Sandwich unions accept pay freeze
By George Brennan Cape Cod Times
gbrennan@capecodonline.com
April 17, 2009 6:00 AM
SANDWICH — Five more town unions have agreed to forgo pay raises next year, a gesture that could save the town as much as $350,000 if those employees had negotiated a contract with a 3.5 percent increase.

In all, six unions, all the department heads and even selectmen have made salary concessions for next year.

"It's not so much to help us for this year, but we're projecting big deficits for (fiscal years) 2011 and 2012," Town Manager George "Bud" Dunham said.

In the next two years, the town projects deficits of $2.7 million and $3.8 million.

"I think we all realize we're going to have to have a (Proposition 2½) override, in the next year or two; it's going to be needed," Dunham said. "If it fails, we're looking at losing 15 percent of our workforce."

Dunham had asked the unions to agree to the pay freeze last week, and the firefighters union agreed immediately. This week, the town's two police unions, department of public works, clerical workers and dispatchers all followed suit.

"More than anything, we felt in light of what's going on with the economy and town it was the right thing to do," Michael Hoadley, president of the patrolmen's union, said yesterday.

Town officials applauded the decision by the unions.

"It's a wonderful gesture, but the reality is that it gives us a year to plan," Selectmen Chairwoman Linell Grundman said. "I'm grateful they've given us breathing space right now."

All of the union contracts expire July 1.

The school department will make $1.4 million in budget cuts, including as many as 20 staff positions, to meet the town's 2 percent budget cap, Supt. Mary Ellen Johnson said yesterday.

Teachers, who still have a year remaining on their contract, have not been asked to forgo their 3.5 percent raises, she said.

"We have adequate enough staffing so we can make progress and even do some things we haven't done in past," she said. That includes offering a foreign language to younger students, she said.

Johnson, who is scheduled to receive a $5,500 raise to boost her salary to $157,500 as of July 1, said she has not decided whether to follow the lead of other town department heads and not take a raise. "That would be premature to comment on that," she said.