To the editor:
The members of the Marblehead Municipal Employee Union deserve a fair contract — one that offers competitive pay and modern, manageable working conditions. In a surprise to no one, Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer is once again turning negotiations between the town and its municipal employees into a hostile and unproductive sham.
MMEU members provide invaluable services to our town and are essential to maintaining the quality of life Marblehead residents enjoy. Yet, these dedicated public employees are working under an outdated and expired contract, long overdue for a cost-of-living raise.
The town administration wants residents to believe Marblehead can pay its bills without asking voters for a general override this year. However, this determination should not come at the expense of exploiting hard-working municipal employees. As the MEA has been saying for months, Marblehead must face reality when it comes to its costs and revenues. The town needs to take the necessary steps to properly fund municipal services and schools it has been actively starving for too long.
If town officials are serious about addressing the financial catastrophe we are all watching in real-time, Marblehead can both plan for a future override and settle a fair contract now — one that offers fair and well-deserved wages over the life of the agreement.
Kezer’s antagonistic bargaining tactics are exceedingly apparent and distracting from the real work that must be done to secure a realistic, long-term fiscal plan that supports the kind of community Marblehead residents want and deserve.
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Marblehead Education E-board: Co-president Jonathan Heller; Co-president Sally Shevory; Treasurer Robin Feins, Secretary Coby Carlucci; Mary Miles, political action; Samantha Rosato, new member liaison; Meg Burns, Brown School building representative.; Hanna Partyka, Glover School building rep.; Shelley Burns, Village School building rep.; Marissa Hunt-Pomeroy, MVMS building rep; Ali Carey, MHS building rep.; and James Douglas, custodian rep.
