HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-06-02 Board of Selectmen Minutes - Executive Session o C1FR !
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A e Meeting Minutes
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Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Board of Selectmen
Date: 2015-06-02 Time: 9:30 PM
Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Selectmen Meeting Room
Address: 16 Lowell Street
Purpose: General Business
Attendees: Members - Present:
Chairman Daniel Ensminger, Secretary Kevin Sexton, Selectmen John Arena
and Barry Berman
Members - Not Present:
Vice Chairman John Halsey
Others Present:
Town Manager Bob LeLacheur
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Secretary Kevin Sexton
Topics of Discussion:
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Collective Bargaining
DPW Supervisor's Union - The Town Manager presented the Board a draft copy of the
Classification Plan that they will be asked to approve at their meeting on June 23rd for all
non-union employees. He, pointed out that four positions will be removed from the plan: one
from grade K - Town Engineer; and three from grade I including DPW Forestry, Park &
Cemetery Supervisor, DPW Highway/Equipment Supervisor and DPW Water/Sewer
Supervisor.
The Town Manager explained that a new DPW Supervisor's union had been formed. It
consisted of these four positions, and collective bargaining was underway. A contract would
be retroactively effective in April 2015 and the goal would be an end date of June 2017 as in
al,l other town contracts. He learned of the union by receiving legal paperwork from Boston,
and was advised by the town's labor counsel that he could not speak to any of the members
about the topic except through the collective bargaining process. The original proposal
included the water quality position that was not a supervisor, and did not include the Town
Engineer. The Town had to request the change based on the union's description of the
propose bargaining unit.
Members of the Selectmen asked why the union had formed, and specifically if it was due to
poor communication within the department caused by the DPW Director. The Town Manager
said that he had not yet asked that question in negotiations. Based on the union's proposal,
money was certainly one objective but there were a lot of smaller departmental issues that
could have been solved with communication. Many were related to the past winter
snowstorms. He explained that the two newest hires of the four positions had spent many
years in the DPW union, and he had used his discretion to pay them more than step one
entry level non-union salaries because of the proximity of union wages within their
divisions. Each employee had expressed gratitude for that beginning, so the Town Manager
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Board of Selectmen Minutes - June 2, 2015 Executive Session - pa(Ze 2
did not know why they would not have had a discussion with him before selecting this
course of action.
The Selectmen expressed displeasure at the situation as it seemed a failure of
communication within the DPW department, and the Town Manager agreed but included
himself as a responsible party in the communication process. He said that he would keep
the Selectmen apprised of negotiations as needed. Due to the fact that the financial
requests of the union were very high, and coupled with a need to use labor counsel since it
was a new union, contract settlement would not likely be imminent.
On a motion by Arena, seconded by Berman, the Selectmen voted to adjourn at
10:15pm by the following roll call vote: Arena-yes; Sexton'yes; Berman-yes;
Ensminger-yes.
On a motion by Arena, seconded by Berman, the Selectmen voted 4-0-0 to adiourn
the open meeting portion of their meeting at 10:15pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Secretary
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