Vaccine Mandate Goes Corporate: The HUB

The HUB is a daily newsletter designed for what you want — to be caught up on the most interesting, important news in 5 minutes or less. It's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but if there's something you want more or less of, email me at alex.newman@patch.com.

Today is Thursday, August 12. Let's get started.

State Street is one of the first major Boston employers outside of health care or education to mandate vaccines among its employees. The company, which is headquartered in Boston's Financial District and has offices in Fort Point, Quincy and elsewhere in the United States, will require all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before they return to in-person work.

The deadline to be vaccinated is Sept. 13. That's about when the company plans to switch to a hybrid model, and employees will start splitting time between home and the office.

State Street is a rarity among major employers in Massachusetts, where it is mainly universities, hospitals and medical centers that are requiring students and workers to get vaccinated amid increasing concern over the delta variant.

Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Lahey Health recently announced a vaccine mandate for workers by October, and UMass Medical is threatening employees with termination if they do not receive at least one dose by Sept. 7.

Top stories

Just when he thought he was out, they pull him back in. After seven months as the head of New England Law Boston, former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown announced his resignation to "re-engage in the political arena." Brown most recently served as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa under President Donald Trump. (Boston Globe)

A hail of gunfire sent diners scrambling in the popular Back Bay neighborhood Wednesday night. Bystanders ducked for cover inside nearby restaurants and businesses after gunshots rang out just before sunset. (WCVB)

One thing the candidates in Boston's mayoral race agree on: housing costs are way too high. So how do we fix it? Well, that's where they differ. (GBH)

Local voices

A vaccine mandate worked for the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center in Framingham, Stephen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the center, writes in Commonwealth Magazine. The center required employees to get the shot once it was available to healthcare workers, and, save for a handful of medical or religious waivers, nearly 100 percent of the staff is now vaccinated.

On the flip side, some employers feel mandating a vaccine while other companies do not would put them at a competitive disadvantage. Kevin Smith, CEO of Quincy-based home-health provider Best of Care, tells The Boston Globe making the decision on his own would cost him workers: "A mandate is a line in the sand. Once you do that, you can’t look back."

If you have a minute

From Katie Lannan, State House News Service

"Preliminary Department of Public Health data show 1,038 people died of opioid overdoses in the first six months of this year, an estimated 5 percent decrease from the same time period in 2020.

The preliminary data, presented by Acting DPH Commissioner Margret Cooke at a Public Health Council meeting Wednesday, includes both confirmed deaths and those estimated through a modeling process.

Cooke said the rate of opioid overdose deaths in Massachusetts increased 5 percent from 2019 to 2020, landing at 30.2 deaths per 100,000 residents or slightly below the 2016 peak of 30.6."

A lighter touch

Labor Day no longer signals the end of summer – it's whenever Dunkin' launches its fall menu, which is happening smack dab in the middle of August this year. The fall 2021 menu includes old favorites (there's plenty of pumpkin spice) and some new additions (Boston.com)

What I'm reading today: Google rolled out a salary calculator that would slash the pay of many employees who decide to permanently work from home. Hope my bosses don't get ahold of it. (Reuters)

Weather:

The National Weather Service says mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 96. Heat index values as high as 102. Southwest wind 7 to 10 mph.

A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 78. Southwest wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.