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Select Board delays final approval of two union contracts amid procedural concerns
Summary
Select Board members declined to sign two draft union contracts on Sept. 24, citing procedural errors and substantive concerns and requesting that corrected final versions return to the board for approval.
The Templeton Select Board spent time on Sept. 24 reviewing two draft collective-bargaining agreements for Dispatch Local 155A and Police Local 155 but took no final vote.
Board members said they were briefed earlier and had instructed staff to negotiate changes, but a version that went to labor counsel did not return to the board for final review. Several members said they found errors and substantive items in the drafts that required further negotiation. One member said the process appeared to proceed without the board's final review.
"As it stands, I don't feel too good about these," one Select Board member said, noting multiple unexpected changes in the draft. Another member said they had expected a final version to come back to the board before signatures.
The board discussed options including returning the drafts to town negotiators for revision or scheduling executive-session follow-up negotiations. No contract was signed at the meeting, and members asked that the items return for final review before any authorization to sign.
Why it matters: Collective-bargaining contracts set pay, benefits and work rules for municipal employees; board members said process and accuracy are essential before the town commits to agreements.
Next steps: The board instructed staff to resolve outstanding issues and to present a corrected final document for the Select Board's approval before signatures are executed.
