Negotiations

The police union has agreed to a new one-year contract that includes no pay raise for the year. The contract with the Easton Police Association, which represents everyone but the chief and dispatchers, will run through June 30, 2012.

By Shawn Regan sregan@eagletribune.com HAVERHILL — Mayor James Fiorentini said he has asked the School Committee to take back tentative contract offers to four school <b>unions</b> now that the state has passed health care rules aimed at saving cities and <b>...</b>

"Verizon Communications Inc. is seeking some of the biggest concessions in years from its unions, stepping up pressure on organized labor as the telecom industry shifts to less labor-intensive wireless technology."

The local 2322 strike authorization vote will take place at the regular monthly unit meetings for July.

"Obviously no one likes to take a zero, but we understand the economic times are unique and we're willing to work with the town," said the union's President, Joe Robidoux. "No one's really happy, but we understand times are what they are and we'll do our part to alleviate some of the burden on the town."

The future of the beleaguered Boston Apparel Group (BAG) mail-order, women’s clothing facility in Myles Standish Industrial park is far from certain. "It’s a mess," said Tally Abreau, business agent for New England’s UnitedHere — whose Local 2001 recently included as many as 130 union members working in the warehouse of the circa-1998 building at 300 Constitution Drive.

About 2200 of the city's most vulnerable students will be able to board buses to class this summer, thanks to a last-minute concession from the school bus drivers' <b>union</b>. Drivers' contracts were set to expire today. <b>...</b>

The cuts will reduce the rate of pay for custodians from a high of $16 per hour to $14, and the lowest from $14 to $12 per hour. The concessions amount to a budget line item of more than $450,000, nearly $10,000 less than the city's $207,000 unemployment costs and $255,000 additional outsourcing expenses combined. The concessions restored 11 positions, but could not keep all of the custodial jobs in the budget. At the end of the day, city will lay off one full-time and 3 part-time custodians next year.

TESAA Union President Karen Lasser said union members representing each of the school buildings thought it was a better option to have the pink slips rescinded for most while accepting more than 60 layoffs. "We brought them all together," Lasser said. "We laid out the two options. The building reps felt it was more important, or the better option was, to rescind all letters to the 180, that the layoff shouldn’t have affected, and layoff the others. With that, people got to keep their positions and there were around 51 to 53 individuals who were displaced because of reorganization."