north kingstown – RI Future

August 11, 2016August 18, 2016

J. Goodison employees fight to form a labor union

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In an attempt to convince management to recognize their efforts to form a labor union, employees of J. Goodison held an early-morning rally outside of the Quonset ship repair business.

“We need a union because of the respect that we need and the unity that we need and because of the good salary that we need,” said David Ozuna, who speaks little English and used a translator to communicate with the media.

So far, 32 employees have signed union cards with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, District 11. They are primarily sandblasters and hydroblasters, though they perform a variety of chores for Goodison, which does work primarily for the federal government. Sandblasters remove paint from boat hulls. The paint is often highly toxic and sandblasting itself can cause permanent skin and/or eye injuries. It’s very difficult and dangerous work that takes a toll on a body. Starting wages for these workers is between $10 and $12 an hour.

“They don’t give us the safety and the protection that we need to do our job,” said Osuna.

More than 30 workers, in addition to an equal or greater number of union organizers and progressive activists, held court on the Quonset-area road leading to Goodison starting at 6:30 this morning. They chanted, gave motivational speeches and, using a megaphone, implored company officials – who watched the action from afar – to negotiate with the workers.

“The company is going to try to divide you,” said union organizer Sam Marvin. “They are going to try to divide the strength you are showing today. The important thing is you have to be strong today, you’ll have to be stronger tomorrow and you’ll have to be stronger the next day. But you’re going to win this campaign and we’re going to be there with you.”

Another organizer said, “There are two ways the company is going to fight: with fear and with lies. You are going to win with solidarity and the truth.”

One woman who said she came on behalf of her church said, “What you are doing is hard, it is a struggle, but it is of God.”

State Representative Aaron Regunberg, who came from Providence to stand with the workers, said, “I am proud to join you all this morning. I am proud of all the workers who are standing up today to say you deserve better. You know they are not going to give you what you deserve, you have to win it. This is what the labor movement is all about. Keep fighting until you have what you deserve.” He told the employees that there are many in the General Assembly who support their struggle.

So far, 32 Goodison employees have signed union cards, said Jobs With Justice organizer Mike Araujo. There are 55 total employees at Goodison and about 40 have expressed interest in forming a union, he said. The employees and Jobs With Justice have been asking management to voluntarily recognize their union and they plan to file for an election this week, Araujo said. After they file for the election, they have two weeks to hold a vote. If a majority of employees vote for a union, Goodison then has one year to negotiate a contract with the union.

According to the company’s website: “J. Goodison Company was founded in 1999 and incorporated in 2001. It is a veteran-owned small business that has grown from its humble beginnings as a father and son operation to an organization that supports 30 full time employees and an additional 25-50 skilled labor and trade subcontractors. The Company’s list of clients includes but is not limited to government clients such as the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, NOAA, and the U.S. Parks Department. Similarly, the commercial clients list includes Senesco Marine, Boston Towing & Transportation, and Electric Boat to name a few. J. Goodison Company holds a GSA Contract and 9 Multi-Year IDIQ (Indefinitely Delivery Indefinitely Quantity) contracts with the U.S. Coast Guard.”

April 18, 2016May 14, 2016

Julie Casimiro will again challenge Doreen Costa for NK House seat

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Democrat Julie Casimiro is again challenging Republican Rep. Doreen Costa for the District 31 House seat in North Kingstown, RI Future has learned.

Casimiro lost to Costa in 2014 53.1 percent to 46.8 percent.

“Running again was not part of my plan as my family commitments have been exhausting, but the groundswell of support for me to do so has been absolutely overwhelming, from within the district and throughout the state,” she said in a news release. “It’s hard to say no during a presidential election year!”

Casimiro added, ““I am running on a platform of respectable values and a desire to serve my constituents for what’s important to them – creating jobs, improving the economy,” she said in the press release. We need to do things differently in order to move Rhode Island forward…the status quo is not going to cut it!”

In 2014, Casimiro took 2242 votes and Costa won 2547 – a difference of 352 votes.

While Costa, a very conservative tea party Republican is close with Democratic Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello, Casimiro’s press release says she has the endorsement of the Democratic Party. The speaker of the House has great influence with the Democratic Party in Rhode Island.

In 2014, as was reported by RI Future, Casimiro won the endorsement of the Republican Town Council President Liz Dolan, who said at the time, “I have not been impressed with Doreen’s record. “We need to bring this party back to where it is more moderate.” But the North Kingstown Fire Fighters union endorsed Costa, saying, “We looked at who has been in our corner.”

According to her press release: “Casimiro has experience in both the private and non-profit sectors. She has been married to her husband, Richard, for 32 years. She has held several leadership positions on various boards and committees and earned a BS in Marketing from Providence College. She is a graduate of Leadership Rhode Island’s class of 2008 and newly appointed 2nd Vice Chair of the North Kingstown Democratic Town Committee.”

Costa was a guiding force behind the Exeter recall election and mocking then-Governor Linc Chafee for using the term holiday tree instead of Christmas tree. In 2014, she told RI Future she was less conservative than people think. “People have me as this extremist and I find that very offensive,” she said. “I’m not as to the right as people think I am.”

Update: I reached out on Twitter to North Kingstown fire fighters to find out of they would again endorse Costa. In a direct message, that they said I could publish: “@NK_Fire has been burnt by politicians, both local and statewide in the past from both parties. Therefore, we have chose not to be politically active at this point.”

