Central Massachusetts

The School Committee last night agreed to pay the town's soon-to-be-unemployed bus drivers a compensation package totaling nearly $600,000, calling it a short-term hit to ensure years of savings. The memorandum of agreement, which was agreed to by the drivers union last Wednesday, will pay members a $497,000 lump sum by July 15. The deal also covers two months of extended health coverage for workers.

Labor, education and business leaders are planning a summit to discuss job-creation strategies and skills development for workers and industries in Massachusetts. The second annual Massachusetts Jobs and Workforce Summit is scheduled to take place from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Publick House in Sturbridge.

YouthWorks, a government-funded teen jobs program, has received more than 2,000 applications in Central Massachusetts at a time when funding is down about 15 percent from last year while teen unemployment remains in the double digits.

Manuel Morales, who pleaded guilty to 42 counts of unemployment fraud and larceny of more than $250, received unemployment benefits from the Executive Office of Labor and <b>Workforce Development's</b> Division of Unemployment Assistance from December 2008 to <b>...</b>

The city and its largest non-school municipal employee union have come to terms on a four-year memorandum of agreement that will preserve 19 jobs that had been targeted for elimination as part of next fiscal year’s municipal budget. Under the deal, which spans fiscal years 2010 through 2013, members of Local 495, National Association of Government Employees/Service Employees International Union, will receive no pay raises for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

Central Massachusetts metropolitan areas broke about even over the year, according to the report. The Worcester area shed approximately 200 construction jobs, but the Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner area made up for it with a gain of 200 construction jobs. The Framingham area remained level, the AGCA said.

Massachusetts AFL-CIO spokesman Timothy Sullivan described the abbreviated bargaining and arbitration process as “fair” and said unions hoping to limit layoffs of police, fire and teachers have “eagerly sought to be part of the solution” without giving up bargaining rights.

Sean Maher, president of Local 495, National Association of Government Employees, said his union initially broached to the city administration his union’s desire to negotiate a successor contract in June 2009, but the first negotiating session did not occur until this April. “We’ve tried to work with this administration to get a contract, but this administration has not been forthcoming or treated this group fairly,” Mr. Maher told the City Council last night.