Aramark employees file lawsuit against MCCA

October 2, 2008

THE REGION
Aramark Corp. banquet workers at the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority's two Boston facilities filed a lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court alleging the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center and the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center have violated the state's tipping law by adding a 20-percent service charge to patrons' bills but not distributing the payments to the waitstaff. An Aramark spokeswoman said the company had not yet seen the lawsuit. James E. Rooney, the MCCA's executive director, said he too had not seen the lawsuit but the authority doesn't have anything to do with patrons' food service bills, which are issued by Aramark. The banquet workers are among more than 300 food-service workers at the two facilities who have been at odds with Aramark over the union contract that expired last October. (Nicole C. Wong)

Massachusetts is getting $163 million from the federal government to help low-income families pay their heating bills this winter - nearly $50 million more than last year, Governor Deval Patrick's office said. The money is part of $5.1 billion approved by President Bush for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The additional money comes after several New England governors lobbied this year for more federal assistance. Patrick's office said the state now has about $184 million in fuel assistance funds, and program participants should see their average benefit rise from $738 to $925 - or enough to pay for seven or eight weeks of fuel. (Erin Ailworth)

Two Massachusetts labor groups say they have launched a website to monitor treatment of patients and employees at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Service Employees International Union Local 1199 said it partnered with the Area Trades Council to create the "Eye on Beth Israel" project. The two groups said the Boston teaching hospital overcharges patients and pushes caregivers to work long hours. The website, www.EyeOnBI.org, will also allow people to post their experiences at Beth Israel Deaconess, the groups said. A hospital spokeswoman said she could not comment on the website. (Angel Jennings)

Dalton paper maker Crane & Co. said it will buy the security technology unit of an Atlanta nanotechnology firm for an undisclosed price. The acquisition of Visual Physics from Nanoventions will give Crane, best known for its production of paper for US currency, control of advanced technology used to prevent counterfeiting. Crane, a privately held company that has operated in Western Massachusetts for more than 200 years, provides currency paper and anticounterfeiting measures to central banks worldwide. (Robert Gavin)

The national accounting firm KPMG has signed a lease for 115,000 square feet in Two Financial Center, an office tower under development near South Station. KPMG will serve as the anchor tenant and said it will move 690 employees into the building in June 2010. Two Financial Center is being developed by Lincoln Property Co. and ASB Capital Management. It is the first new office building constructed in the Financial District since 2003. (Casey Ross)

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Cambridge biotech, said it raised $50 million in a private equity financing. The financing was led by Morgan Stanley Investment Management. The money will be used in part to support a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome. The 10-year-old company, which previously raised $231 million, changed its name from Microbia Inc. last spring. (Todd Wallack)

Boston Properties Inc., the owner of office buildings in New York, San Francisco, and other US cities, bought the Washington headquarters of National Public Radio and will redevelop the broadcaster's new offices, NPR said. Boston Properties, based in Boston, bought the seven-story, 175,000-square-foot building at 635 Massachusetts Ave. NW, and will lease it back to NPR until the new headquarters building is ready, NPR said. Boston Properties paid $119.5 million, according to CoStar Group Inc., a provider of real estate data, citing public records. (Bloomberg)