April 13, 2016May 15, 2016

Video: Verizon employees in NK explain the strike

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Almost 40,000 Verizon workers went on strike today, more than 1,000 of them work in Rhode Island. Four of them set up a picket line outside of the Verizon store on Ten Rod Road in North Kingstown.

These Verizon employees told me one of their demands is for more high-speed FIOS to be installed in Rhode Island. This would increase work for employees and service for customers. Verizon reported more than $5 billion in profits last year.

Photos from the Verizon strike in Providence
Verizon goes on strike
Three part series on Verizon labor strife:

April 10, 2016April 11, 2016

Sen. Sheehan supports Bernie Sanders

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North Kingstown state Senator Jim Sheehan is backing Bernie Sanders for president.

“Bernie consistently has fought for the working men and women of America,” Sheehan said in an email today. “Specifically, he has fought against unfair trade deals, for free [public] college education, and against the excesses of Wall Street. Most importantly, Bernie is correct to oppose vehemently the corrosive influence of limitless money in politics, which makes systemic change difficult. However, unlike establishment politicians, Bernie will not be obligated to any big money contributors, permitting him to take on the nation’s most vexing problems.”

Sheehan, a high school teacher who champions legislative ethics reform, said he isn’t known as a progressive Democrat but was won over by the Vermont senators’ integrity. “While I do not agree with him on every issue, Senator Sanders is an honest and independent-minded leader whose sound judgment has consistently placed him on the right side of a number of issues critical to our nation’s future.”

Sheehan attended the opening of Sanders’ Rhode Island campaign headquarters today. He previously saw Sanders speak in New Hampshire. His wife Meredith is from Vermont and Sheehan said she encouraged him to consider supporting Sanders.

“Senator Sanders does not strike you as a celebrity or pop star,” Sheehan said in the email. “However, when he began to speak, Bernie’s passion, conviction and sincerity of purpose lit-up the capacity crowd. It was clear to me that day, that Bernie Sanders was not a politician, but a courageous missionary in the cause of renewing the promise of the American Dream. At that point, I guess you can say I was ‘feelin’ the Bern.'”

When asked about Hillary Clinton, Sheehan wrote, “I support Bernie because he has shown a strength of character and consistency on issues critical to the nation’s future. I do not doubt that Secretary Clinton has the experience to be president. But, I am not certain that her connections to big monied interests will permit her to make the systemic changes needed to rebuild the American Dream.”

Sheehan said Sanders might not be able to accomplish his entire ambitious agenda, but noted that America needs to think and act big.

“I think a President Sanders would have to reconcile some of his ideas with budgetary and taxing realities,” Sheehan said. “But, that does not mean that he should not vigorously pursue them. We never know what’s possible until we try. In this, we should begin by aiming high.”

June 7, 2015

ProJo’s op/ed uses misinformation to foul firefighter platoon debate

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How did we get to where firefighters are treated like scoundrels trying to abscond with the public’s money?

Corporate-controlled media spewing out garbage like this to the masses, that’s how.

Of course, such a breach of journalistic ethic comes via a Providence Journal editorial about legislation that would prevent cities and towns from reducing the number of daily firefighter shifts from four to three supported by some blatant falsehoods and – of course – some grandiose overstatements of the issues importance.

“Rhode Island has suffered for too long from high taxes, a miserably poor business climate and high unemployment,” is actually the lede of the editorial. “Those who have suffered the most are members of the middle class, who struggle to get by, and the poor, robbed of the means to lift themselves out of poverty.”

Spare me the feigned interest in the poor and middle class.

The issue emanates from a longstanding legal feud in North Kingstown. No one in North Kingstown – or anywhere for that matter – is in poverty or will be lifted out of it depending on how many firefighters work on a given day. Fire departments throughout Rhode Island are funded through property taxes. And by and large it’s the rich – not the poor – who pay property taxes. It may seem generous to suggest slashing taxes for the benefit of the poor, but in this instance in particular it isn’t a very efficient way to produce the stated benefit. In other words, it’s at best shoddy economic logic. At worst, it’s deception.

The reality is the assault on firefighters in Rhode Island is being largely led by affluent small government activists, like Barrington Republican Ken Block and ProJo editorial writer Ed Achorn. The two seem to have an unofficial playbook on how to whitewash propaganda.

Block, under the guise of analysis, gins up a report to make it seem like government needs to be smaller. In this case, he cherry-picked random cities around the country and compared their first response costs with Rhode Island’s. First responders say he failed to account for different structures and other anomalies when he did so. Never-the-less, enter Ed Achorn’s role in the scam. The ProJo op/ed page then passes off the fuzzy math as gospel. Thus, despite very fair critiques of Block’s work, the ProJo op/ed page reports it as, “As has been well documented, Rhode Island’s fire costs are dramatically higher than in other states.”

The misstatements get worse. Much worse.

“Some in the Assembly have argued that changing shift structures to run departments more efficiently is an attempt to get free labor out of firefighters or threaten their safety, or the public’s.”

