Contract Settlement with DPW Workers May Be Near
More than 100 people turned out for a rally on March 19 to support Amherst DPW's negotiations for a fair contract. Photo: Art Keene
The Amherst DPW Workers Association (ADPWA) announced at a rally on the town’s North Common on March 19 that the town and the union are nearing an agreement on a new contract. ADPWA President Andrew Brace described the last bargaining session as “the most productive meeting that we have ever had.” He said he hopes to have something finalized soon. An agreement would conclude 17 months of on-and-off negotiations, which began in November of 2024. DPW employees have been working without a contract for the past eight months. The union seeks redress for low wages, understaffing, and unsafe working conditions.
More than 100 DPW workers, members of other local unions, and town residents turned out for the rally, which was preceded by a standout at the town’s main intersection. As was the case at their March 2 rally at the same location, DPW workers, dressed in their municipal yellow winter jackets, held signs attesting to the essential work that they do for the community and highlighting their contract demands. Passing motorists honked horns and shouted support from open car windows.
Representatives of the following unions and labor organizations joined the rally in solidarity: Amherst Pelham Education Association, Graduate Employees Organization (UMass), Mass Society of Professors (UMass), Professional Staff Union (UMass), Western Mass Area Labor Federation, and United Auto Workers Local 2322.
Previous Rally Jumpstarted Negotiations
DPW workers held a rally on March 2 demanding that the town return to the bargaining table, following months in which the Town Manager refused to engage with them. The union had attempted to schedule a meeting with the town council following that rally but President Mandi Jo Hanneke scheduled the meeting exclusively as an executive session, denying workers the opportunity to formally share their concerns with the council. However, members of the council voted not to go into executive session. Hanneke then denied requests from councilors to allow the workers an opportunity to make public comment, arguing that because public comment had not been on the agenda, it would be a violation of Open Meeting Law. The meeting then adjourned without conducting any business. Following the meeting, nine councilors remained in the room as did the Town Manager and listened as DPW workers spontaneously began to voice their grievances.
A day prior to the first rally, Town Manager Paul Bockelman announced that he would return to the bargaining table, writing in an email, “Our DPW workers are highly valued colleagues and true first responders. Their incredible work has been on full display during the multiple large snowstorms this Winter and the subsequent clean-up efforts. They are on duty seven days a week, serving the Town to ensure vital services are readily available.”
“I am committed to working with our union leaders to reach a settlement that is fair, that makes needed investments, and that is financially sustainable for the Town.”
“Last week, Union leadership and I agreed to continue meeting this week. I will re-double my efforts to reach an agreement.”
The initial resumption of bargaining was apparently not fruitful as Brace reported that the town did not produce a counter-offer to the union’s proposal. But this week the town came back with a productive offer, the details of which have not yet been shared with the public.
John Foster, the town’s drinking water supervisor and a member of the bargaining team, told the rally that the union will not get everything it seeks but that the impending contract is a good start. He said, “While I believe that we will soon have a contact that we can all sign, I also believe that there is more to do. I challenge the Town of Amherst to make a commitment that the DPW will be a priority in this upcoming budget as well as in future budgets, because even after this contract, we will still be underpaid in many positions compared with other similar towns. But I do acknowledge that fixing these large issues will take planning and time. . . .We also need to address a sick building before it makes all of us sick.”
Foster was referring to long-standing unsafe work conditions at the DPW building that include standing water, toxic mold, poor air quality and exposure to carcinogens. He concluded that it is because of the strong support the union has received from the community that the town is finally listening and has come to the table with something worth bargaining for.
Special Meeting of Town Council Scheduled to Hear DPW Workers
Town Councilors Ellisha Walker (Vice President, at-large) and Amber Cano-Martin (District 2) announced at the rally that the union and members of the publc have been invited to a special session of the Town Council on Monday, March 30, to give them an opportunity to formally share with the council the challenges still facing the DPW. The meeting was called by town councilors Ellisha Walker, Amber Cano-Martin, Jill Brevik (District 1), and Jennifer Taub (District 4). Cano-Martin invited both DPW workers and town residents to attend and offer public comment.
Cano-Martin told the rally, “A little over two weeks ago we came together at this exact spot to educate the public about low wages, understaffing, and the poor working conditions faced by the DPW workers. We wanted to rally for a fair contract and for the Town Manager to return to the bargaining table. At that time, we knew that the Town Manager had agreed to a meeting the following day. . .and we were cautiously optimistic about the renewed negotiations. Bringing Paul Bockelman back to the bargaining table was a direct result of the hard work of [ADPWA] President [Andrew] Brace and all of the members. He would not have come back to the table if you had not been willing to stand up for yourselves. . .”
Walker added, “I want to say this clearly. We see you, we hear you, and we are standing with you. The work that you do every single day keeps this town running, keeps our streets safe, our systems functioning, and our community moving forward, and for far too long, the work has not been met with respect and the staffing and wages that you deserve. What you are doing right now, showing up, speaking out, standing together, is what power looks like and how accountability is held. . .I have been advocating at our weekly leadership meetings so that the council can have this conversation publicly. I have been meeting with Amber [Cano-Martin] and others to explore how we can support you all. You have us, and the community, willing to fight for you. You should not have to be in this fight alone, just to be treated fairly, and all of these people here, as you look around, will stand with you. So please know this: we are with you in this moment and we will continue to stand with you until there is an outcome that reflects your value, your labor, and your dignity.”
Other elected town officials attending the rally were Town Councilor Sam MacLeod (District 5) and School Committee member Laura Jane Hunter.
The special meeting of the Town Council to hear from DPW workers will be held on Monday, March 30, at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Room of Town Hall and will likely also be accessible over Zoom, though that has not yet been confirmed. The agenda for that meeting has not yet been posted, and the Indy will add a link to it here as soon as it becomes available.