Council committee reviews $747,842 supplemental to fund Boston Public Library union contract

The Boston City Council Committee on Ways and Means held a virtual hearing July 7, 2025, to review two dockets that would reduce the FY25 reserve for collective bargaining by $747,842 and provide a supplemental appropriation of the same amount to the Boston Public Library to cover costs under a newly negotiated collective bargaining agreement between the city and the library bargaining unit.

Committee Chair Brian Worrell, a City Councilor from District 4 and chair of the committee, opened the hearing and identified the two dockets before the committee as documents 1256 and 1257. Jim Williamson, representing the administration, said the FY25 budget included a reserve for collective bargaining and described this as one of several supplemental appropriations settled after the budget filing.

Under the agreement presented by administration and library negotiators, employees would receive a 2% base wage increase in October of each fiscal year and additional lump-sum increases added to base pay in January: $500 in January 2024, $250 in January 2025, $800 in January 2026 and $175 in January 2027. The administration also described additions including prepaid legal benefits, adjustments to Sunday overtime for certain positions, sick time during probation for affected employees, and steps to start some lower‑paid library assistants at step 3 instead of step 1 or 2.

Council members asked for clarifications. Council President Luby Jahn asked which unions represent library workers; administration staff responded that AFSCME and PSA represent library employees. Councilor Flynn pressed on whether 2% was the best the city could offer; Williamson said the parties had agreed to the terms. Flynn said 2% ‘‘is almost a cut’’ when measured against inflation and housing costs.

Councilors also asked about veterans provisions (administration: none in this agreement), outstanding medical grievances and payroll problems. Library staff and labor-relations staff said they did not believe any unresolved medical claims were pending and agreed to follow up on specific payroll-related concerns. The administration said language removing agency‑fee deductions was included as a housekeeping change to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court Janus decision.

Alyssa Cadillac, identified during public testimony as president of the bargaining unit, urged the committee to move the funding forward and said while the increases are ‘‘a start,’’ they are not sufficient for many lower‑paid members to continue living and working in Boston. Cadillac also raised recent payroll delays and asked that retroactive money be delivered promptly to affected employees.

The transcript records the hearing, the presentation of the supplemental appropriation requests and questions from councilors and the public comment; no committee vote or final action on the dockets is recorded in the meeting transcript.

The committee adjourned after public comment; the dockets would next be considered by the full City Council per normal process.