Reality: nobody thinks this is a conspiracy to injure firefighters or the public. Many people, however, think this is a penny-wise and pound foolish way to lower taxes by overworking first responders, which can have life or death consequences. If this is what the writer meant, he or she did harm to this very valid point. I fear that this was not botched writing but rather malevolent writing, intended to misinform the public and belittle an opposing viewpoint. I highly doubt “some in the Assembly” suggested as much; it’s more likely the writer thought a fake argument could be pinned on fictional legislators – a grave abuse of journalism.

“At the very least, this matter cries out for further study and full public debate before the Assembly acts,” reads a line towards the end of the op/ed.

Like all important political issues, this one deserve more than just study and public debate. It deserves honest study and honest public debate, the kind Rhode Islanders aren’t getting from the Providence Journal op/ed page anymore.

October 21, 2014October 21, 2014

Conservatives from both parties scramble NK political alliances

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Rep. Doreen Costa is too conservative for North Kingstown Town Council President Liz Dolan, a Republican who endorsed Democrat Julie Casimiro for the House District 31 seat.

But Costa’s conservative credentials didn’t stop the local fire fighters’ union from throwing their support behind the tea party right-winger who sponsored a right-to-work bill in the state legislature.

“We haven’t had that conversation yet,” said Ray Furtado, president of IAFF 1651, which represents NK fire fighters, when I asked him about Costa’s support for right-to-work legislation. “We looked at who has been in our corner.”

That’s not how Dolan decided who to support.

The town council and fire fighters are mired in a bitter legal battle over staffing issues, and both House candidates have been advocating that the council drop its lawsuit. Furtado said “in no way, shape or form is this negative about Casimiro” noting they decided to endorse Costa before Casimiro decided to run.

Dolan said she broke ranks and backed a Democrat because “I have not been impressed with Doreen’s record.”

She said Costa’s allegiance to the NRA, her role in the Exeter recall election and her hyper-concern over holiday decorations have made her ineffective at representing the district. “We need to bring this party back to where it is more moderate,” Dolan said.

Costa accused Dolan of lying saying, “I had nothing to do with that Exeter recall.”

She also portrayed herself as a moderate. “People have me as this extremist and I find that very offensive,” she said. “I’m not as to the right as people think I am.”

At least not two weeks away from a general election, she’s not.

When asked why she sponsored a right-to-work bill, Costa said, “I did it because I was asked to do it.” At first she said she didn’t recall who asked her to sponsor this bill, and then she remembered, she said, that it was two union teachers whose names she did not know.

“It’s not something I would ever revisit,” Costa said about right-to-work legislation. “Not right now anyway.”

About her bill to drug test people who benefit from certain public subsidies, Costa said, “I still think it’s a good idea but I am not going to put it in again.”

She is still undecided about payday loan reform and raising the minimum wage, but she walked back her vote against same sex marriage. “If I had that to do over again, I would probably vote yes on marriage equality,” she said.

On guns, though, Costa said she’s as conservative as ever. “I will not change my mind on gun legislation.”

Casimiro chalked up Costa’s tack to the center as typical election-year politics. “I think Doreen is running scared right now,” she said.

But Casimiro also has a reputation for being a conservative – a conservative Democrat. “I am fiscally conservative,” she said.

She said she’s also pro-choice, pro-marriage equality and will support working class legislation. “I would absolutely raise the minimum wage,” Casimiro said. “It’s not a living wage.”

Casimiro is a board member of two charter schools in Rhode Island: Blakcstone Valley Prep in Cumberland and Southside Elementary in Providence. “It doesn’t make me anti-labor,” she said. “It means I’m pro-kid.” She added that she “works in some of the worst performing schools in the state” through her work with Family Services of Rhode Island.

Her husband is a Republican and she says she donated to Allan Fung’s first campaign for mayor of Cranston when they worked together at MetLife. This year Casimiro is voting for Gina Raimondo, whom she said she has been campaigning with. “I’m on Team Raimondo.”

October 16, 2014October 18, 2014

North Kingstown is the center of RI political universe

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North Kingstown is the center of Rhode Island’s political universe. Or, at the very least, by far the highest number of statewide candidates hail from this suburban town of 26,000 in the West Bay.

Five of the 15 candidates seeking a statewide office this year live in North Kingstown, as do two of the six candidates running for congress. Providence has three residents running for a statewide seat and one seeking reelection to congress. Warwick has a resident running for governor and congress. Jamestown, Newport, Warwick, Barrington, Cranston, Cumberland, West Greenwich, Pawtucket and Scituate each have a resident on this year’s ballot.

The five candidates from North Kingstown, including the office they seek and their party affiliation, are:

Nellie Gorbea, secretary of state, Democrat
Dawson Hodgson, attorney general, Republican
Kate Fletcher, governor, unaffiliated
Bill Gilbert, lt governor, Moderate
Tony Jones, lt governor, unaffiliated

North Kingstown has candidates from all three recognized political parties, with one candidate from each. There are two unaffiliated candidates from North Kingstown and the treasurer’s race is the only statewide contest not to include a North Kingstown resident. Two of the four candidates for lt. governor are from North Kingstown.

But that’s not to be confused with a 50 percent chance that the next lt. governor will be from North Kingstown. According to the latest WPRI/ProJo poll, only one North Kingstown resident is a favorite to win: Gorbea has a 41 percent to 27 percent advantage over her West Greenwich rival John Carlevale. Hodgson was the only other NK resident to win double digit support in the poll, trailing incumbent Peter Kilmartin 46 percent to 32 percent.

