Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Collective Bargaining topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Shrewsbury aldermen approve fire department collective bargaining agreement despite public objections over access
Summary
The Board of Aldermen on Feb. 11 unanimously approved a collective bargaining agreement with the Shrewsbury Fire Department (IAFF Local 2665). A resident and one alderman raised objections that the contract had not been made public and that related ordinances appeared retroactive.
The Shrewsbury Board of Aldermen unanimously approved Bill No. 4039 on Feb. 11, authorizing the city to execute a collective bargaining agreement with the Shrewsbury Fire Department, IAFF Local 2665. Alderman Odenwald moved the readings and Alderperson Bette Welch seconded, and the motion passed by voice vote.
Kathryn Sherman, who submitted a written comment from 5016 Michael Ave, asked why the public had not seen the agreement before the Board’s second and final reading. “I object. The public hasn't yet had access to this information. This is unacceptable,” Sherman wrote, and also questioned why an ordinance related to the Central Core Fire Training agreement would be retroactive when the facility has not been built.
Alderman Grant Diel raised a point of order during the item, saying the only reason the CBA had not been publicly released was that it remains an unaccepted and unapproved contract and therefore is a closed record during negotiations. “The only reason the CBA was not made public is because it is an unaccepted/unapproved contract that is still subject to negotiation, so it is closed record,” Diel stated.
The minutes record both the second reading and the final passage occurring during the meeting after motions by Alderman Odenwald and seconds by Alderperson Welch. The minutes do not list individual roll-call votes; they note the items passed with unanimous support.
The ordinance authorizes execution of the agreement; the minutes do not specify the contract’s effective date, monetary terms, or detailed provisions in the record of the meeting.
The Board did not provide further public discussion or a staff presentation on the contract’s contents during the meeting. The clerk’s record and any subsequent public release of the CBA were not detailed in the minutes.
