Boston City Council panel advances $3.2M in BPS union contract funding

BOSTON -- February 13, 2023, Boston City Council committee clears $3.2 million in Boston Public Schools collective bargaining funds. The Committee on City Services and Innovation Technology, chaired by Councillor Liz Breadon, advanced eight paired appropriation orders covering four BPS unions, bus monitors, custodians, safety service specialists, and the Administrative Guild, ahead of a full council vote expected February 15. City budget director Jim Williamson said the transfers will draw the collective bargaining reserve from roughly $75.4 million to $36.2 million. The bus monitor contract drew the most scrutiny, including a COVID market adjustment and a planned switch from per-run to hourly pay that BPS hopes to complete by the start of the next school year. Councillor Erin J. Murphy pressed the administration on whether 2 to 2.5 percent annual raises are sufficient, noting the city issued 357 residency waivers last year in part because city workers cannot afford to live in Boston. BPS labor relations director Jeremiah Hassan estimated retroactive pay could reach workers within six to eight weeks of council approval.