Among the articles unanimously approved by the selectmen for consideration by the Special Town Meeting (STM) next month is one that would ultimately give the town authority to design its own insurance plans for town employees, without their being subject to collective bargaining. In order for the act to become law, the selectmen would have to petition the Massachusetts legislature for approval, as provided by the state’s home rule law. If approved, Harvard would also be authorized to join the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC), whose plans are less expensive than those otherwise available to towns.
Town Administrator Tim Bragan said several towns in Massachusetts have already passed such petitions out of frustration that the legislature has failed to take up the issue on its own. Skyrocketing health insurance costs threaten the financial health of town governments, including Harvard, but towns are currently barred from joining the less expensive GIC plan or modifying their existing plans without bargaining with local teacher and municipal employee unions. Bragan noted that the movement had started with the Lowell Town Council, and other towns such as Chelmsford, Townsend, Groton, and Pepperrell are following suit.
“It’s unclear what the legislature will do with all of these petitions once they start piling up,” Bragan said. So far the legislature has failed to take action on any of them, but the article gives the Harvard residents a chance to weigh in on the issue.
Kathleen Doherty, a Bromfield teacher for 18 years and president of the Harvard Teachers Association, urged the selectmen to reject the warrant article, saying that it took collective bargaining rights away from teachers, police, and other town employees and sent a “negative message.” She noted that the town’s unions had negotiated “significant changes” in health benefits last year through collective bargaining and that the town had achieved net savings through a process that was collaborative.
