We have been receiving a number of questions on the status on our Unit 2 state contract as well as funding for our higher education collective bargaining agreements. We thank our members for their patience as we work to move contract funding through the long and often slow legislative process as quickly as possible.
These contracts are a few of more than 60 contracts with multiple unions that are awaiting funding by the legislature. As previously posted here, the House and Senate have both passed a few versions of supplemental budget bills over the past few months. These budgets serve to both fund and formally ratify the contracts.
Back in early July, a House of Representatives supplemental budget was passed that included funding for 33 contracts including the Unit 2 contract; our contracts with the Essex North and South Registries of Deeds; and two of our three Suffolk County Corrections Locals. A few weeks later, the Senate passed a supplemental budget that included 26 additional contracts, including our contract for Local 507 at U-Mass Dartmouth. Since then, agreements have been reached by Local 1067 and Local 1776. Fortunately, contracts like these recently ratified higher education contracts can be added to a supplemental budget mid-process. In other words, new supplemental budgets do not have to be filed every time a new contract is ratified.
As always, there are differences between the House and Senate versions of the spending bills that have been acted on thus far. Before the legislation can be sent to Governor Healey to be signed into law, these differences must be resolved by a House/Senate conference committee comprised of three members from each branch. Once the differences have been resolved, the legislation will be moved for final passage or “enactment” in both branches and sent to Governor Healey’s desk. The fact that new agreements continue to be reached (or are close to being reached) and need to be added to the budget, has further slowed the process as the legislature is hoping to fund and ratify as many contracts as possible before sending the next spending bill to the governor’s desk.
As for a timeline for finalizing the funding for these agreements, these budget bills are typically wrapped up in late fall. However, Council 93 is working in coalition with other public-sector unions to move the process along as quickly as possible, offering ideas that include, but are not limited to, asking the legislature to pass a scaled down version of the budget that simply includes items both branches agree on - such as funding and ratifying collective bargaining agreements.
Rest assured we will continue to do so and once the process is finalized, pay increases will be retroactive to the start date of the contracts. We are cautiously optimistic that funding for all ratified contracts will be approved and sent to the governor by mid-October. We will keep you posted as things progress.
In the interim, members who have any questions about the process or the status of the legislation should feel free to call Jim Durkin anytime day or night at 978-866-2283. You can also email Jim
We thank you again for your patience as you await delivery or your hard-earned and well-deserved pay increases.
