Marshfield police complain of missing wages; state to investigate
In a complaint to the Department of Labor Relations dated Feb. 24, the Association of Marshfield Police, the union for the police department, accused the town of failing to pay employees the full amount they were owed under their collective bargaining agreement.
The union is seeking “wages and benefits commensurate with those granted to fire department employees during their recent collective bargaining agreement MOA.”
The complaint did not share the amount of money allegedly owed to police department employees.
The labor relations representatives for the town and the union, Russell Dupere and Tim Burke, both declined requests for comment.
Second complaint charges select board chair
In a March 2 select board meeting, Select Board Chair Eric Kelley acknowledged the charge against the town in a statement claiming that the charges were untrue and asking police department employees to be patient with ongoing collective bargaining discussions.
“It appears Tim Burke and leadership of the Association of Marshfield Police Department decided to play politics after one round of discussions,” he said.
In a March 13 letter to the Department of Labor Relations, the Association of Marshfield Police accused Kelley of breaking collective bargaining law with his statement by violating “principles of good faith bargaining.”
The document pointed specifically to the accusation of “playing politics” and denying the charges.
“The statements tend to interfere, coerce, or restrain employees in their exercise of collective bargaining rights under the law,” it read. “These statements are wholly unacceptable and contrary to the principles outlined in MGL 150E.”
The Department of Labor Relations responded March 19 with its intention to investigate the charges.
Union in violation of labor laws, DLR says
Before the Department of Labor Relations notified the town and union Feb. 27 that it intended to investigate the charge, it sent a letter to the union Feb. 24 that its records showed the union to be out of compliance with Massachusetts general law chapter 150E, sections 13 and 14.
The letter did not say which provisions of sections 13 and 14 the police union violated. Section 13 mandates that an employee organization provide its “name, the name and address of its secretary or other officer to whom notices may be sent, the date of its organization, and its affiliations, if any, with other organizations.” Section 14 deals with record-keeping in employee organizations: they must track members, dues, fines, transactions and more, and provide yearly financial reports to their members.
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