Rep. Dwyer Job Tour Starts with SBLI

Recently, State Representative James J. Dwyer has embarked on a district wide job creation and small business tour in the 30^th Middlesex District which includes parts of Woburn and Reading. With the Legislature’s 2011-2012 session coming to a close at the end of July, the House of Representatives is in the process of developing an Economic Development and Job Creation bill.

“Heading out in the district and visiting large and small scale employers allows me to see firsthand the great work they are doing, what concerns they may have, and ways in which the Commonwealth can make it easier for them to do business,” stated Rep. Dwyer.

Representative Dwyer’s first visit on his “jobs tour” was The Savings Bank Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts (SBLI), located on Linscott Road in Woburn. Rep. Dwyer met with SBLI President and CEO Robert Sheridan and SBLI department heads to discuss maintaining business-friendly principles in the Commonwealth, size of SBLI’s workforce, and many other issues facing businesses such as SBLI.

“SBLI is a great employer in Woburn who has not only hired many Woburn residents but has also given back to the community in more ways than one,” said Rep. Dwyer. “Making doing business easier was a major concern and cutting some of the red tape will go a long way to help a business like SBLI sustain job growth and keep its many jobs here in Woburn and in the Commonwealth.”

During the previous legislative session for 2009-2010, Rep. Dwyer and his colleagues passed legislation allowing SBLI to offer different rates to men and women. Due to statute enacted decades ago, SBLI was the only life insurance company in Massachusetts that was mandated to sell unisex life insurance policies, while other companies were allowed to offer lower rates to women, whose life expectancies based on actuarial tables are longer.

“The Legislature wanted to make sure that a company like SBLI had a level playing field with its competitors,” stated Rep. Dwyer. “Without doing so, SBLI would have been more inclined to move its business elsewhere.”

Conceived by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, SBLI was established in Massachusetts in 1907 and has protected hundreds of thousands of families with affordable, dependable life insurance.  The Savings Bank Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts is currently licensed in 48 states and the District of Columbia. 

“We greatly appreciated having the opportunity to meet with Representative Dwyer regarding the needs and concerns of the business community,” said Mr. Sheridan.  “Many businesses are still struggling to recover from the recession, and we commend him for his efforts to help local businesses grow and create jobs here in the Commonwealth.”