Similarly, 33 percent of the candidates in the three congressional races this year are from North Kingstown, or two of the six. Republicans Mark Zaccaria and Rhue Reis, both from NK, are running against incumbents from Jamestown and Warwick in Senator Jack Reed and Congressman Jim Langevin. Congressman David Cicilline is from Providence and Cormack Lynch is from Newport.

February 2, 2014February 2, 2014

What the woods in the West Bay look like in wintertime

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This is what the woods in the West Bay look like during wintertime…

Check out some more pictures below (and/or follow me on Instagram here):

October 7, 2013October 8, 2013

NK spent $450,000 on forcing 24 hr fire fighter shifts

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The town of North Kingstown has already spent $450,263 in legal fees trying to force 24 hour shifts upon its fire fighters, according to documents shared today by Town Manager Mike Embury. A court has ruled against the new shifts, but the town is appealing that decision and trying to remove a Carcieri appointed judge for being biased.

“The issues are very involved and important,” Embury said in an email. “The unions from around the state are watching this closely.”

According to the document from Embury, the town spent $200,927.79 in 2013: $84,674.83 was for work on contract arbitration; $29,932.40 for “declaratory judgment work”; and $18,696 for unfair labor practices. In 2012, the town spent $155,641.232 on legal fees concerning the 24-hour fire fighter shift. Embury said the town has already spent $93,694.24 for 2014.

All but $277 of the half million dollar sum, which went to the American Association of Arbiters, was paid to legendary anti-organized labor lawyer Dan Kinder and his firm. Kinder famously made millions defending pay cuts in the East Providence school district. Kinder won that case, but labor responded by supporting a reform slate for the school committee, which beat the group that supported the cuts.

Look for labor to focus on local elections in North Kingstown in 2014 in a similar style.

Embury noted that it was much easier to win concessions from the local police union.

You can read the entire report issued by Embury here.

August 5, 2013

NK fire fighters win at Labor Relation Board

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The North Kingstown Town Council bargained in bad faith with local fire fighters when it imposed 24 hour shifts without negotiations, according to a leaked decision by the state Labor Relations Board. Town Council President and Labor Relations Board member Liz Dolan confirmed the leak to NK Patch this morning saying, “From the town’s perspective, we were totally expecting this.”

The NK Town Council imposed 24 hour shifts on the fire fighters after they were unable to negotiate a new contract with them. Dolan told Patch the Council had the authority to do so under the Town Charter. She also said it is rare that the Labor Relations Board is overturned. Dolan recused herself from the Labor Relations Board vote.

“We will appeal it and we will ask the District Court judge for a stay,” she told Patch.

North Kingstown, a middle class suburb with traditionally very contentious local politics, has taken a decidedly anti-organized labor approach to balancing its budget. Last summer, the School Committee outsourced its custodial staff to a private company from Tennessee. The custodians have re-organized as a collective bargaining unit, and it is still unclear if the switch will save money.

NK also hired infamous anti-labor lawyer Dan Kinder to act as its legal counsel. Kinder is best known for successfully defending East Providence against allegations that its cost-cutting measures violated collective bargaining agreements, but he cost the taxpayers of EP more than a million dollars in doing so.

The 24-hour schedule for fire fighters would mean an additional 728 hours a year along with an average $5 an hour pay cut. The fire fighters, who had agreed to less severe pay cuts, are seeking $1.4 million in damages from the town.

Last week fire fighter and union president Ray Furtado tweeted, “Through July 23, 2013, amount of unpaid wages to @NK_Fire members nearing $2.1 million due to Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) @IAFFNewsDesk.”

February 28, 2013February 28, 2013

NK: Investing In Dog Park; Cutting Fire Budget

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nk school committee meeting — Unon members and residents packed a North Kingstown School Committee meeting.

Something is seriously wrong in North Kingstown.

Recall that the town is mired a bitter battle with its local fire fighters, trying to get them to work 24-hour shifts and take an average $5 an hour pay cut. And also remember that the school department fired every school custodians this summer only to hire them back at a lower wage with worse benefits. Like the firefighters face, the custodians took a $5 an hour pay cut.

In both instances, elected officials cried poverty. School Committee Chair Kimberly Ann Page even wrote that she feared having to choose between paying janitors a living wage and keeping the school heated.

But while schools struggle to stay warm and public sector employees are being denied a decent living, the dogs in North Kingstown are doing quite well. According to North Kingstown Patch:

At Monday night’s town council meeting, Town Manager Michael Embury proposed a possible location for NK’s first dog park. Though it’s not a priority, Embury says that many residents have expressed interest in having a dog park in town similar to those in South Kingstown and Newport.

Embury said he could have the department of public works director look into the cost creating a dog park at the location, including fencing and maintenance.

A town can’t have money to make a park just for dogs and not to pay its employees a living wage. It’s bad government, poor politics, atrocious economics and horrible humanity.

There’s no reason public sector employees should have to live in poverty, especially not if the taxpayers concerns include too much poop at local parks.

February 4, 2013

Is North Kingstown Going The Way Of Wisconsin?

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Has sticking it to public sector workers become such popular politics in Rhode Island that the North Kingstown Town Council is willing to risk more than a million dollars to do so? That’s what NK fire union president Ray Furtado is beginning to think after the Council was again admonished by Judge Brian Stern; in December he said the town violated the law when it demanded fire fighters work 24 hour shifts and then again today for not coming to a counter-agreement in time.

