By JOHN HOWELL -- Author of legislation that mayors and town managers lobbied so hard for Gov. Gina Raimondo to veto offered no opinion Friday on the outcome of the measure that would leave municipal contracts in place until a successor agreement is
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Author of legislation that mayors and town managers lobbied so hard for Gov. Gina Raimondo to veto offered no opinion Friday on the outcome of the measure that would leave municipal contracts in place until a successor agreement is reached.
“I have faith in the advice of the leadership,” said Warwick Rep. Camille Vella-Wilkinson.
Last Wednesday Raimondo vetoed the bill that easily gained passage in the House and the Senate. In her veto message, Raimondo said the legislation “ties the hands of our municipal leaders – and ultimately binds our taxpayers – to contracts that would never end. Rhode Island already has some of the highest property taxes in the country and I cannot support legislation that would increase this burden on everyday Rhode Islanders.”
Mayor Scott Avedisian, who joined the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns and other municipal leaders in opposing the bill, thanked Raimondo for her veto. He could not say whether there would be an effort to override the veto and if municipal leaders would work to defeat it.
“I think the governor’s veto was pretty direct and pretty clear as to why,” Avedisian said on Friday. “Under normal circumstances, when we have started new negotiations on a contract, one of the first discussions is whether or not you’re going to abide by the old contract and it has worked well to allow us to make those decisions each time we’re negotiating.”
In order for an override, House and Senate leaders would need to reconvene the two bodies and three quarters of the members of both groups would have to vote for the override. House and Senate leaders, who have yet to agree on a state budget, have until the end of the year and the commencement of the 2018 session to reconvene. House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello has talked about a fall session and on Monday Larry Berman, his spokesman said, “There are no new developments on the budget standoff. The Speaker and Senate President met last week and they have another meeting planned for tomorrow.”
Berman went on to say, “Assuming the Senate comes back into session soon to reconsider and pass the House budget, as the president has publicly stated, the Speaker has indicated a willingness to come back in September and complete unfinished legislative business from the session.”
As for whether the Speaker would consider an override of the governor’s veto, Berman said, “He [Mattiello] has not made a determination if that agenda would include taking up any vetoes. He wants to talk to the bill sponsors, his House members and the Senate President before making any decisions on vetoes.”
Vella-Wilkinson said she is not looking at any amendments to the legislation, which would not be possible if it were to come up for an override vote, and that the bill simply puts in place a practice that had successfully taken place for decades.
“We have had labor peace in place for 20 years since the practice has been in place,” she said. She called arguments from municipal leaders that the bill would result in increased municipal costs, “absolutely untrue.”
The root to Vella-Wilkinson’s legislation is the failure of the Warwick School Committee and the Warwick Teachers Union to reach a contract after two years of talks, mediation and arbitration. While in the past 20 years the committee and teachers have been unable to reach an agreement for even longer periods, this administration challenged the practice of working under the terms of the expired contract until a new one is reached. The committee has been successful in gaining the court’s approval to lay off more than the 20 teachers permitted under the prior contract during the consolidation of secondary schools.
Vella-Wilkinson said the bill would “reinstate a practice that works.”
The governor’s veto does not appear to impact the current status of the teacher contract impasse. The union turned down the mediators’ – attorney Vincent Ragosta and Avedisian’s – last best offer that would have given teachers 3 percent pay raises for each of the next three years. The offer did not include retro pay raises for the years teachers were without a contract.
On Monday Darlene Netcoh, president of the Warwick Teachers Union, qualified the so-called “mediators’ offer” as really a “non-binding advisory opinion.” As such, she explained, the mediators had not sought union input in putting together a proposal that was later approved by the School Committee.
“We want another mediation or negotiation session because this is not done,” she said.
Superintendent Philip Thornton said Friday that no additional mediation sessions are planned and he is hopeful that the arbitrator will finalize his findings by the end of the summer. The union said it would accept the arbitrator’s award although findings with financial impacts are non-binding. Thornton said he couldn’t financially bind taxpayers to an agreement without knowing what that cost might be.
