Okay.

Yes, I'm having some computer issues now.

We can I think it's very uh hearing um do we have uh one panelists and then time, but then we have a little absence from council and it's uh sky diving today.

Um, okay, no, no.

So it seemed like a game.

Yeah, no, I already took a sky diving, and that's in the fashion, and uh, that's uh, seems fair.

So, what's going on in the state?

Um, okay, so uh I I'm on my computer now.

Um, we waiting for the uh definitely, I'm just gonna go to the list.

Okay.

Um, uh I'm That's coming on the computer.

Just give me one second.

I'm gonna hang up here on my phone if you promote me.

Um everyone, uh, good morning.

Uh, for the record, uh, my name is Ben Weber, and I'm the chair of the Ways and Means Committee and the District Six City Councilor.

Uh okay.

Um, uh today is May thirteenth, two thousand twenty-six, and the exact time is nine thirty-seven a.m.

Uh, in accordance with chapter two of the acts of two thousand twenty five modifying certain requirements of the open meeting law and relieving public bodies of certain requirements, including the requirement that they conduct their meetings in a public place that are open and physically accessible to the public.

The city council will be conducting this hearing virtually via Zoom.

This hearing is being recorded, it's also being live streamed at Boston.gov slash city dash council-tv and broadcast on Xfinity Channel Eight, RCM channel eighty-two, and five channel nine sixty-four.

Written comments may be sent to the committee at CCC.wm at Boston.gov and will be made part of the record and available to all counselors.

Public testimony will be taken at the end of the hearing.

Individuals will be called on the order which they've signed up and have two minutes to testify.

If you wish to sign up for public testimony, please email our central staff liaison Chrisma John at K-A-R-I-S-H-M-A.CHOUHAM at Boston.gov for the zoom link, and your name will be added to the list.

This morning's hearing is on four dockets related to collective bargaining between the city and Boston Police Detectives, Benevolent Society, and superior officers.

People can still hear me.

Not your head.

Okay, great.

Um, so docket number zero nine zero nine message in order for your approval in order to reduce the FY26 appropriation for the reserve for collective bargaining by one million nine hundred fifty-one thousand eight hundred ninety-four dollars to provide funding for the Boston Police Department for the FY26 increases contained within the collective bargaining agreements between the City of Boston and the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society.

Um or BPD B uh BS, which if I refer to that as the Detective's Pennevelus Society.

Okay, docket number zero nine one zero message in order for a supplemental appropriation order for the Boston Police Department for FY26 and the amount of one million nine hundred fifty-one thousand eight hundred ninety-four dollars to cover the FY26 cost items contained within the collective bargaining agreement between the City of Boston and the BPDBS.

The terms of the contract are July 1st, 2025 through June 30th, 2026.

The major provisions of the contract include a base wage increase of 2% in July of 2025.

Contract also contains an update to hazardous duty pay and amended language around sick time buyback at retirement.

Docket number 0911 message in order for your approval an order to reduce the FY26 appropriation for the reserve for collective bargaining by $1,366,093 to provide funding for the Boston Police Department for the FY26 increases contained within the collective bargaining agreements between the City of Boston and the B Boston Police Detective Benevolent Society Superior Officers Unit.

Docket number 0912 message in order for a supplemental appropriation order for the Boston Police Department for FY26 and the amount of $1,366,093 to cover the FY26 cost items contained within the collective bargaining agreements between the City of Boston and the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society Superiors Officers Unit.

The terms of the contract are July 1st, 2025 through June 30th, 2026.

The major provisions of the contract include a base wage increase of 2% in July 2025.

The contract also contains an update to hazardous duty pay and amended language around paid details and summer vacation schedules.

These matters were sponsored by Mayor Michelle Wu and referred to the committee on May 6, 2026.

And joined by my colleagues in order of arrival, Councillor Ed Flynn, Councilor Aaron Murphy, Counselor John Fitzgerald.

We're also joined by our panelists.

So let's uh I don't know, who do you have a presentation?

Let's just get to it and then we'll get to questions.

No council, I usually just uh introduced what the transaction that we have before us.

So uh thank you, uh Chim Weber and other uh members to the council.

Uh as you said, my name is uh Jim Williamson.

I'm the budget director here at the city of Boston, and I'm joined by my colleagues from the labor relations department and the police department to uh to uh uh speak for these uh uh four appropriation uh orders that are before you.