“It’s slowly becoming obvious that this isn’t about money,” Furtado said, comparing the situation to what Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker tried to do to organizer labor there. “It’s about management rights and hurting public sector workers.”

Another sign it isn’t about the money: the town has hired infamous anti-labor lawyer Dan Kinder, who has a reputation for winning but also for sometimes costing clients more than he saved them.

In 2012, the town tried to force the fire fighters to work 24-hour shifts and 56 hours in one work week. The new schedule would have meant an additional 728 hours a year for fire fighters along with an average $5 an hour pay cut.

Judge Brian Stern in December ruled the new hours violated labor law and gave the two sides 30 days to negotiate.

Which they did. They even agreed to a tentative agreement last week. But on Saturday the Council rejected the deal. On Monday, Stern gave the two sides until Wednesday to work it out.

The fire fighters are seeking $1.4 million in damages. NK could decide to appeal to the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

It’s the second high profile labor dispute North Kingstown has endured recently. This summer, it outsourced school custodians.

February 4, 2013February 4, 2013

Broken Promises in NK

NKFFA Firefighters, family & friends Tunnel to Towers 2012

Negotiations between the Town of North Kingstown and its firefighters union, IAFF Local 1651 on Wednesday ended in a mutually agreed tentative agreement. Right?

After all, Wednesday’s ten hour session at the bargaining table resulted in a Tentative Agreement, dated and signed by Town Manager, Michael Embury and the union’s representative, President Raymond Furtado. Handshakes were made and the parties left negotiations with the agreement that both parties would take the agreement back to their organizations for ratification. Right?

On Friday evening, that’s just what the North Kingstown Firefighters Association (NKFFA) did. Firefighters, union leaders and members met to ratify the agreement, returning the town’s fire personnel to their previous shift structure as ordered by Superior Court Judge Brian J. Stern on December 14, 2012. After deliberating and consideration, the membership ratified a temporary agreement saving the town damages in excess of $1 million. The good faith effort by union personnel in ending the standoff was thwarted just a few hours later.

The town council, meeting on Saturday morning in executive session, flip flopped on that agreement, voting 5-0 not to ratify. Tentative agreements are clearly tentative in North Kingstown.

Town Manager, Michael Embury in press release noted that after calling for a motion to approve, council president Liz Dolan received no response. Motion was then made by Dolan’s fellow Republican Kerri McKay to “not approve” the tentative agreement and seconded by Democrat, Richard Welch. All members, including Carol Hueston, who sat in on negotiations, voted to not approve the contract.

The firefighters plan to return to court to seek entry of order under Judge Stern’s December decision.

November 8, 2012November 6, 2012

NK Support Staff Votes No Confidence in Supt., Comm.

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North Kingstown Education Support Professionals (NKESP) – who have been battered over the last few months by the town’s school committee and Superintendent Phil Auger – took overwhelming votes of “no confidence” in the leadership both have provided for the school district. Our local union of teacher assistants, clerks, food service workers, mini-bus drivers, bus paraprofessionals, maintenance workers, and custodians has worked more than 18 months without a contract, despite working toward an agreement by following the process of mediation and arbitration.

The NKESP membership voted unanimously on two letters sent to School Committee Chair Kimberly Page and Superintendent Auger. About Auger, NKESP pointed to his cavalier attitude toward employees; his inability to focus on employee related issues; his leadership style of intimidation, bullying and lack of collaboration; and his lack of respect for support employees, their union, and its leadership, among other charges.

The first letter stated, “Dr. Auger leads by firing employees who get in his way, ignoring concessions from the union to save these employee’s jobs, cutting deep into the contract conditions of the existing ESP workers, using contract language only when it suits him and causing over 13 grievances, a record number for the most ever filed under any prior superintendent.”

All 26 custodians were fired in June, in a privatization move by the school committee and superintendent, who then imposed deep cuts in the pay and benefits of remaining employees.

The letter went on to say, “NKSD is no longer the wonderful place it used to be…”

The second letter regarding the school committee cites members’ behavior at meetings, such as refusing to listen to the union or the public; texting; talking among themselves; interrupting each other; flirting with each other; shutting off microphones on other members and the public; reading newspapers during meetings; making false accusations; bullying; and using abusive and inappropriate language.

This letter stated, “The school committee has no concern for the hardships it has caused its employees and the families of the employees. The school committee has made itself look ridiculous and has eroded public confidence in the school department.”

NKESP is calling for the school committee to bargain in good faith toward a fair settlement. The arbitrator’s decision four months ago – which the committee rejected – would have settled the contract with enough money to balance the budget and keep the custodians’ jobs.

Karen C. Jenkins is Communications Director for the National Education Association RI

October 3, 2012October 3, 2012

What’s Wrong with the NK School Committee?

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If you are a close reader of this blog, you are likely aware of the controversy involving the North Kingstown School Committee and the termination of its school custodians. But maybe you are not aware of just how acrimonious the relationships are between the members of the school committee members are themselves. The video clip below is a taste of how dysfunctional this committee has become. If you like, you can see the entire video at the school department website by following this link.

