Selectmen have ratified contracts with four unions and several nonunion personnel, though only representatives from three unions have signed the deals.At least one more union is expected to vote on a deal before next month’s Special Town Meeting.
Deals have been struck with unions representing the Library, Town Hall, and Department of Public Works employees.Those deals were signed earlier this week, and the Finance Committee has recommended funding them.
State law prohibits signing a contract for more than three years, and most Town employees have been working without a contract since June 2008.In each of the deals struck the unions have agreed to a 0% raise for Fiscal Year 2009.
They have also signed deals giving them raises of 1% in fiscal year 2010, 1% in 2011, and 2% in 2012.In each is a provision stating that if any other union, excluding the school department employees, negotiates a higher increase then negotiations on the salary article will be reopened for them.
Town Hall employees will also have their summer hours extended under the new contract.Previously employees worked until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and left work at 1 p.m. on Fridays from July 1 to Labor Day.They will now begin those hours on Memorial Day.
Any internal vacancy must also be posted for five days internally before an outside candidate will be considered for a position.If it is determined that an internal candidate is “clearly not qualified” for the job then the position will be advertised.
This provision upset several members of the Finance Committee, with one member voting not to fund the contract because of it.Committee member Sue Carney said she felt that the Town should not limit itself when hiring, and that just because a current employee met the minimum requirements for a particular job did not mean that there could not be someone better out there.
Employees will now also receive a third personal day.The value of unused sick days when an employee retires rose from $50 to $55, with a maximum payout of $5,500.
If a Department of Public Works employee is called back to work at any time during the four hours immediately preceding his shift then he will receive at least four hours pay.Any employee who is called in to work on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving or Christmas will also receive triple time.Previously only Christmas was included.
If an employee was called in to an overtime shift before midnight one one day, and continues to work through their regularly scheduled shift the next day, the employees will remain on overtime through their regular shift.The Director may, however, send the employee home to rest while the employee collects their regular rate until the end of their regular shift.
DPW employees will also go back to receiving weekly paychecks instead of biweekly checks, though they must participate in direct deposit.Town Administrator Bill Keegan said that employees will often receive a lot of overtime during the winter, but it may take nearly three weeks for it to be reflected in their paychecks.
Running an extra payroll may cost the Town up to $3,000 a year, but a clause allowing the Town to eventually move to a paperless system should mitigate that, Keegan said.
Mark Driscoll asked why the Town was reverting back to weekly paychecks after negotiating for the biweekly system by giving up another concession in a recent contract.Keegan replied that the Town was asking for very little when offering such small raises, and that this was a provision important to the employees.
Library employees will now receive $100 for each quarter in which they do not use a sick day, matching a provision found in the Town Hall employee’s contract.They will also now receive $50 for every sick day they do not use upon retirement, for a maximum of $5,000, up from $20.The libraries will now also close at 4:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve instead of 5 p.m.
A deal with several nonunion members of the Town Hall staff was also struck.Those employees will receive a one year deal with a 1% raise, one additional personal day, and a clothing allowance.The practice of the Town to pay for the mandatory physical exam for new employees was also put into writing
Selectmen met in a special session last night for the sole purpose of ratifying a deal with the firefighters’ union.After they approved and signed the deal the union representatives were handed a copy of the complete printed contract for the first time.
As they reviewed it something caught their attention, and they stepped out to speak privately with Keegan.They reentered the room a few minutes later to say that they would have to bring the contract back to their members before they could sign it.Union representatives and Keegan both declined to say what the problem was.
The Selectmen will meet on Monday evening where they are expected to vote on a contract with the public safety dispatchers.The Finance Committee will also meet that evening to consider any new deals as well.
There are still several unions who have not reached deals with the Town.Representative from the teachers’ union, who negotiates with the School Committee, reportedly met with representatives for the police patrolmen and police superior officers unions last week.Sources, who requested anonymity because of ongoing negotiation, say they are unhappy with the offers that have been presented to them and will be standing together in pursuit of a better deal.
Those unions who have struck deals said they were “thrilled” to have finally come to an agreement.
“We’re glad it’s over with,” said Paul Riordan, the Town’s wiring inspector and one of the Town Hall negotiators.“We have a lot of other work in town to do.
