A municipal union grievance over hiring practices was settled Wednesday evening just minutes before a scheduled Select Board hearing, with the town agreeing to upgrade an Engineering Department clerk’s pay grade.
Representatives from all four of Marblehead’s unions had gathered outside Abbot Hall’s Washington Street entrance in a show of solidarity, creating a sea of red-clad workers before officials called the involved parties inside for negotiations.
“A lot of things have transpired in the past few days since the agenda posted on Thursday,” said Lisa Lyons, the engineering department clerk at the center of the dispute. “There were lots of people sending in emails supporting me and my experience and my work and the injustice of being not awarded the job I was overqualified for.”
The settlement granted Lyons a grade 6 pay classification — which pays between $1,113.23-1,358.14 per week — and retroactive pay to Sept. 30 — matching the salary level of an external candidate who was hired for a similar clerk position in another department.
“Nothing against him, I mean, I think he’s great,” Lyons said of the external hire. “But it was just an inconsistency in the hiring practice, in the interview process, and more specifically, without getting in the dirt, they absolutely need me in engineering.”
Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer explained the dispute centered on interpreting the union contract’s hiring provisions. “Within the union contract, it says if all else is equal between the candidates, we hire the union person,” Kezer said. “We considered the outside candidate as superior, and the union considered the other person superior.”
The resolution came through brief negotiations just before the scheduled hearing, with Dan Fox representing town leadership. The union successfully argued for both a grade upgrade and step increase to match the compensation of the recently hired external candidate.
“It’s like you’re going to court on a case, and the two parties having disputes settle before they get in front of the judge,” Kezer said of the last-minute resolution.
Marblehead Municipal Employees Union President Terri Tauro expressed frustration over the process that led to the public standout. “I think it’s terrible that I didn’t get an answer to my step two grievance, and that we had to force their hands,” Tauro said. “They should have just gotten in a room and talked to me. I would have talked.”
Kezer clarified the grievance timeline, noting he had responded at step one as department head. “Then it comes to me as step two. In the contract, you either respond or after seven days it automatically [advances],” he said, explaining the progression to step three.
The agreement comes as the MMEU and town continue broader contract negotiations, with about 100 union members working under an expired contract since July. The union has raised concerns about salary disparities, particularly cases where senior employees train new hires who receive higher compensation.
While this individual case was resolved, it spotlights larger classification issues affecting other municipal employees. Two clerks who attended Wednesday’s standout confirmed they face similar disparities with grade 6 positions in other departments.
Tauro said the quick settlement validated the union’s strategy of bringing the issue into the public eye. When asked if she thought the pressure of the planned standout influenced the outcome, she responded: “Absolutely, 100 percent.”