Watching this, one is struck by the absolute disrespect shown to the school committee member who is speaking, Melvoid Benson. Not only does the chair of the committee, Kimberly Page, interrupt her several times, she then allows John Boscardin to unload on Mrs. Benson, a senior citizen, before finally calling a recess. Is it any wonder the workers were treated so poorly when the committee members treat each other this way?

September 14, 2012September 14, 2012

Progress Report: Brendan Doherty’s ‘Mostly False’ Grade; Higher Ed Access for Foster Kids; NK Firefighters

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Yesterday we wrote that David Cicilline would try to make the CD1 campaign about policy issues while challenger Brendan Doherty would try to avoid any discussion of policy and instead smear his opponent by painting him as being untrustworthy. But on Brendan’s very first attempt at this the Projo Politifact team gives him a “mostly false” grade for one of his accusations.

Doherty was on RIPR’s Political Roundtable this morning … listen for how his conservative credentials would serve as an impediment to Rhode Island if he were elected to Congress.

Rhode Island makes it harder for local foster children to access higher education opportunities than do neighboring states. It’s examples like this that make me shake my head when people think the road to economic salvation is more opportunities for the most fortunate among us rather than the least fortunate.

What’s going on in North Kingstown? First the School Committee fires its janitors and now the Town Council is accused of overworking firefighters. Locals say the political system in this middle class suburb has completely broken down.

Aaron Regunberg weighs in on Jon Brien’s loss for GoLocal, as well as what the primary says about RI-CAN’s effect on local politics. Progressives aren’t happy that the campaign for more charter schools in Rhode Island is being financed in part by Big Pharma, among other corporate interests.

Speaking of GoLocal, Dan McGowan wastes no time before previewing the general election for State House races.

Here’s the film trailer that’s helped to incite the current anti-American unrest in the Muslim world. According to NPR, “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is walking a fine line, distancing herself and the State Department as far as possible from the video that has sparked anger and protests across the Arab world.”

Here’s Senator Whitehouse’s statement on the situation: “The attack on our embassy in Libya was a tragedy, and I join President Obama and Secretary Clinton in condemning the actions of those involved. Now, as our nation comes together to honor the service of Ambassador Stevens and his colleagues, it is fitting that we make special note of the sacrifices made by our men and women serving abroad. As the son of a career diplomat, I know that these brave individuals put public service and patriotism above all else. I am honored to help recognize their service and sacrifice in this dark hour.”

Today in 1966, the United States launched Operation Attleboro in Vietnam. Named after the neighboring Massachusetts town, it’s a historically significant military decision because the search and destroy tactic is emblematic of the United States’ missteps in the conflict.

August 28, 2012August 29, 2012

North Kingstown School Committee Silences Crowd

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About 300 people packed the North Kingstown High School auditorium for the school committee meeting, many of whom planned to address committee members about their decision to outsource custodians’ jobs to an out-of-state company.

And if you think they were upset at the beginning of the meeting when Dick Welch made a motion to move public comment to the end of the agenda, you should have heard them when the committee closed the meeting without letting the people have their say.

“Shame on you, shame on you,” chanted the crowd, filled with both local residents and union members from around the state.

School committee member Don Boscardin said they adjourned because the crowd was getting too rowdy. Welch declined to comment to RI Future.

Throughout the meeting, members bickered with each other over issues as small as how much toilet paper should be purchased for the next fiscal year.

Committee members Bill Mudge and Melvoid Benson played to the crowd by stalling the meeting with a myriad of mundane questions. School staff and Committee President Kim Page responded by talking down to them and sometimes cutting them short.

Mudge said in an email earlier in the day that the other committee members have frozen he and Benson out of the negotiating process. During the meeting, he threatened to reveal discussions from executive session.

“For the record, I was never advised by phone, e-mail or while I speaking with Mrs. Berglund and/or Mrs. Benson that a negotiations meeting had been convened and was underway in the superintendent’s office between ESP Union officials, Dr. Auger and School Committee Members Mrs. Page, Mr. Ceresi, Mr. Boscardin, and Mrs. Avanzato,” he wrote.

Earlier in the day, the union agreed to return to work on Wednesday, according to Judge Brian Stern, who was hearing a request for an injunction to end the work stoppage. In exchange, the school department agreed to continue working towards a resolution with the union.

The school committee still has some 30 days to nullify its contract with the out-of-state company hired to clean the public schools, though union officials expressed doubt that an agreement could be reached outside of a court decision. There are still some grievances and unfair labor practice complaints that could reverse the decision.

August 28, 2012August 28, 2012

NK Evades Responsibility With Custodian Contract

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I woke up today to an automated phone call from the school superintendent telling me that the first day of school in North Kingstown has been delayed by a strike. The Educational Support Personnel (ESP) union has walked out over the School Committee’s action to outsource the jobs of all 26 janitors, and so my daughter is home today instead.

As is usual, there is a welter of claims and counter-claims. The ESP union offered some pretty substantial concessions this spring. They say they met the dollar figure the School Committee had insisted was necessary. The Committee responded that they were close, but the superintendent had already budgeted some of the savings the union was offering so they needed more. An arbitrator was called in and that report offered a way to save $1.3 million over two years, but again that was measured over the previous year, not over the proposed budget, which already included some of those savings, so it wasn’t enough.

In response, the School Committee voted 5-2 to outsource the 26 custodian jobs. They did insist that the new contractor hire back as many of the custodians as possible, and I gather that 21 of them took the new deal: their old jobs at about 70% of salary, minus the health insurance and pension. In other words, around a 40-45% pay cut, give or take. Would you take that?