Um we appreciate this opportunity to both uh uh explain uh the financial transactions they represent and um the impact to the labor force and uh ask for your support in approving these dockets at your next council meeting.

Um so uh I think you articulated the dockets.

There's one dot uh two sets of dockets moving uh one point nine million dollars from the collective bargaining reserve into the police department budget for the police detectives union.

Uh, and then an additional two dockets, uh uh moving uh approximately one point four million dollars uh again from the collective bargaining reserve in uh for the police detective superiors into the police department budget.

So the total of these these four dockets is three point three million dollars.

Uh just to uh go over uh the uh what's happened during the course of this fiscal year.

Uh the FY26 budget finalized in June of 2025 included a 102.7 million dollar collective bargaining reserve.

Um there's been 11 CBAs approved uh uh by the city council today, uh totaling 86.3 million dollars.

Uh, and uh this um uh uh with these supplementals of three point three million dollars, there'll be a total um dollars uh appropriate of 89.6 million dollars.

Uh with that uh I don't know if anybody else on the on the city team has any other statements they'd like to make or questions.

Um I'll I'll just add um good morning counselors thank you um these are two one year agreements for the detectives and the detective superior units they largely mirror um they'll they'll be up um next month june 30th um they largely mirror what has already been approved for the BBPA with the two percent and the one percent in hazardous duty some of the changes in the detail rates the workout time the gyms um and the um name tags so those it's largely a one year sort of catch up contract mirroring what the BPPA has already received um you know we were happy to be able to do some of these things with the workout time and gyms for the officers involved um and we ask your approval uh for these contracts okay uh thank you very much yeah I mean the uh this was filed last week and uh hoping to have a hearing and bring up for a vote today uh so um I'm gonna leave it to my colleagues here councillor Flynn you're up first uh um do six minutes uh and you'll all come on camera with uh a minute to go.

Thank you Mr.

Chair um I I heard briefly about the name tag um being mentioned can you just explain that to me please John you want to take that sure um so superior officers uniform superior officers have for about uh 10 or so years had name tags um most recently in the last one year contract the patrol officers um the city negotiated a bargaining waiver for name tags now we are negotiating a bargaining waiver for detectives and detective superiors to wear name tags while in uniform in uh for john um I would like to add to that that it it adds another level of transparency and it simply puts a name with a face that's kind of the goal of it.

Thank you John uh thank you James can you um just give me the percentages again it's two percent and one percent but can you just explain that again to me um you know in a little bit more detail.

I mean the two percent is just the the compensation raise and then there's one percent added on for the same year to their hazardous duty rate.

And and and I'm I'm familiar with the hazardous duty um rate I'm I'm familiar with the the term hazardous duty but can you just explain explain that to um the public please um it's another stipend I think that's been in the contracts for some period of time recognizing some of the um you know conditions that officers face in their work so it's additional component of pay um that are in both of these contracts recogniz you know in recognition historically of some of the difficult conditions that the officers and the detectives face in their work.

Thank you I I support that I think I think it's appropriate um I don't have any further questions I I will vote for this contract um also want to recognize Jim Williams Williamson that does it does a very good job as well.

Mr.

Chair I don't have any further questions.

Okay thank you very much counselor Murphy.

Good morning everyone I'll just turn my camera on when your time is up um thank you all for hopping on before our noon meeting so we can vote today in support just looking forward to voting in support councillor Flynn asked a couple of the questions uh seeing that you mentioned Renee that it was very similar to the one with the BPPA the only question maybe to Jeannie or um John, is there anything that these unions felt these members felt was left out or something more that you had wanted?

Well, uh counselor, both both sides um, I think always leave a little bit of uh pieces on the table when coming to an agreement, but uh I think both sides are also very happy um with where things ended up.

Um the there are a couple additional terms here in addition to the BPPA's uh contract.

We have um uh and in particular, I think the biggest one that we're happy to be able to give these two bargaining units are the ability to um use half days comp days uh when it does not create replacement overtime or operational concern.

Um so we're we're hoping that uh that will be another element of health and wellness, and uh to be able to give them, give these uh bargaining unit members, detectives and detective superiors a little bit of more family time back and and uh the ability to take a little bit of um time off.

If I remember correctly with the BPPA was brought up about the limit of six or personal days that could be carried over, was it like capped at 100?

Has that been lifted?

Or is that changed?

