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Date: 4/5/2018
CHICOPEE – More than 200 city employees, including teachers, firefighters and Department of Public Works employees who have been working for a year without a new contract filled the City Council Chambers on April 3 hoping for an opportunity to bring their concerns to Mayor Richard Kos.
Kos who usually attends the meeting with his mayor’s briefing at 6:30 p.m. alerted councilor at 1 p.m. that he would not be at the meeting.
Kos’ absence did not prevent several of the employees from using the public speak-out forum as a medium for their concerns.
Prior to the meeting Dean Ethier, the business agent for United Food and Commercial Workers Union 1459 told Reminder Publications he and his union members are “really at our wit’s end” concerning the stalemate over the contract.
He said the union is looking for a 2 percent increase in wages that would be retroactive to July 2017. Ethier added the city is looking for the union to offer concessions on reducing vacation time, sick benefits and the elimination of wash-up time. Currently DPW workers, for instance, have time to wash up before taking lunch. Ethier asserted the city wanted to have the employees wash up on their own time.
Firefighter Howard Beaudry, the president of Local 1710, noted the firefighters’ health insurance rates are “skyrocketing.”
He added, “It’s almost $700 a month for a family.”
All the unions are in mediation with the city, Ethier noted.
When it came to the public speakout, City Council president John Vieau cautioned the audience the council would not allow any discussions about collective bargaining, union business or personal attacks.
“We do respect your right to organize and the reason you are here,” Vieau added. He explained the City Council does not have any role in negotiations with unions.
In his statement to the councilors, Ethier asked, “I have a question for you guys. What is it about the hard work of these men and women that the mayor finds so offensive?”
Ethier asked for the councilors to use their voices to support the city workers and said that only one councilor, Joel McAuliffe, has come out with his support.
“We are going to watch every single one of you to see how you help us,” Ethier said.
Resident Kaween Fernando asked the council to accept the challenge to support the unions, a statement that was followed by Councilor Shane Brooks coming to the microphone and saying he didn’t want the negotiations to become a “political three ring circus.”
Brooks said he has a 16 year-old daughter in the school system and a father who was a union steward, but he and his fellow councilors “do our work privately … we don’t want any praise.”
Reminder Publications contacted Kos’ office for a statement but none was forthcoming by press time.