BROOKLINE, Mass. – Members of AFSCME Local 1358 working for the Town of Brookline voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new three-year agreement with the town.
The May 6 vote followed a protracted battle waged over the past several months that forced members to go public with their fight for a fair contract.
AFSCME members protesting at Brookline Select Board Meeting
(Zac Bears/AFSCME Council 93)
The fight began in February when the town's negotiating team attempted to back out of a tentative agreement the union negotiated in good faith over more than eight bargaining sessions. When management refused to bring the agreement to the board of selectmen for approval, the union staged a major protest at town hall in March followed by a public presentation at the board of selectmen meeting. More than 200 people turned out for the protest, mainly Local 1358 members, but also members of other AFSCME locals and other Brookline municipal unions.
The union's first public protest and the public attention it drew made an impact, but it was not enough to get the town to budge. A few weeks later, the union planned a second rally, and the threat of another massive protest brought town leaders back to the table in an emergency meeting at town hall attended by Town Manager Mel Kleckner, Council 93 Executive Director Frank Moroney and Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steve Tolman. That night, we laid the groundwork for reaching the fair and equitable agreement that members ultimately ratified.
"This agreement provides for meaningful and well deserved pay increases that are worthy of the important work done by Brookline public service workers on behalf of taxpayers," Council 93 Executive Director Frank Moroney said. "We're proud of the agreement but we're even more proud of the way Local 1358 members publicly fought to get what they deserved."
Ed Nastari, Frank Moroney and Steve Tolman in Brookline on April 12.
(Zac Bears/AFSCME Council 93)
The contract, supported by more than 90 percent of members, provides for wage increases totaling 7.5 percent over the length of the contract. In addition, Local 1358 members will now gain a fourth week of vacation after ten years of service. Previously, members hired after 2014 had to work fifteen years to earn the fourth week.
"We're extremely proud of and grateful to the members of Local 1358," Council 93 Assistant Director of Field Services Ed Nastari said. "The dedication and commitment they demonstrated during these stressful times was exemplary."
The types of actions taken by union leaders and rank and file members in Brookline are never easy. But the members of Local 1358 and other unions represented the spirit of true unionism and solidarity by turning out, standing strong and doing what needed to be done.
As Local 1358 President Bruce Genest said to the Board of Selectmen in March, "These men and women, in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in other unions, are the beating heart of the Town of Brookline."
AFSCME Council 93 thanks all of the women and men who participated as an integral part of this landmark victory. It is a pleasure and honor to represent the members of Local 1358 and to stand together with everyone who made this victory possible.