Boston City Council Bans Staff NDAs, Rejects Broader Citywide Amendment

BOSTON -- February 5, 2025, Boston City Council unanimously adopted a policy banning non-disclosure agreements for council staff while rejecting a broader amendment to extend the prohibition citywide. Councilor Benjamin J. Weber sponsored Docket 0190, which prohibits councilors from requiring employees, volunteers, or interns to sign NDAs, non-disparagement clauses, or confidentiality agreements as a condition of employment, and renders any existing such agreements unenforceable going forward. The policy, modeled on a 2019 Massachusetts Senate ban, passed 11-0 after Councilor Edward M. Flynn's amendment to add recommendatory language covering all city departments failed four to three, with four members voting present. Councilor Erin J. Murphy and Flynn announced a home rule petition to extend the ban citywide is in preparation. The council also passed a $5 million grant for renovation of the Nazzaro Community Center in the North End and a time-sensitive $456,500 coastal resilience grant for East Boston and Revere that expires June 2025.