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Appeals Court hears challenge to stay of arbitration in Brookline labor dispute
Summary
The court considered whether a Superior Court order improperly stayed arbitration under a collective-bargaining agreement and whether civil-service protections for some Brookline employees remove termination disputes from arbitration. Counsel for AFSCME warned the decision could deny many employees a grievance forum; town counsel argued the CBA and management-rights language require civil-service review for covered employees.
The Massachusetts Appeals Court heard competing arguments over whether a Superior Court order staying arbitration should be upheld in a dispute between the town of Brookline and AFSCME Council 93.
AFSCME attorney Evan Burwald told the panel the lower court's ruling could strip many union members of any practical way to challenge terminations. Burwald argued the collective‑bargaining agreement includes grievance and arbitration procedures and that the Superior Court's reading — which the union says removes a right to…
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