City Council - Ways & Means Committee Hearing on Dockets #1967-1970
Meeting Date: November 24, 2025, at 02:00 PM Governing Body: Boston City Council - Ways & Means Committee Type of Meeting: Committee Hearing Attendees:
- Council Members: Brian Worrell (Chair), John Fitzgerald, Benjamin Weber, Enrique Pepén (Vice Chair), Edward Flynn, Erin Murphy
- Administration Officials: Jim Williamson (Chief of Staff, City of Boston), Renee Bushey (Office of Labor Relations), Lou Mandarini (Senior Labor Advisor to the Mayor), David Sussex (Labor Team, Boston Public Health Commission), John Wilton (Labor Group, Boston Police Department), John Brown (Boston Police Department)
- Public: No public testimony was given.
Executive Summary: The Ways & Means Committee convened to discuss and review four dockets related to collective bargaining agreements for Fiscal Year 2026. Dockets #1967 and #1968 concern the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association (BPPA) contract, involving a $6,750,000 reduction from the collective bargaining reserve and a supplemental appropriation of $6,733,196 for the Police Department. Dockets #1969 and #1970 address the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) and SEIU Local 888 agreement, with a $506,452 reduction from the reserve and a corresponding supplemental appropriation. Key provisions of the BPPA contract include a 2% base wage increase, a 1% hazardous duty differential increase, and reforms such as mandatory name tags and performance evaluations. The SEIU Local 888 contract includes base wage increases, flat dollar weekly increases, amendments to longevity awards, and reclassifications for lowest-paid employees. The administration emphasized the importance of these one-year agreements to keep employees under contract and avoid retroactivity.
DOCKET NUMBER 1967: MESSAGE AND ORDER FOR APPROVAL IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE FY26 APPROPRIATION FOR THE RESERVE FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING BY $6,750,000
- Purpose: To reduce the FY26 appropriation for the Reserve for Collective Bargaining.
- Amount: $6,750,000
- Reason: To provide funding for the Police Department for FY26 increases contained within the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the City of Boston and the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association.
DOCKET NUMBER 1968: MESSAGE AND ORDER FOR SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION ORDER FOR THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR FY26 IN THE AMOUNT OF $6,733,196
- Purpose: Supplemental appropriation for the Boston Police Department.
- Amount: $6,733,196
- Reason: To cover FY26 cost items contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the City of Boston and the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association.
- Contract Term: July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026 (one-year agreement).
- Major Provisions of the Contract:
- Base wage increase: 2%
- Hazardous duty differential increase: 1%
- Reforms relating to police performance evaluations.
- Requirement for officers to wear name tags.
- Detail Pay Overlap: Detail pay may overlap with regular shift pay by a maximum of two hours. This is a change from the previous contract, expected to have a minor effect, primarily on officers working office shifts.
- Sick Time Redemption at Retirement: Officers can now cash out 250 unused sick days at 40% at retirement, an increase from the previous 200 days. This aims to equalize benefits across police unions and potentially reduce overtime by discouraging the use of accrued sick time at the end of careers.
- Summer Vacation Expansion: The contract expands summer vacation periods, spreading out the number of vacation slots across more dates. This is designed to reduce replacement overtime costs during summer months by decreasing the number of officers off at any one time (e.g., from 16 to 14 in a district of 112 patrol officers).
- Officer Wellness: Includes 30 minutes of workout and meditation time per regular shift, four times a week, based on operational need, to allow officers to decompress.
- Gym Access: The fee for officers to use police department gyms will be waived, making gym access free. The city will handle outfitting and maintenance.
- Civilian Flaggers: The system for civilian flaggers is being developed, with two contracts awarded: Extra Duty Solutions for the technological app and Ed Davis Company for personnel hiring. The goal is to ensure civilian flaggers are hired as employees with full benefits. Civilian flaggers will be able to perform traffic control for both Type 1 and Type 2 details.
- Discussion Points:
- One-Year Agreement Strategy: Lou Mandarini explained that the one-year agreement is a strategy to "catch our breath" and keep the largest police union under contract, avoiding long periods of retroactivity. The administration aims to keep employees under contract with regular raises.
- Future Negotiations: The administration intends to begin negotiations for the next multi-year contract in the new year, after the holidays, aiming to have a significant portion completed by June 30, 2026.
- Overtime Spending: The administration believes the summer vacation expansion and changes to sick time redemption will help reduce overtime spending.
- Officer Staffing and Morale: Councilor Flynn raised concerns about forced overtime and its impact on officer morale and family life, advocating for hiring more police officers. The administration clarified that staffing levels are not subjects of collective bargaining agreements.
- Veteran Support: While not specifically in the MOA, the administration noted a city-wide change allowing more time off for veterans on Veterans Day.
- Name Tags: Lou Mandarini highlighted the inclusion of mandatory name tags for patrolmen as a significant reform, making interactions with the public more transparent.
DOCKET NUMBER 1969: MESSAGE AND ORDER FOR APPROVAL IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE FY26 APPROPRIATION FOR THE RESERVE FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING BY $506,452
- Purpose: To reduce the FY26 appropriation for the Reserve for Collective Bargaining.
- Amount: $506,452
- Reason: To provide funding for the Boston Public Health Commission for FY26 increases contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the Boston Public Health Commission and the SEIU Local 888 Programs Collective Bargaining Unit.
DOCKET NUMBER 1970: MESSAGE AND ORDER FOR SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION ORDER FOR THE BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION FOR THE FY26 IN THE AMOUNT OF $506,452
- Purpose: Supplemental appropriation for the Boston Public Health Commission.
- Amount: $506,452
- Reason: To cover FY26 cost items contained within the collective bargaining agreements between the Public Health Commission and SEIU Local 888 Programs Collective Bargaining Unit.
- Contract Term: October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2027.
- Major Provisions of the Contract:
- Base wage increases: 2%
- Flat dollar weekly increases: Totaling an annual increase of $500, $200, $550, then $500, to be given in January of each year of the contract term.
- Amendments to the longevity/career awards.
- Reclassifications for lowest-paid employees.
- Reclassifications: Focused on the lowest two grades of positions, including upgrading Public Health Advocates to Coordinator 1 roles, particularly within the Healthy Baby, Healthy Child program, with associated job description and scope of work changes.
- Legal Services Plan: Establishment of an employer-funded legal services plan.
- Discussion Points:
- EMT Gym Access: Councilor Murphy inquired if SEIU Local 888 members, such as EMTs and call takers, would have free access to police gyms. The administration confirmed this is not part of their current collective bargaining agreement.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
- No public testimony was given. Jamie, a union representative for the BPPA, was signed up but did not appear.
The hearing on Docket Numbers 1967 through 1970 was adjourned. The committee plans to bring these dockets up for a vote at the next City Council meeting.