To the editor:
The North Shore Labor Council of the AFL-CIO condemns the behavior of Marblehead Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer for his continual and habitual disrespect towards town employees throughout the collective bargaining process. Members of the Marblehead Municipal Employees Union, represented by the IUE-CWA Local 1776, have been forced to continue working for over seven months after their contract expired. Thatcher Kezer has missed or forgotten to attend bargaining sessions, even those that have included a state-provided mediator.
Even elementary aspects of bargaining, such as the mandatory fulfillment of information requests to ensure full transparency, have gone unanswered by town officials. The lack of progress in negotiations can be read as deliberately obstructive and contrary to the rights of Marblehead Town employees.
While obstructing negotiations internally, Thatcher Kezer has also not been forthright with the Select Board and residents of Marblehead about the lack of progress in negotiations. We condemn this anti-union behavior and the regular lack of communication with the Select Board and town residents. All interested parties have a right to know about the status of these negotiations.
We call on Town Administrator Kezer to immediately rectify his obstructive behavior and to bargain with the Union in good faith. We call on Town Administrator Kezer to increase transparency with the Select Board and the public about the progress of negotiations, including but not limited to holding open bargaining sessions if necessary. We also call on the Select Board to increase their oversight of the process to ensure that real progress is being made.
We hope that all parties will reach a fair and dignified contract before the next Marblehead Town Meeting. We urge all parties to redouble their efforts to reach a speedy and satisfactory conclusion.
In Solidarity,
North Shore Labor Council, AFL-CIO