Uh so counselor, I think in the last uh contract the BPPA we raised the limit of sick days that they could um redeem at retirement uh from 200 to 250.

Okay.

Um and we are doing the same here for the detectives.

The detective superiors already have their limit at uh 260, I believe.

And it will stay.

Uh yeah, so the detectives limit will go up to 250 um with this new contract.

Okay, that's good to hear.

Thank you.

Um just want to also thank Bobby and Jeannie and the unions for and their leadership team for supporting and advocating our police all detectives and superior offices, and just thank you.

Looking forward to voting in support of it.

Okay, thank you.

Um Councillor Fitzgerald.

Thank you, Chair.

And uh thank you to everybody uh on the Zoom today uh regarding this contract.

Uh all the questions were asked by my colleagues, and I that were really concerned me.

So I just want to say that uh here in support and thank you guys for doing good work and uh a good back and forth to get to this point today and to keep uh to keep folks squarely paid away um in a fair way.

So um don't want to take up any more time.

I know we all got busy days, so thank you very much.

Okay, thank you.

Uh so just a couple questions from the chair.

Um, uh can you just explain the timing of this?

Like, so are we this is pay back to last July, you know.

Uh sort of this this amount just fills in benefits and when were they negotiated uh, you know, and it's I guess like why why is this coming for us now as opposed to um months ago?

So I mean we did um start negotiating this um fairly quickly after the BBPA agreement was um signed.

Um it just you know the back and forth and schedules I think took a little bit of time.

So most of these increases will be retroactive to um July 1, 2025, um, and then the increases will start going forward.

Um you know it's going forward as well.

So it will multi be retroactive.

Um I don't think either party was delaying it, just was sort of the nature of the nature of negotiations that it took a little time to get finalized.

Yeah, so when was this agreement reached?

Um, it was um the detectives was April 8th, 2026, and the detective superiors April 13th, 2026.

Okay.

Um okay, uh just a couple other questions.

Uh what so the the um the summer uh I guess there's vac vacation time available now during the summer vacation period.

Can you just explain what the conditions what that's addressing and yep?

Uh so we have a um summer vacation period built into the contract?

It used to be um uh Debbie, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's 16 weeks during the summer or eight vacation periods.

Um the idea is uh to expand the number of vacation periods for the officers to bid on, which um spreads out the number of officers off at any given time.

Um admittedly it's going to have it it uh should have a larger effect on the patrol force than the detectives and detective superiors, but um the idea is to reduce the amount of officers off at any given time during the summer, which in turn reduces the amount of replacement over time.

So this is similar to the firefighters contract, I think.

Wasn't there a like a are there some uh trying to extend the periods where people could take vacations?

I thought, anyway, that run a bell.

Slightly different in the fire contract.

It wasn't summer, but it was um they maybe school vacation periods or something.

Okay, anyway.

Uh okay, and then just uh lastly, in terms of uh police overtime, you know, that's been an issue, the amount being spent.

I mean, how will this contract impact will it have an impact on police overtime?

Will it lower it?

Will it increase it?

I mean, well you go ahead, go ahead, John.

Yeah, I mean, we're hopeful that the summer vacation period will um have a have a um an effect that would reduce the amount of overtime hours worked.

Um, although as I mentioned, it will probably have a greater effect for the patrol force than the detectives and detective superiors, just because there's um much fewer detectives and detective superiors.

Um so that's that's the primary um method through this one that we're trying to reduce overtime through the contract.

Uh I will say that police department is also taking um a number of management steps to uh reduce overtime throughout the department.

Um just Johns, can you just explain?

So the because when you're taking overtime, it's not replacement time for someone else, or I can you just explain how it reduces overtime pay?

Sure.

Um well it's overtime hours, yeah.

Yes.

Um it if the number of officers or detectives off at any given week during the summer um is less than the number of um times that you have to replace that detective or patrol officer on overtime during the summer is less.

Um replacement overtime during the summer, I think is one of our largest um driving factors of overtime.

Okay, and then anything in the contract that's going to increase the number of overtime hours that you want to shadow or or highlight or anything.

Um I think we were careful to you know be considerate of that.

You know, we we talked about the workout time, but we made it very clear that that wasn't that wasn't allowed to increase overtime.

So um we were very concerned about not increasing um the overtime budget in the provisions that we were able to offer the officers.

Okay, thank thank you.

That's it for me.

I see counselor Flynn's hand is up.

Counselor Flynn.

