All four employee unions for the town of Harvard urge Harvard residents to vote no on Article 5 at next week’s Special Town Meeting. Article 5 would authorize the town to petition the state to allow Harvard to purchase health insurance for employees without being subject to collective bargaining. The main goal of this article is to save the town money on health insurance. This goal was already achieved last spring through a collective bargaining process. This process benefits all parties involved and—when done well—helps to develop and maintain trust, respect and strong working relationships.
Last year—at the invitation of the Town Administrator, the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee—representatives of all the town employee unions voluntarily sat down and engaged in a collaborative process that resulted in a major change in our health plan design. This change saved the town a significant amount of money—in both the short and long term. Now, just a few months into a three-year agreement, the town is already seeking ways to circumvent the collective bargaining process in the near future. To many town employees, the town’s proposal of Article 5 seems like a slap in the face.
All town employees have made major concessions in the past few years. The town unions have clearly recognized the economic realities of the time, and have negotiated accordingly. We have worked hard to create and maintain a collaborative and more trusting relationship, both to achieve common goals and also to avoid the type of contentious negotiations that have occurred in the past. Passage of Article 5 would send a very negative message to the town employees about the town’s priorities and intent in terms of future negotiations and town/employee relationships. We urge everyone to vote no on Article 5.
Kathleen Doherty, Harvard Teachers Association
Ron Gilbert, Harvard Department of Public Works
Scott Hughes, Harvard Police
Andrew Perry, Harvard Dispatchers
