The Holyoke City Finance Committee on Nov. 24 approved a settlement agreement between the city and the National Association of Government Employees (NAIG) that recognizes library positions as part of a separate bargaining unit and revises pay and leave terms.

Lisa Ball presented the agreement, telling the committee: “The first thing we need to do is to remove all of the police dispatchers and civilian police personnel. They now are part of their own, their own union, so a separate, collective bargaining agreement.” Ball said library positions have joined the union and outlined changes including gender‑neutral pronouns, a probationary period for discipline, adjusted vacation and sick‑leave accruals, and a longevity payment of $400 for employees with five to 10 years of service. The agreement also sets a three‑year duration with cost‑of‑living adjustments of 2%, 2.5% and 2.5% effective July 1 in the applicable years.

Committee members asked whether the police dispatchers and records clerks remained in the agreement; Ball confirmed those positions were separated into their own contract because much of the prior language did not apply to them. The chair characterized the item as a settlement agreement "by and between the city of Holyoke and NAIG." The committee moved and approved the associated transfer and received the item by roll call.

The vote clears the way for administrative steps to implement the new contract language and payroll adjustments. No additional details were provided about the effective dates for each individual provision beyond the July 1 COLA schedule referenced by Ball. The committee did not discuss any amendments to the settlement at the meeting.