Collective bargaining is handled differently in the Town departments as compared to the School department. Town unions meet with the Town Manager and often labor counsel and can negotiate on a one to three year contract. Any proposed settlement is brought to the Board of Selectmen for review. The units include police, fire, dispatchers, Independent employees (including library and town hall), department heads, municipal maintenance and the department of public works.
School union employees meet with a subcommittee of two members of the School Committee and labor counsel. They also work on a l to 3 year agreement and the School Committee reviews it for approval. The school bargaining units include teachers, instructional assistants, secretaries, nurses, food service, custodians, administrators and central office employees.
Both town and school negotiations do not include any members of either committee or board that may have a conflict of interest due to a family member being employed by the town or school.
Topics for bargaining may include cost of living pay increases, sick leave, vacation leave, personal leave, holidays, hours, overtime rate of pay, hiring, firing, lay-off procedures and working conditions such as teacher planning time. Step and track increases are also a matter for negotiation; “step” increases are tied to longevity, and “track” increases are tied to professional status changes such as when an employee earns an advanced degree.
Any changes in employee health insurance must also be negotiated. Mass. General Laws Chapter 32 outlines that any employee working 20 hours or more will receive health insurance. Town and school employees receive the same health insurance benefits.
Current collective bargaining agreements for all Town and School unions may be viewed on the School Department’s website: www.aps1.net. Click on Human Resources, and then click on collective bargaining agreements.
Collective bargaining with both Town and School unions is scheduled to begin after January 1st.
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Does the School Committee and Board of Selectmen meet on a regular basis to coordinate collective bargaining goals and approaches? It seems to me that the two boards should work together, and maybe even have a formal understanding that lays out their mutually agreed to ground rules, schedule, objectives, etc., which would keep them in sync and help ensure an acceptable and sustainable end result.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your question. I have posted the question and answer on the main page of this blog.
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