Hartford reaches deal with smallest labor group

Feb. 22-- Feb. 22--The city has reached a deal with its smallest bargaining unit -- a group of municipal attorneys -- that includes pay freezes and a move to a high-deductible health plan.

The six-year contract, which runs retroactively from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2021, includes four years of wage freezes and two pay raises. The union's 11 employees, all of whom work in the Hartford corporation counsel's office, will receive a 2 percent raise in the 2019-20 fiscal year and a 2 percent raise in 2020-21.

Workers agreed to switch from a preferred provider health plan to a high-deductible one with a health savings account beginning July 1, 2019.

Mayor Luke Bronin said he did not know how much the concessions saved the city, but that the Municipal Lawyers' Association agreed to similar givebacks as Hartford's other labor groups.

"Almost all of our unions have agreed to make some very significant changes," he said. "I appreciate MLA supporting an agreement that includes four years of zero wage increases and a shift in the health plan as we've done for each of the unions.

"While the MLA is a very small bargaining unit, we've worked hard to achieve similarly significant concessions. I'm grateful to them for approving the deal."

Jonathan Beamon, a city attorney who is a spokesman for the union, called the deal "fair," but declined further comment.

Members of the labor group also agreed to increase their pension contributions and to end a practice known as "runout," which allowed employees to remain on the books for weeks or months after they departed their city positions.

Runout let workers stay on the payroll for the duration of their unused sick and vacation time. During that period, they were able to continue collecting paychecks and benefiting from the city's health insurance plan. Hartford abolished the practice for nonunion employees in 2013.

The city council must approve the agreement.

Following the deal, only one city union is still working toward a new contract. The Hartford Municipal Employees Association, which represents workers in supervisory and management roles throughout Hartford, including in public works, finance and the city treasurer's office, is in arbitration and close to a resolution, officials said.

Over the last two years, as the city dealt with a financial crisis that nearly resulted in a bankruptcy filing, several unions, including police, fire and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 4, Local 1716, have agreed to new contracts that include pay freezes and reductions in health care plans.

Jenna Carlesso can be reached at [email protected].

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