The Union Contract

There has been discussion in town about the terms of the new union contract and discrepancies between the new contract, the tentative agreement, and the old contract.

The new contract calls for a salary increase of 4.2%. It also calls for the union employees to accept the new health care plan, which represents a savings to the town. The concern, however, is that the non-union employees have been given a 1.5% and have been asked to contribute to their health insurance as most local employees in the state already do. Jeanette Stewart has said that the town can go back to the negotiating table at any time to discuss union employee contributions to their health care plan. There is, however, no guarantee that this will actually happen after the election and no guarantee that the town will be able to reach a new agreement without the leverage of salary increases and other benefits at stake.

At Monday Night's Select Board Meeting Lee Nichols addressed the issue of discrepancies between the new union contract, the tentative agreement, and the old contract. Lee also addressed this issue at the Deliberative Session on Saturday. Lee correctly pointed out that some of the terms in the tentative agreement and the old contract were not entered correctly into the new contract.

The discussion became heated. Jeanette Stewart at one point tried to end public discussion on the subject. Glen Dion said this was a union matter and not a public matter. Electric Commissioner Kendall L. Hughes said that he had been left out of the final approval process while Jeanette Stewart said that she had notified him but had not received his comments on the contract.

The union contract is a public issue, not a private matter between town officials and the union. We pay employee salaries through our taxes, and we have a vested interested in ensuring that salaries, benefits and working conditions are clearly defined and fair. Most of our employees are also residents and taxpayers. The negotiating committee and the union are responsible for reviewing and approving the final contract. The fact is this was not done by either side, and now there are a number of discrepancies that affect salaries, benefits, and working conditions. These discrepancies also affect managers who have to carry out the conditions of the contract.

After a lengthy argument, Jeanette Stewart agreed to meet with the negotiating committee to discuss the issue. The meeting should have been arranged after Saturday's session when the problems were first brought up. Better still, the problems should have been brought to the attention of the negotiating committee and resolved before the Deliberative Session.

The argument that took place at the BOS meeting also reveals that there are underlying issues that interfere with decision making and problem solving. There are systemic, political, and personal problems that interfere with communication, close cooperation, problem solving, and effective management of the town's business. We have serious financial problems to deal with in the coming year. These are problems that will be with us for many years. But, we won't be able to make progress if we can't work together.