Netcoh likewise thought the arbitrator could have a ruling before school starts. Netcoh reiterated that the union would abide by a ruling, but pointed out, in order for it to become a contract, the parties would need to meet to hammer out the language and the School Committee, as well as the union membership, would need to approve the terms.
As for Vella-Wilkinson’s legislation, Netcoh said, “there has been a lot of misinformation and other organizations about Warwick.” She refuted claims the bill would prove costly for taxpayers adding, “this would codify what has been the practice for 25 years.”
In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Netcoh said, “Although there has been much hyperbole from some mayors and school committees, when this bill becomes law, the ability for management to negotiate successor collective bargaining agreements will not end. Instead, there will be a level playing field at the bargaining table for both the employer and the employees. A settled collective bargaining agreement is the result of compromise on both sides. If either side wants a change in language in the successor agreement, then that side needs to bargain and compromise for it. Employers should not be able to wait for a contract to expire and then get their way.”
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richardcorrente
Once again, it is clear that the Teachers Union is willing to sit down and negotiate the final "language" of the new teachers contract and the School Committee is refusing. That is the part of these negotiations that has been wrong since day one. I don't support giving the teachers a contract with more money. I don't support giving the teachers a contract with less money. I just support giving the teachers a contract that's "signed", and that goal is long overdue. Whatever dollar amount they finally receive should be increased because of the delays caused by the School Committee's refusal to meet.
Camille Vella-Wilkinsons legislation "easily gained passage in the House and Senate". (WAY-TO-GO-CAMILLE VELLA-WILKINSON!) The reason it was veto'd by the Governor is that this bill gives stability to the teachers careers. Mayor Avedisian is against it for the same reason. He and the School Committee want the ability to enforce the parts of the contract that benefit the Mayor and the School Committee and ignore the parts that don't. Like having their cake and eating it too. Like having an unfair "control" over the teachers. Camille's bill says that we keep the ENTIRE previous agreement in full force and effect until we have a new one. Not just the parts that benefit only one side OR THE OTHER, regardless as to which side is receiving the benefit.
As Mayor, I would never support "one side" or the other. I would not support a procedure that just benefited the teachers. I would not support a procedure that just benefited the School Committee. That would be equally unfair. My critics will bash me for this. They will say I "pander" to the teachers. They are wrong. I pander to the principle of "fair play". If the School Committee was willing to sit and negotiate and the Warwick Teachers Union was not, I would have the exact opposite view. I think we all would.
Happy Summer everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor
Thursday, July 27, 2017 Report this
CrickeeRaven
-- "As Mayor, I would never support "one side" or the other."
Good thing the fake "mayor" will never be elected; this one comment proves his unfitness for office, as elected officials are supposed to be on "the side" of taxpayers and seek to hold down costs.
-- "I don't support giving the teachers a contract with more money... Whatever dollar amount they finally receive should be increased..."
- So the fake "mayor" states that he doesn't support giving the teachers more money, and then says he thinks they should get more money.
The fake "mayor" continues his unblemished record of humiliating himself on this site, and will certainly embarrass himself in his future comments.
Friday, July 28, 2017 Report this
Thecaptain
Just in case you missed this:
Scal and Crickee,
A bit more to chew on. The payer of the taxes of Mayor Dumbness, Mr. Shackelton, is the owner of the Gateway Plaza that Mayor Dumbness now rents from. Please find attached Secretary of State link to the corporation GW Realty.
http://ucc.state.ri.us/CorpWeb/UCCSearch/UCCFilingHistory.aspx?SearchLapsed=False&UCC1=268228
Having said that, I happen to know people who have rental space at that plaza and the rent checks that they issue are made out to GW Realty. Having rented in a multi tenant facility myself for over 20 years I can attest that my rent was always made out to the corporation and not a personal check to the owner. This begs the question as to how Mayor Dumbness is managing his campaign finances. As evidence to his fiscal mismanagement I would simply enter for the record his complete mismanagement of his own personal finances which put him into foreclosure, tax sale, bankruptcy, credit destruction etc...
I also wonder why he had no retort on this subject matter. Being a student of mathematics, in my studies, 1 + 1 always equals 2. I will have more info to post after my research is complete, and as you all know, I am pretty good at research.
Friday, July 28, 2017 Report this