Yeah, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um my question, just wanted to follow up.

Um short staffed with detectives, is is that accurate to say?

Yes.

Yes.

How how how many detectives are we short staffed?

I I think we're um below our allocation by around um, is it 45 or 50 deputy?

I I would say it's about 45 right now, John.

I think there's some recently uh appointed detectives.

That's a that's a concern I have.

Um so let me ask, we talk about work life balance and and supporting all police families.

Um if a detective needs to spend some time with his family, uh has has an opportunity to take a vacation, take a day off.

And we're already short staffed with with detectives, um, how how are we balancing supporting that detective and their family, but also balancing public safety and manning levels?

I think counselor that you know we've taken some deliberate actions to uh stem the overtime a bit, but um also I think the W four-hour WO provision is gonna hopefully alleviate some of the overtime and also add some family time to the detectives.

I think they're gonna maybe not call in sick as much or take full vacation time if they can take a four-hour uh earn time on a Saturday to catch a cookout or a baseball game or whatever for the children instead of taking the full time that would that would require us to backfill for them.

When when we're short staffed significantly with detectives, and then we're asking a detective that's working the regular shift to to stay on to work the the the second shift, that's overtime.

Um that's necessarily that's not necessarily what the detective wants.

That's what the the Boston Police Department needs.

Um, but on the other hand, my colleagues on the city council are calling calling out the um almost the detectives or the were for making this money um and it's not their fault, and they're placed in a situation where they're almost forced to work a double shift and you know, giving up precious time with their family, and then and then we're criticizing them and in calling out calling out overtime.

The the issue is what why aren't we promoting and getting people into the new detective roles, promoting detectives, and then and then that reduces the amount of overtime that is needed.

I think we're we're we're criticizing um we're criticizing the system, and we're not doing what we need to do in terms of promoting to detective in hiring more police officers, which I have consistently advocated for since I got on.

Um I think we need to hire 300 police officers every year consistently for the next 10 years.

Um does that make any sense to to you guys, uh John or James.

What I mentioned.

Could I just point out?

It's more of a police issue.

I do want John.

This is a police issue and I'll let them follow up on it.

No, but Renee, Renee, is it is Renee, is it okay if I asked the Boston police um to respond?

I think I think it was a fair question.

I mean, I think this is a labor contract, and I just would like to I understand that on it, overtime.

No, I understand Renee.

Overtime that's not me.

I understand Renee, but I it's it's it's about staffing levels in the Boston police.

I do I do want to give them an opportunity to respond.

I would give them an opportunity, yeah.

I know, in that point.

There's a difference.

No, no, I I do I understand, but I'm sure Flynn, if a panelist is answering your question, please.

No, Mr.

Chair, I I did ask a specific question.

It was a respectful question.

I wanted to give the panel an opportunity to go ahead and share John to respond.

Is that okay, Mr.

Chair?

I I agree your question is respectful.

Do you have to be respectful of the panelists isn't it?

Is that position?

Mr.

Chair, I I specifically asked a question for James and John if they would want to respond based on their experience uh working in the Boston police, knowing the staffing levels, it's about staffing.

Yeah, I I believe Renee has valid also knowledge about that stuff in the Boston Police Department.

That's uh, but Mr.

Chair, my I'll withdraw my comment.

John can come back.

Mr.

Chair, my question, my question was specifically to the Boston police, Mr.

Chair.

I think you're missing my point.

Uh we can move on.

Okay.

Any other panelists want to respond?

Um I think I can respond to that, uh, counselor.

Um anytime we make detectives or promote sergeants or lieutenant or so on, we're we're taking away from the patrol force.

So we have to keep that balance in mind and recruit our efforts to get more police officers into the Boston Police Department are ongoing, and we keep we continue to make to strive to get more police officers.

Thank you.

Okay, okay.

Thank you, Councillor Flynn.

Um, Renee, did you have anything you wanted to add on that?

Okay, great.

Uh okay.

Uh well uh I don't think we have any other questions from my colleagues.

I want to thank everyone who was here this morning, and I want to thank you know thank central staff for being willing to have this hearing on short notice on uh on an otherwise busy Wednesday so we could get this up for a vote as uh you know in a prompt manner, and that that was that required us having this hearing on Wednesday morning.

So again, thank you to Central for doing that.

Thank you again to my colleagues for being here, and thank you to the panelists.

Uh this morning's hearing is now adjourned.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.