a high-profile problem for the industry: It is harder for women than men to get into core tech jobs, to stay in the field, and to advance. Steps to change a male-dominated culture are still being put in place. Gender diversity has been a subject of intense discussion within the tech industry. The sector’s biggest names recently started publicly disclosing diversity figures after pressure from activists, with giants Facebook Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, and Apple Inc. all reporting that their workforces are about 70 percent male. — JANELLE NANOS AND CURT WOODWARD
MEDIA
Judge rules against WHDH in contract fight with NBC
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by WHDH-TV (Channel 7) against the media giant Comcast Corp., a decision that will cloud the future of the local station and shake up the Boston television market. WHDH has been running NBC programming since 1995, but the peacock network, which is owned by Comcast, said earlier this year that it would end its contract with the station at the end of 2016 and launch its own new Boston TV station in 2017. Ed Ansin, the 80-year-old billionaire owner of WHDH, sued Comcast in March, alleging breach of contract and antitrust violations. Comcast asked for the case to be dismissed. Judge Richard G. Stearns, who heard arguments from both sides, on Monday ruled in Comcast’s favor, saying that WHDH had no legal right to demand contract renewal negotiations with NBC. The network applauded the ruling. WHDH declined to comment, but in its 7 p.m. broadcast that night, the station reported that it is “reviewing its options’’ and has “contingency plans’’ to stay on the air. Ansin, whose Sunbeam Television Corp. owns the broadcast signal and station in downtown Boston, has previously said that he would continue operating without NBC and that he plans to beef up local news coverage. — PRIYANKA DAYAL MCCLUSKEY AND SHIRLEY LEUNG
EMPLOYMENT
Millions of workers eligible for overtime under new rules
More than 4 million workers will be eligible to earn overtime pay under new regulations announced last week by the Department of Labor, which is doubling the salary cap at which workers are exempt from overtime. The new limit for salaried employees to earn overtime when working more than 40 hours a week will be $47,476 a year. Currently, salaried employees who make more than $23,660 a year, or $455 a week are not entitled to extra pay when they work more than 40 hours a week. The rule will take effect Dec. 1 and will be updated automatically every three years, indexed to salary growth. Business organizations have expressed concern about the higher cap, saying it could drive employers to cut benefits and make it difficult for workers to advance if a company cuts back on salaried positions. Many workers may not end up taking home any more money, according to the National Retail Federation, because employers will likely reduce pay or hours. — KATIE JOHNSTON
TECHNOLOGY
Lawmakers move to rein in non-compete clauses
Leaders in the state Legislature advanced a bill that would rein in noncompete agreements in an attempt to address concerns among tech entrepreneurs, who argue such contracts stifle innovation. The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development approved compromise legislation on Monday that contains several provisions similar to those outlined in a March speech by House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo. As expected, the bill would limit nearly all such noncompete agreements to one year in length, and would prevent them from being applied to most hourly workers. Employers also would need to notify new hires before they start working if they will be governed by a noncompete agreement. But there’s a new provision in the bill that could jeopardize support among big employers: The bill contains a “garden leave’’ provision requiring employers to continue paying workers who have noncompete agreements after they leave at a rate of half of their salaries, until the noncompete contracts expire. — JON CHESTO
BANKING
Community banks say credit unions unfairly claim low-income customers
Massachusetts credit unions are increasingly gaining a larger share of the market and an unfair advantage by claiming that they are serving low-income customers, according to a new study released by a major competitor: the state’s community banks. Since 2012, the number of Massachusetts credit unions that have earned a low-income designation that allows them to exceed regulatory limits on riskier, more profitable business loans and take in deposits from nonmembers has spiked, from just shy of a dozen to 57, according to the report. In order to win the designation, credit unions must show that more than 50 percent of their members are low-income. They are allowed to count high school and college students in that tally, which community banks say is unfair. The report is the latest volley by the bankers association in its long-running skirmish against the state’s 177 credit unions, which are nonprofit and exempt from paying state and federal corporate taxes. — DEIRDRE FERNANDES
EMPLOYMENT
Mass. paid family leave would cost $159 per worker per year, study says
The paid family and medical leave act under consideration in the state Legislature would cost $159 per worker per year and increase the annual number of leaves taken by 13,000, according to projections in a report released Thursday by the University of Massachusetts Boston. A business group that opposes the measure, however, estimates that costs — which would be split between employers and workers — would be up to six times that amount. Currently, only three states offer paid time off for medical and family caregiving needs — Rhode Island, California, and New Jersey — but momentum is growing. New York just passed a paid leave bill, and 13 states have legislation pending. President Obama recently directed federal agencies to give employees six weeks of paid time off for a birth or adoption and called on Congress to create a $2 billion fund to help states finance paid leave. The Massachusetts bill, released last week to the House Committee on Ways and Means, would require all private sector and state employers to provide up to 12 weeks of paid time for new parents or other family caregiving and up to 26 weeks for health conditions. The amount received would be a percentage of a person’s weekly wages — currently, 90 percent of the first $377 earned, and 33 percent of wages above that, capped at $650 a week — funded through payroll contributions. — KATIE JOHNSTON