I talked to my daughter about this, and she told me about the custodian at the middle school who had encouraged her with a model car she and some classmates built for a Science Olympiad competition in seventh grade (their team won the state event, and went to the national event in Wisconsin that year), and about the elementary school custodian who talked and joked with the children in the cafeteria, but also knew them all, even the first graders. Those are the kind of people you get when the jobs are good jobs.

But I guess that kind of thing is to be part of the past now. Instead of jobs that can support a family, we’ll have jobs that people move through. We’ll have custodial staff stretched thinner, and we’ll have an outsourcing company that is making good money off the deal, that indispensable part of what some people call progress.

Will the district save money? Maybe this year. But the teacher contract comes up in the fall. What do you suppose will be their level of enthusiasm when the School Committee requests concessions to get through this fiscal storm?

Oh yes, that storm. In all the ire directed at the School Committe in this dispute, let’s not forget that it was the actions of the Town Council that precipitated this crisis. The School Committee told them last winter that they weren’t going to be able to meet the property-tax caps imposed by the state without severe pain. In response, the Town Council cut the school budget even further than the property tax cap demands. North Kingstown has a notoriously dysfunctional School Committee, but it was Council President Elizabeth Dolan, and members Michael Bestwick, Charlie Stamm, Carol Hueston, and Charles Brennan who have effectively put the screws to the custodians.

Council members I’ve spoken to seem proud that they’re willing to hold the line on taxes, but at what cost? North Kingstown’s taxes are already lower than average in the state, according to the tax effort formula defined in state law (75.5% of the average). In a conversation one summer evening this past July, one council member told me with certainty about the waste that could be cut out of the school budget. As I usually notice when people decry government waste to me, the member could supply no specific suggestion to cut beyond the job of an assistant to the superintendent, a cost of less than one fifteenth the amount they insisted be cut.

The custodian contract wasn’t the only change this year. Just looking at the high school (where my family’s attention is focused, for better or worse), the foreign language offerings have been slashed, school supplies cut way back, and graduation requirements lowered, all for budget reasons.

One of the curiosities of government around here that we take for granted is that we elect School Committee members, and don’t give them the independence to make their own decisions. I’m doing policy consulting work in other states lately, and I’ve noticed that in lots of states — maybe the majority outside New England — school departments are a parallel government, operated independently of the city or county where they are located, often with separate tax bills. School Committee members there are directly responsible to voters for the decisions they make. Around here, by contrast, the School Committee is subservient to the City or Town Council. The North Kingstown Council has spoken, its members are largely responsible for the budget crisis in the school department, but they take no heat for that. Union press releases inveigh against the School Committee, but ignore the Town Council. This, it seems to me, is the opposite of taking responsibility.

So, Liz Dolan: Your Council cut the school budget. You overruled the opinions of the people supposedly responsible for that budget. Where exactly is the waste? Michael Bestwick: Precisely what would you cut? Charles Brennan: Where else do we find savings? Please be specific. Carol Hueston: What other jobs are to be outsourced? Charlie Stamm: How do we settle this dispute? It is the straightforward consequence of your decisions: how will you defend those choices? Or will you just hope no one notices that you were behind the hard choices made by someone else?

August 28, 2012August 28, 2012

VIDEO: Labor Strike Cancels School in North Kingstown

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North Kingstown cancelled school today as a result of all school personnel striking in solidarity with the custodians whose jobs were outsourced to a private company earlier this summer.

About 70 school employees marched and formed a picket line in front of North Kingstown High School this morning, and plan to rally again tonight at a school committee meeting.

Several union members said negotiations ended with Superintendent Phil Auger ended at about 10:30 last night, even though they were willing to keep working towards a deal. School was not cancelled until 6:30 this morning. One parent at the high school this morning, a non-union member, said his family got the call just 15 minutes before the school bus was supposed to arrive.

Earlier this summer the school committee rejected the decision of an arbitrator that would have saved the district more than $1.3 million over the next two years and instead fired the school custodians and outsourced their jobs to an out-of-state company. Some custodians were hired back but at an approximately 30 percent cut in salary.

Teachers were not on the picket line this morning, but voted unanimously yesterday afternoon not to cross it either. While teachers voted to do so for at least two days, several union members at the high school this morning said they expect a court injunction will remand employees back to work as early as today.

Union officials said they will not ask members to defy a court order. Instead, they hope today’s action will ignite the interest of the people, who may be more persuasive in changing school committee members’ minds that union intermediaries have been.

Bill Mudge, a member of the school committee, has filed an Open Meetings Act complaint with the Attorney General’s office and has implored his colleagues to come back to the negotiating table.

Here’s a video of Nancy Ferencko, president of the education support professionals union in the North Kingstown school system addressing those on the picket line this morning:

August 28, 2012August 28, 2012

NK School Committeeman Cries Foul On Outsourcing

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North Kingstown School Committee member Bill Mudge said the school committee and superintendent have not negotiated in good faith with the custodians and its union and said at “Tuesday night’s meeting I will request a vote of the entire S/C to hold a special/open meeting to consider the unions June 26, 2012 proposal” in an email he sent out to state and town officials Monday evening.

