Board alleges cafeteria union negotiated in bad faith

BRISTOL, Conn. — The Board of Education and the cafeteria workers are battling again.

In the latest move in the school board’s fight to outsource school food services, it filed a complaint with the state’s Board of Labor Relations alleging the cafeteria workers union negotiated a tentative agreement in bad faith.

The move mirrors the union’s complaint to the same state board last year that the school board settled a previous tentative agreement in bad faith. The state ruled in the union’s favor on its complaint and the school board appealed in court. The board asked a judge for a stay of the state decision so it could continue with its outsourcing efforts. The stay was denied and the appeal has not yet been decided.

Larry Amara, the school board’s chairman, said the new complaint refers to an agreement negotiated with the union back in January. The agreement settled issues, including two years of back pay for the workers, who have been working without a contract since 2013.

Both sides signed and ratified it, but now the union is reneging on its agreement to include the tentative agreement in the new contract, Amara said.

“They are claiming the Board of Ed is changing their mind about stuff, which is absolutely not true,” Amara said. “We haven’t changed one word of that settlement agreement, they just won’t sign it. They won’t give a reason.”

“So we were left with no other alternative but to go after them legally,” he added.

Larry Dorman, public affairs director for Council 4, countered that the new complaint is “baseless.” Council 4 AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) includes Local 2267, which represents the 53 Bristol cafeteria workers.

Dorman said “the reason we wouldn’t sign off is because they’re trying to stick in language that essentially would allow them to ignore the force of the rulings that have come down against outsourcing.”

The board has also filed a new request for proposals for a food service management contract. The new RFP is dated May 11 and states that the board is accepting proposals until 2 p.m. on June 11. At this time proposals will be opened in the city purchasing office.

Amara said the move is simply a continuation of the outsourcing process that was approved by the state.

In early 2014, the state Board of Mediation and Arbitration granted the school board the right to privatize school food service operations, although the union has also filed a lawsuit to vacate that ruling.

Two years have gone by since the last RFP, this is just research to see if companies have changed in what they are willing to offer, Amara said. “We’ve been saying right along that outsourcing is going to happen, but I want to make sure that we do the research and know what we’re doing.”