Tenney custodian urges Methuen School Committee to halt custodial outsourcing talks

Donald Blunt, a second‑shift custodian at Tenney Grammar School, told the Methuen School Committee during public participation that outsourcing custodial services would harm students and staff and should not move forward without full collective bargaining.

"Outsourcing is a mandatory subject of bargaining, and we intend to be active, informed participants in that process," Blunt said. He asked the committee to conduct a "full and transparent review of past facilities and maintenance budgeting" before considering private contracts, arguing that custodial work is essential to building safety and cannot be replicated by contractors.

Blunt said custodial employees helped keep buildings safe throughout the pandemic and described staff pride in their work. He also said recent discussions—coming, he said, close in time to other facilities acquisitions—have created "a serious perception of retaliation and fear within the workforce." He asked the committee to include union representatives and legal counsel in any outsourcing talks.

Committee members did not take immediate action in response to the public comment. The administration has previously told the committee that outsourcing is a mandatory bargaining topic under Chapter 150E of Massachusetts law; the committee later scheduled an executive session to discuss custodial collective‑bargaining strategy. The committee did not vote on outsourcing at the Jan. 12 meeting.

Next steps: the committee is expected to address collective‑bargaining strategy in executive session; any formal outsourcing proposal would need to be bargained with affected employees and returned to public session for action.