“Unfortunately, I believe that there has been complete breakdown in the negotiation process, absence of School Committee leadership and that school committee erred, when it failed to consider the union’s proposal presented to Attorney Carroll on June 26,” he wrote in the email.

All school personnel have decided either to strike or not cross a picket line today, which was supposed to be the first day of school. They are protesting the huge wage cuts custodians took when their jobs were outsourced to a private company.

The school committee meets tonight.

Mudge has been critical of the way the school committee has handled the situation with the 26 custodians, whose jobs were outsourced to the private company GCA and took an average pay cut of about $13,000.

“What happened was most unethical,” he said in a phone interview earlier in the day. “I don’t know what the ultimate result would have been but we didn’t bargain in good faith and I am ashamed to be on the school committee.”

Mudge said the school committee received a decision from an arbitrator on June 26 that would save the district more than $1.3 million over two years. Later on the same day, the school committee agreed in executive session to proceed with privatizing school custodial services.

“We had all received a copy of arbitrators award and we had a meeting that night,” he said. “Nobody really looked at it and the superintendent said he disagreed with it.”

Mudge walked out of that meeting, he said, because he didn’t think the school committee followed open meetings rules when it went into executive session. He later filed a complaint with the Attorney General.

“My issue is not necessarily the result, it’s the process,” he said.

The school committee ultimately signed a contract with the out-of-state company rather than agree to the terms laid out by the arbitrator.

School Committee Chair Kim Page indicated in a reply email to Mudge that she does not think he has the votes to pass his motion at Tuesday’s meeting.

“Poll the committee all you want Bill,” she wrote in reply to his email. “If you get even 3 votes to attend your meeting, I would be shocked.”

Here’s Mudge’s entire email:

I am writing you because I am concerned about the subject notice posted on the NKSD website which states “While School Committee labor negotiations continue with the NK Educational Support Professionals, there remains a possibility that this union may strike on Tuesday and force the closure of school. Right now both sides continue to meet, and we are doing all we can to avert a work stoppage, but I am writing to you to give you some advance notice to make contingency plans for your children’s care should the NKESP go forward with a strike.”

First, as a member of the school committee, I (and I believe Mrs. Benson) am unaware of any continuing labor negotiations currently ongoing with the NK Educational Support Professionals. Regardless, to the best of my knowledge, on June 26, 2012 NKESP union officials did provide additional contract concessions to Mary Ann Carroll, attorney for the North Kingstown School Committee’s (NKSC), with the understanding that Attorney Carroll would present the new proposal to the NKSC that evening. It is also my understanding, Attorney Carroll attempted to present the unions proposal to the school committee, however it was rejected out of hand by committee members Welch, Page, Avanzato and Boscardin.

Second, I am also unaware of any ongoing negotiations with ESP union officials since March 13, 2012, when at that time a motion was made by Lynda Avanzato and seconded by John Boscardin to dissolve the Negotiations Sub-Committee and subsequently passed by a 4 to 1 vote. Mrs. Avanzato’s and Mr. Welch’s rationale to dissolve the committee was predicated on their assertion that when the committee moves into arbitration, it’s the entire committee that becomes involved. Thus, any interface or discussion with union officials by a School Committee Member or members and Superintendent Auger were not authorized and therefore not representative of the School Committee. Additionally, Attorney Carroll has not been authorized to represent the school committee in any matters concerning union negotiations.

Third, since the June 26, 2012 school committee meeting I have attempted on several occasions, to poll all NKSC members to hold a special or emergency school committee meeting to address the unions latest proposal; however, Chairperson Page has continually rejected each of my requests, in violation of our own school committee policy. Because of Chairperson Page’s in transient’s and unwillingness to bargain in good faith, on August 12, 2012, I filed several Open Meetings Act complaints with the Atty. Gen.’s office regarding the procedural conduct of the June 26 meeting and because the school committee voted, in essence, to rejected the unions new proposal in violation of the OMA.

Fourth, I would like to point out that on the evening of June 25, 2012, during executive session, and after only a 20 minute discussion of an arbitrator’s 25 page decision and award which had just been received and included $621,000 and $687,000 of budget savings in FY13 and FY14 respectively, the school committee voted to fire the janitorial staff. Furthermore the decision was predicated and accepted “without question” on Superintendent Auger’s assertion that the amount of savings cited by the arbitrator was incorrect and would not be realized, despite the fact that the arbitrator’s written statement that “most of the values were provided by the school committee as part of its evidence in this case.” I feel the S/C owed its valued long time employees the professional courtesy to at least validate the accuracy and/or disparity between the arbitrators and Dr. Auger’s calculated savings.

As outlined above, I have done everything possible since February, when I was first appointed to the now defunct negotiations committee, to ensure that School Committee and the ESP union were bargaining in good faith. Unfortunately, I believe that there has been complete breakdown in the negotiation process, absence of School Committee leadership and that school committee erred, when it failed to consider the union’s proposal presented to Attorney Carroll on June 26, 2012. As such, and in regard to the rumored statement there “will be a work stoppage” resulting in school closure, I respectfully request that all union employees continue to work their normal work day schedules until the S/C meets this Tuesday. In turn, I give you my word of honor that at the Tuesday night’s meeting I will request a vote of the entire S/C to hold a special/open meeting to consider the unions June 26, 2012 proposal. I believe this is a win, win proposal for both parties and the parents and children of our community, even if only for a day.

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