Towns, cities seeking concessions from unions

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CAROL LOLLIS

The Rev. Jim Wiese, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Easthampton, gesturing at center, speaks with a team of Easthampton Fire Department workers conducting a safety inspection of the church building Wednesday. They are, from left, Rick Paquin, Tom Rice, John Ferraro, Steve King and Capt. Daniel Constantine. The department is one of the public-sector work forces in the region being asked to consider wage freezes and concessions.

Faced with a financial crunch that officials expect will not soon abate, several area communities have asked their employee unions to agree to voluntary wage freezes and other concessions, at least for the coming budget year.

The county's two cities, Northampton and Easthampton, have made requests to unions representing police officers, firefighters, teachers and public works employees.

Amherst had asked for similar concessions from several of its unions, but Town Manager Laurence Shaffer recently announced that he had decided to table discussions on the matter pending more aid information from the state.

The stakes are high. In Northampton, officials say a one-year pay freeze could save as much as $1.5 million in fiscal year 2010, which begins July 1. Easthampton would save more than $400,000 if all unions agreed. In Amherst, officials have said that scheduled raises for union and nonunion employees in the coming year, not including teachers, will amount to $670,000.

Union leaders seem wary of pay-freeze requests, with rank-and-file members leery of continued cutbacks to their units. They point to other concessions they've made concerning health care and reduced staffing levels.

Still, they understand that their employers are in uncharted territory, and so they are seriously considering the requests.

"I think most unions will do about anything to avoid layoffs," said Eve Weinbaum, associate professor and director of the UMass Labor Center.

Local communities are not alone in seeking union concessions. Geoffrey C. Beckwith, president of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, said that leaders in communities across the state are initiating giveback talks in an effort to generate some savings.

"The common denominator is that virtually all communities are facing a fiscal crisis," Beckwith said. "The overwhelming part of municipal budgets is taken up with personnel costs."

He could not say how many communities in the state are pursuing savings from unions. Such discussions typically take place in private meetings or executive sessions, which are closed to the public.

But Beckwith said that officials across the state have reported a general resistance by unions to any pay freeze.

"It's a little early to say because this is a process," he said. "Unfortunately, what we are hearing from communities and local officials is that there is still significant resistance."

He said refusal to bargain could lead to layoffs in many communities.

Locally, no municipal officials have reached any agreement with unions regarding proposed concessions.

Weinbaum said unions dealing with the same management, such as a city, are always going to pay close attention to how other union negotiations are progressing. One union is unlikely to accept a pay freeze if another does not, she said.

The decision to accept layoffs instead of subject members to a pay freeze is typically handled by unions on a case-by-case basis, Weinbaum said.

"Those are horrible decisions to have to make," she said.

Northampton's situation

In Northampton, Mayor Claire Higgins said she has been in discussions for a month seeking a year-long pay freeze from all 14 public employee unions.

With a the city facing a $6.1 million budget gap, the mayor is looking for savings and contract concessions before she will consider asking the City Council to put a Proposition 2½ override question on the ballot.

Higgins noted that Northampton unions did agree to a one-year pay freeze in fiscal 2003.

"We have thoughtful people that work for the city," she said. "Losing co-workers makes their job harder."

Easthampton request

In Easthampton, where officials have used a combination of budget reductions and layoffs to close a $676,000 budget gap this year, a pay freeze would leave the city in a better position for the coming fiscal year, which could find the city short $1 million, Mayor Michael A. Tautznik has said.

Tautznik said he plans to close city offices on Fridays starting this summer, an unprecedented move in Easthampton.

Concerned about that decision, the City Council voted to send a letter late last month to Easthampton's five public employee unions asking them to "consider voluntary cost saving measures ... from wage freezes to line item reductions."

International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 367 responded to the City Council's letter this week by email, said Detective Robert Alberti, union president, but made no promises.

"The only thing we've agreed to is to sit down," he said. "There's no harm in communicating."

But Alberti noted that his department has taken hits recently, including cutting the detective bureau staff in half. The union has complained to the city in the recent past about shift staffing numbers. "We understand the crisis the city is in and we also don't want to lose any guys either," Alberti said. "From an officer safety standpoint, we can't lose any more."

International Association of Firefighters Local 1876 President Jason Dunham said his Easthampton union has also given recent concessions, including allowing the use of call men to fill shift vacancies, which cuts down on overtime for full-time firefighters.

Still, Dunham said he plans to send the City Council a response this week indicating the union's willingness to discuss options with them but also pointing out efforts the union has made to save money.

Tautznik said this week that he has stayed clear of pay freeze efforts this year and is not optimistic about their prospects. He did not sign onto the council's letter.

Amherst discussion

In Amherst, town officials trying to close a $2.9 million deficit initiated discussions with the police, service employees and public works unions to agree to a pay freeze.

School Committee member Kathleen Anderson has called for the teachers' union to consider a similar move.

Shaffer, the town manager, recently called off the talks, saying he would await further state budget information.

An issue clouding town finances is the question of whether a proposed increase in the state meals and hotel tax will pass, providing additional local revenues.

Matt Pilon can be reached at mpilon@gazettenet.com.