An Agreement in Agency Talks

Community Services and Union Reach Tentative First Accord; Joint
Committee to Study Salary Parity Issues

By MANDY LOCKE

After more than 18 months of bitter division, Martha's
Vineyard Community Services leaders, nurses and mental health counselors
shook hands Monday evening moments after settling their first union
contract.

"I give both sides credit for hanging in there. [During the
last few months], we became a ‘we' instead of an ‘us
and them,'" said Ned Robinson-Lynch, executive director of
community services.

For some employees, resolution was bittersweet - a goal gained
after more than 30 bargaining sessions, after the departure of more than
ten mental health counselors and after a public, and often personal,
battle with management.

"People are kind of like, yep, it's done. It's
unfortunate that it took so long, and we lost so many people. I'm
really cynical about the whole thing," said Amy Lilavois, an
Island Counseling Center (ICC) employee and one of the counselors who
pushed for unionization nearly two years ago.

"I'm glad it's signed, but I'm not happy
with everything in it. There's room for growth," she added.

The contract, with a ratification vote set March 1, calls for a
three per cent annual raise for employees of ICC and Visiting Nurse
Services (VNS), another group of employees covered under the agreement.
These employees, along with every other employee of Community Services,
have already received this raise.

The two-year contract also calls for a possible wage reexamination
this fall. A parity committee, including members of the board,
management and both ICC and VNS, will be formed to look at Community
Services wages compared to peer agencies in the region.

"The main thing that came out of the contract is a roadway to
reach parity. It spells out a way to get a fair wage and helps us figure
out what we can live with," said Rob Doyle, an ICC employee and a
member of the union's negotiation team.

Based on the parity report, if both sides cannot agree on
adjustments, an independent fact finder will make recommendations. If
management and the union still cannot agree by May 1, the groups head
back to the formal negotiation table this fall.

"May 1 is a big day here. If nothing happens, we'll be
back to square one," said Ms. Lilavois.

A salary dispute - a $200,000 gap between what management
offered and what staff demanded - stalled contract negotiations
for much of last year. In October, mental health counselors threatened
to strike if management did not budge. In a last ditch effort to avoid a
walkout, agency leaders and staff stepped behind closed doors for
informal talks.

Management credits these "off-the-record" talks for
setting the stage for contract agreement.

"It was helpful to the process to talk directly without the
union and the lawyers. It provided a sense of common ground and common
interest," said Mr. Robinson-Lynch.

During these informal talks, board members spoke directly with
employee representatives for the first time in more than a year.
Employees had been calling for their intervention for months.

"We learned a great deal through the process. It was a good
listening experience," said Terry Burke, who became president of
the board in October. Four board members sat in on these informal
discussions, Ms. Burke said.

"We really became people to each other, rather than opposites.
It paved the way for everyone to go back to regular negotiations,"
Ms. Burke added.

Last month, union and management had reached an agreement on all but
one contract item - an issue which became a sticking point for
some Visiting Nurse Service employees. The union pushed for a closed
shop, a clause which would have forced every ICC and VNS employee to
join the union. Management wanted everyone to have a choice.

Last week, eight nurses took a stand - sending a letter to
management and fellow bargaining unit members, saying they would quit
their jobs if forced to be dues-paying members of the union.

The union budged. The final agreement calls for new hires to join
the union, while current employees have a choice. The contract applies
to staff of ICC and VNS regardless of their union status.

"The nurses aren't happy. They never wanted to be part
of this to begin with," said Ms. Lilavois.

ICC employees invited a union into the agency nearly two years ago
- complaining of poor wages and bad communication with
administration. Shortly after these employees filed a petition to the
National Labor Relations Board for union representation, many VNS
employees were added to the voting bloc.

The divides were clear from the beginning. During the organizing
vote, 22 employees voted in favor, while nine opposed the union. Three
ballots were challenged. Shortly after the vote, nurses publicly took
credit for the nine oppositions.

A lot has changed within Island Counseling Center since the union
vote in June of 2002.

Ms. Lilavois counted at least ten mental health counselors, of the
original 27, who left the agency since the union battle began. Their
departures, she said, were partially, if not fully, due to frustrations
with the work environment. Jane Dreeben, a substance abuse counselor and
an outspoken and involved union organizer, was among those mental health
counselors to leave.

ICC administrator Stephen Barnes took another job on the mainland
late last year, and even the agency's labor attorney was not there
for Monday's handshake. Richard Perras, managing partner of
Edwards and Angell, is in the process of retiring from the Boston law
firm, Mr. Robinson-Lynch said. Mr. Perras, a seasonal resident of the
Vineyard, had been offering legal services to the agency pro bono for 11
years.

Healing will take time and vigilance, both leaders and employees
said this week.

"[Healing] will happen for two reasons. Now that negotiations
are over, we can all go back to the work of Community Services. It was a
terrible distraction, and it took a tremendous amount of energy out of
everybody. The contract is going to provide guidelines and procedures
for a great many areas that we'll all be working toward,"
said Ms. Burke.

Mr. Doyle agreed that having a contract will allow the agency to
once again fully invest in its counseling work.

"We didn't ignore clients. But have we been innovative?
No," Mr. Doyle said.

Mr. Doyle and Ms. Lilavois said that the agency's ability to
move beyond this tumultuous time largely depends on the board of
directors.

"The board's got to stay closely involved, and the
community's got to keep a close watch," said Ms. Lilavois.