Contract disputes between city officers and fireplace unions have gotten more and more widespread throughout the Bay State, however an legal professional says she finds an ongoing dilemma in Westwood significantly distinctive.
The fireplace union within the suburban city has been with out a contract for greater than 660 days, the longest such battle throughout Greater Boston, mentioned legal professional Leah Barrault, managing accomplice of Milton-based Barrault and Associates.
“This is very unusual and very personal,” mentioned Barrault, whose agency represents fireplace unions throughout Massachusetts and New England. Very few different unions within the state are over 500 days with out a contract, she added.
Barrault and different supporters joined members of the Westwood fireplace union on the picket line Saturday, the third straight day firefighters have held indicators describing how the division is “understaffed,” “underpaid,” “undermined” and “undervalued.” Other messages of assist might be seen all through city.
Saturday marked day 667 because the union has been with out a contract, after the final one ended June 30, 2021.
Union President Anthony Burke mentioned he and his members are on the lookout for what he referred to as a “fair and equitable” wage enhance. He didn’t element the precise requests in addition to saying the perfect pay bump can be just like what the city has agreed to with the lecturers and police unions over the previous a number of months.
“They are saying all of the right things when they’re in front of people, ‘We’d like to negotiate with the union,’” Burke mentioned of city officers. “But when the cameras are off, and it’s just us and them, they say ‘We’ve got nothing for you.’”
The Westwood Select Board didn’t instantly reply to a Herald request for touch upon Saturday.
Residents on Monday will vote in town funds for subsequent fiscal yr at an annual city assembly. The requested funds features a 3.4% enhance for the hearth division to $5.4 million, whereas the proposed college funds carries a 5.8% increase over the present yr, based on city paperwork.
Officials of their funds request spotlight how the elevated fireplace funds is because of wage contractual obligations and obligatory promotions “to ensure adequate levels of staffing and seniority during all shifts.”
The fireplace division is staffed with 42 firefighters, a quantity Burke mentioned isn’t sufficient to appropriately deal with an growing name quantity within the rising city. Studies on staffing ranges up to now have beneficial 11 firefighters for every of the division’s 4 crews, however that quantity is at 9 at present, he mentioned.
“It’s just more people, more calls. We need more firefighters, we need more public safety employees,” Burke mentioned. “This is a black eye for the town of Westwood.”
The fireplace union in December filed for help with the state Joint Labor-Management Committee, which helps resolve collective bargaining disputes involving municipalities and police and fireplace departments.
State Rep. Paul McMurtry, a Norfolk County Democrat, mentioned he’s hopeful the contract dispute will come to an finish quickly.
“It’s an unfortunate situation that they find themselves in,” he mentioned. “Common sense has to prevail, and this contract needs to get signed. This certainly affects morale, and when you don’t feel supported it sends the wrong message.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”