Stoughton Officials Looking for Town Meeting to Adopt New Employee By-Law, Compensation Plan

As Stoughton town officials are looking to have Town Meeting members adopt a new personnel by-law and classification and compensation plan through a pair of warrant articles (14 and 15, respectively), union members are hoping to have Town Meeting members instead dismiss both articles to allow the unions more time to bargain these proposed changes. 

It's a debate that could be heard on the floor of Town Meeting as early as Wednesday evening, May 29, when Town Meeting resumes for the third session.

"Our proposed Personnel By-Law and Town-Wide Classification/Compensation Plan is a final step in bringing the Town's labor relations into the 21st century," Selectman Chair John Anzivino wrote in a letter to Town Meeting representatives. 

"This By-Law and Plan will standardize employee benefits and salaries across the Town. It will allow for financial planning and better labor relations."

The personnel by-law is article 14 and the classification/compensation plan is article 15. 

"The Personnel By-Law provides the foundation for the relationship between the Town and all of its employees, both union and non-union," according to the warrant. "It sets basic standards for the administration of personnel policies, defines basic employee rights and establishes town-wide working conditions."

This by-law allows for the town to develop the aforementioned classification/compensation plan. 

This plan, article 15, classifies positions and groups them into "classes doing substantially similar work or having substantially equal responsibilities" while establishing "the minimum and maximum salaries to be paid to employees in the positions so classified," according to the warrant, while also providing a "uniform system of wage enhancement that will eventually be based on performance reviews."

Both articles are backed by James Kelley, the Town's Human Resources Director, and received support from the Municipal Regulations and Municipal Operations committees.  

But, in a letter sent to Town Meeting representatives signed by Jim Curtin, president of the Firefighters union; Bill Healey, president of the police patrolman union; Stephen Purnell, president of the DPW union; and Deanna Chatsko, president of the Town Hall employees union, they asked for more time to negotiate these changes. 

"The process of collectively trying to bargain these items were not introduced until mid-February for some later for others," the letter states.

"While trying to negotiate in good faith, interpreting and negotiating these new guidelines and by-laws within 1-3 months has been found to be nearly impossible. So what is the solution? We believe we have a solution to accommodate the goals of both sides...We ask that the members of Town Meeting dismiss Articles #14 and #15, this way we can move back to traditional bargaining and get contracts settled.  Once settled there will be enough time to carry on further discussion on the [town's] new direction."

Two unions - the library employees and police department's superior officers - have already settled contracts on the municipal side, but the other five unions have not settled.

The current system of granting step increases and cost of living increases will "bankrupt the town," Kelley said. The same sentiment was also expressed in Anzivino's letter.

Kelley, who came to Stoughton from Sterling towards the end of 2012, said that when he got here, more than 80-percent of town employees were at the top step, and the only raise they would get was if they got a cost of living raise.

He said the new classification/compensation plan addresses that issue and gives these employees "room to grow" salary wise.

He said he thought it would be better for all those involved to go with predictable wage enhancements, rather than what was in place.

"We will bargain in good faith with the other unions," Kelley said, who added he and the town are looking to bring "financial control and predictability in labor relations."

Part of this effort to "modernize and reform" labor relations is to do away with the practice of retroactive contracts, which Kelley said are neither beneficial to the town nor the employees, and have the unions sign an updated contact, rather than just a memorandum of agreement.

"Is it right for us or wrong for us? We don't know," Curtin said of the new proposals in articles 14 and 15.

"It needs more time to be properly discussed by everybody," he added, reiterating the sentiment expressed in the union letter sent to Town Meeting representatives.

Curtin indicated he felt the town was trying to rush and push through these changes before they had been bargained. He likened the situation to that of a "high pressure car salesman."

"It raises flags," Curtin said.

"I don't see a reason to push for [articles 14 and 15] before it's bargained," he added.

Kelley said these articles don't apply to the schools and its unions, but they can use these articles in negotiations if they wish.

"The STA has concerns about negotiations particularly after receiving Selectman Anzivino's very public letter to Town Meeting members. Not withstanding our concerns, the STA members will be at Town Meeting to support the School Committee budget," Andrea Pires, President of the Stoughton Teachers Association wrote in an email.  

"The STA has a negotiation session on Thursday evening. It will be the first time we've met with the School Committee since Mr. Anzivino released the letter. The STA would like to deal directly with the School Committee before releasing any further comments to the public," she continued. 

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marguerite Rizzi also declined to comment on specifics regarding the classification/compensation plan since the administration was still in the midst of negotiations with six of its unions, including the teachers, and didn't feel it was appropriate to publicize specifics of the negotiations. 

The Stoughton Board of Selectmen held a meeting prior to the second session of Town Meeting on May 22 to answer questions in regards to these proposed changes. 

Originally the meeting was to be held in room B206 at Stoughton High, a computer lab/classroom, but with more than a 100 town employees from the town's various unions showing up, the meeting was moved to the cafeteria to accommodate the large crowd. 

One labor-related issue discussed at the meeting - the removal of the collective bargaining reserves line item from the Selectmen's budget - appears to have been resolved. 

After a lengthy back and forth between members of the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and Town Meeting members at the second session of Town Meeting May 22, a motion is expected to be made, once the entire budget is discussed, to restore $312,000 to the collective bargaining reserves line item. 

This will give more flexibility in completing contract negotiations for the municipal unions that have not yet settled - Town Hall employees association; SPEA (Stoughton Professional/Administrative Employees Association); police patrolman's association; Local 1512 Firefighters; and the Public Works Association.