Advertisement
Boston's Morning Newsletter
A strike at TD Garden? Concession workers will vote on the possibility this weekend
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
TGIF! Today’s the last day for submissions in the state’s annual “Name A Snowplow” contest. I’m told the contest is “only for elementary classrooms,” and thus my submission of “Snow Mazzulla” will not be accepted. Alas.
Let’s get to the news:
Concession workers at TD Garden are raising the threat of a strike in the middle of the Celtics and Bruins’ regular seasons. According to the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1445, about 600 workers at the arena have been working without a contract since August. Now, they’re escalating their frustrations with a vote on Sunday to authorize a potential work stoppage.
- Who does the union include? All sorts of concession workers, from food and beverage vendors to team store workers to employees serving guests in suites, clubs and VIP areas.
- What do they want? The union is seeking higher commission rates to keep up with the rising cost of living in Boston, plus protections from job losses caused by automation. According to union leaders, TD Garden is the sixth-most profitable arena in North America, but has kept commission rates “frozen for years.”
- What happens if they vote to authorize a strike? A “yes” vote this Sunday doesn’t mean an immediate strike, but it allows the union to use the possibility as leverage. “The members wouldn’t walk out Monday, but the timeline from there would depend on how soon the membership wants to take further action and how things at the table progress in the aftermath,” said Jack Kenslea, the political director for UFCW Local 1445. It comes after workers at three Philadelphia stadiums staged a four-day strike earlier this fall during their fight for a new contract.
- On the other side of the bargaining table: A spokesperson for TD Garden’s owner, Delaware North, says they’re negotiating in good faith “to reach a fair agreement … while upholding our exceptional service standards and avoiding event interruption at TD Garden.”
Advertisement
Meanwhile: Leaders in the North Shore school districts affected by teachers strikes last month are figuring out how to make up all those lost days. The strikes cost each of the three school systems at least 10 classroom days. WBUR’s Dan Guzman has details on their plans:
- In Gloucester, the superintendent announced yesterday that classes will be held on four days during February break — and then six days will be added to the end of the school year in June.
- In Beverly, the school committee approved a plan Wednesday to hold classes on Dec. 23 and on four days during February break, and on Saturday once a month from January through May.
- In Marblehead, officials are debating between two plans that roughly follow the above options — and plan to decide next week.
- The catch: For makeup days to count, the schools need to have at least 50% of students attend class (i.e. not everyone can play hooky for pre-planned ski vacations). “I think we’re going to have to make a concerted effort all around and make sure that we get our kids in school and our families understand the importance of that,” Beverly Superintendent Suzanne Charochak said.
Tunny troubles: MassDOT says a clogged pipe was what caused the scary-looking flooding in the Ted Williams Tunnel during Wednesday night’s storm. Officials had to shut down the tunnel’s westbound ramp to I-93 for several hours — but not before videos of cars driving through the near-window-height waves went viral on social media.
- Somewhat ironically, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said the recent drought was a contributing factor. “There’s a lot of road debris that comes off of trucks and comes off of cars just on a regular basis that ends up building up,” he said. “When you have as long [of a] drought as we have, they’re not getting flushed through the system.” Gulliver said it took a 10,000-gallon pump truck and another specialized vehicle to clear the clog.
Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell’s domestic violence trial has been resolved through a deal with prosecutors. She’ll serve six months of administrative probation, after admitting in court to assaulting her husband. She had been accused of hitting her husband with a small metal tool and biting him during an argument in July. (In court documents, O’Connell said it was self-defense.)
- As WJAR reports, it’s not technically a guilty plea. And if O’Connell stays out of trouble during the six-month period, the judge says the case will be dismissed.
P.S.— Why did a local judge dismiss charges against a Karen Read supporter? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of the stories we covered this week.
