Forty-seven PMUA workers are now members of Teamsters Local 97, following contract ratification by the authority's board at a special meeting Wednesday.
The long-sought contract runs from Jan. 1, 2011 to December 31, 2015 and covers workers at the Rock Avenue transfer station.
The board met briefly in closed session to discuss the contract and personnel matters. In open session, the roll call vote to ratify the contract included "yes" votes by Commissioners Henry Robinson and Michelle Graham-Lyons and Chairman Charles Tyndale. New Commissioners Jacinth Clayton-Hunt and Robin Bright abstained. Commissioner Carol Brokaw was absent. As the second alternate, Commissioner Pedro Estevez did not need to vote.
The personnel matter turned out to involve a new candidate for the post of executive director, who will be interviewed between now and the July meeting. The candidate was not named.
The last executive director, Dan Williamson, had a three-year contract ending July 1 and was not offered a renewal. The board chose Somerville Public Works Director Rodney Hedley in May over Brokaw's objection that he was not among finalists in a board review of candidates. Hedley was expected to start in mid-June, but withdrew, causing extension of a contract for Bryan Christiansen to serve as interim executive director.
Christiansen said the next meeting will be on July 9, and the July 14 meeting will be canceled. In August, the PMUA board will have just one meeting on Aug. 11. Check the PMUA web site for agendas.
--Bernice
The wise-cracking Chairman Charles Tyndale and his wiseguy colleague Henry Robinson are showing the same contempt for the public as their predecessors. Why do they even bother with their meetings? They'd much rather be in executive session where they can bottle up their activities out of sight of the public, because once in the daylight, like the Boards before them, they obfuscate and are unable to address questions with answers. They are, as always, vague about the tonnage and the cost of disposal, particularly what is generated by common areas and tucked away in the shared services fee that is tacked onto every bill whether or not you've opted out of residential solid waste service. The board still does not allow for public comment at meetings before it takes official action, and it looks very much like it is more than happy to perpetuate the bait-and-switch regarding the Solid Waste Lease and City Appropriation that first defrauded Plainfield's residents in 1998 (Section 203B of the Interlocal Agreement). It is unbelievable that after several years of negotiations the commissioners can ratify a union contract without providing a shred of information about the terms of the pact or its fiscal impact, and see no reason to say a word about any of it before casting their votes.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it about PMUA, that once aboard, commissioners become protectors of an opaque and ultimately abusive empire, and put aside any pretense of working in the public interest? We are essentially being told that as long as garbage is picked up and sewage gets flushed down the drain we should be content with everything else and just pipe-down. More than that is none of our business. We cannot expect substantive agency reforms, or any meaningful downward pressure on PMUA's above-market rates, as long as the authority's management and leadership is in the hands of the arrogant and entitled. If I were a union member, or just any old employee, I would be very wary of an agency whose management won't look you straight in the eye and has a track record of not living up to the terms of the agreements it makes or the rules it is supposed to adhere to.
Henry Robinson and Jacinth Clayton-Hunt aka (Jazz) are both Eric Watson's close allies. Wow Eric Watson once again runs the PMUA. Mayor Mapp I can not believe this. Council women Williams I am very surprise you didn't do your homework.
ReplyDeleteWell said Mr. Goldstein.
ReplyDeleteThis Board is such a joke. No experience or leadership and no leadership at the executive level. It all about political favors and not about us the residents. There is no way we can expect for the PMUA to get better or male any substantial decrease in our rates. The only executive leadership that we have is Eric Watson and he is the one that got us where we are now. Yes he is still running the fiasco if you didn't know.
ReplyDeleteNumerous efforts spannimg years to obtain the analysis which justifies the Shared Service charge have been futile. The reason is that there is no analysis. The household collection fee charged by private haulers is duplicated by the PMUA. Whatever additional money is needed to support the budget is charged to Shared Services.
ReplyDeleteIf the PMUA were to charge the appropriate amount for household collection large portions the public would opt out and the resulting loss in income would devastate the PMUA.
As to the labor settlement the public has a right to know the terms and conditions. For 3 years the PMUA has set aside a contingent sum in order to apply it to the settlement once the settlement was reached. Was the sum sufficient, or not? Is there a surplus or shortfall? What impact will the settlement terms have on future budgets? This is not a private matter. This is a public agency and the public has aright to know.
Bill Kruse