City Council - Ways & Means Committee Hearing on Dockets #1829-1838

Chair Benjamin Weber called the hearing to order at 10:03 a.m. pursuant to state open meeting provisions, noting the hearing was held virtually via Zoom. Chair Weber read into the record 10 appropriation orders sponsored by Mayor Michelle Wu and referred to the committee on September 30, 2026, which transfer roughly $517,000 from the FY27 collective bargaining reserve to cover salary increases across five bargaining units:

• Boston Police Patrolmen's Association (School Police Patrol Officers) (Dockets 1829 & 1830): Message and order to reduce the FY27 collective bargaining reserve by $268,887 and provide a supplemental appropriation to BPS of $268,887 (read into the record as $286,887). The contract covers September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027, and includes 2% base wage increases in October 2024, 2025, and 2026, alongside annual flat dollar salary increases of $250 (January 2025), $900 (January 2026), and $800 (January 2027).
• Boston School Police Superior Officers Federation (Dockets 1831 & 1832): Message and order to reduce the FY27 collective bargaining reserve by $111,802 and provide a supplemental appropriation to BPS of $111,802. The contract covers July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027, featuring 2% base wage increases in October 2024, 2025, and 2026, and flat dollar increases of $250 (January 2025), $900 (January 2026), and $800 (January 2027).
• SEIU Local 888 Professional Employees Chapter, Department of Planning & Engineering (Dockets 1833 & 1834): Message and order to reduce the FY27 collective bargaining reserve by $85,879 and provide a supplemental appropriation to BPS of $85,879. The contract spans September 1, 2026, through October 31, 2027, providing a 2% base wage increase in September 2026 and an $800 flat dollar addition in January 2027.
• Boston School Department Plant Administrators Association (Dockets 1835 & 1836): Message and order to reduce the FY27 collective bargaining reserve by $40,365 and provide a supplemental appropriation to BPS of $40,365. The agreement runs from September 1, 2026, through October 31, 2027, with a 2% base wage increase in September 2026 and an $800 flat dollar addition in January 2027.
• AFL-CIO Council 93, Local 2814 Storekeepers & Stores Deliverymen's Union (Dockets 1837 & 1838): Message and order to reduce the FY27 collective bargaining reserve by $10,320 and provide a supplemental appropriation to BPS of $10,320. The contract runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027, including a 2% base wage increase in September 2026 and an $800 flat dollar addition in January 2027.

City Budget Director Jim Williamson and BPS Director of the Office of Labor Relations Jeremiah Hassam presented the financial and operational framework of the collective bargaining agreements:

• Reserve Balance: The finalized FY27 budget established an aggregate collective bargaining reserve of $22 million. The City Council previously approved two collective bargaining agreements totaling $3.3 million. The five union contracts before the committee require an aggregate transfer of $517,000.
• Standard Wage Pattern: Director Hassam confirmed that the agreements follow the city's consistent collective bargaining wage pattern (a 2% wage increase plus an $800 flat-dollar raise added across base wages). All contracts have been negotiated collaboratively and ratified by union memberships.
• Budget Structure: In response to questions from Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune clarifying the paired dockets, Director Williamson stated that one set of dockets reduces the citywide collective bargaining reserve while the companion dockets supplement the BPS operating budget.

Councilors engaged BPS leadership and administration panelists on broader operational, legal, and personnel matters:

• Inspector General Report: Councilor Edward Flynn inquired whether findings from a recent state Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report regarding departmental mismanagement affected contract negotiations or procurement procedures. BPS Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford and Director Hassam noted the OIG report did not impact negotiations, though BPS is currently reviewing internal financial and procurement protocols.
• Vendor Payments: Councilor Flynn advised that BPS must ensure all contracted vendors are paid directly rather than routing funds through third-party intermediaries.
• Paraprofessional Staffing: Councilor Flynn questioned the employment status of hundreds of Boston Teachers Union paraprofessionals whose positions were previously cut. Director Hassam responded that the BPS Office of Human Capital is actively working through the recall list and expects to exhaust eligible candidates for open positions.
• BPD/BPS Memorandum of Understanding: Councilor Flynn questioned the status of a long-pending Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BPS and the Boston Police Department. Chief Executive Director of the Office of Safety Services Israel Marrero explained that BPS signed and forwarded a revised MOU to BPD in summer 2025, which remains unsigned by BPD, though both agencies continue to share information under its framework. Councilor Flynn formally requested a copy of the unsigned draft MOU prior to the City Council's upcoming vote.
• Covered Headcount: In response to an inquiry from Councilor John Fitzgerald, Director Hassam estimated the covered staffing levels across the bargaining units: approximately 37 members in Planning and Engineering, 16 Plant Administrators, 6 Storekeepers, roughly 50 Patrol Officers, and roughly 19 Superior Officers.
• Safety Staffing Vacancies: Responding to Chair Weber, Director Marrero confirmed that seven safety officer vacancies were previously eliminated due to budget reductions. Marrero reported four current patrol force vacancies resulting from three retirements and one internal transfer, for which active hiring is underway.
• General Support: Councilors Erin Murphy, Brian Worrell, and Miniard Culpepper voiced their intent to support the funding orders during the upcoming City Council meeting.

Public testimony was received from one speaker:

• Gregory Maynard, representing the Boston Policy Institute, raised concerns regarding statements made by BPS Labor Relations Counsel Mike Ryan during a July School Committee meeting indicating that substantive contractual changes were deferred until next year due to fiscal uncertainty. Maynard asserted this conflicted with earlier budget assertions. Additionally, Maynard argued that because three of the unions (SEIU Local 888, Plant Administrators Association, and AFL-CIO Council 93 Local 2814) operate in divisions subject to recent OIG mismanagement findings, city and school officials must detail how those findings have guided current and future collective bargaining agreements.

• Chair Weber noted central staff would follow up regarding the requested draft memorandum of understanding before bringing the dockets for a full City Council vote.
• With no further speakers or business, the committee hearing adjourned.