Published in the September 20, 2018 edition

 By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — For the fourth time this summer, the Board of Selectmen debated, at length, the predicament shared by this town and every community in the state that obtains its natural gas from National Grid since the company locked out 1,250 of its skilled unionized steelworkers June 25.

On Monday night, however, the five members came to a unanimous agreement on a lengthy resolution offered by board Chairman Mike Prisco with three amendments offered by Selectwoman Kate Manupelli. The document is to be sent with the town seal not only to National Grid officials, but to every state official, the state’s entire congressional delegation, and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

It’s not an endorsement for a moratorium because all five board members agree that National Grid is operating under a self-imposed moratorium through its admission that it is responding to emergencies and mandated work with their replacement workers and contractors while regular work orders fall to the bottom of the ever-growing to-do list.

While the end game is to get both parties back to the bargaining table with a renewed sense of urgency to get this matter resolved — or at the very least to end the lockout so that the skilled workforce can return to their jobs while the negotiations continue – they admit a two-page document from one town of 15,000 is not going to tip the scales one way or another.

However, Prisco believes what will turn the tide is action taken by all National Grid customers in this town willing to state their opinion on the matter. “There is a customer service line on your National Grid bill… when I sent my check in this month I wrote a letter … we are paying for those services,” Prisco said.  In his role as a selectman he has picked up the phone to engage the governor and state Rep. Brad Jones in the matter, adding that both want it resolved as well.

In the wake of last Thursday’s Columbia Gas line explosions and fires in three Merrimack Valley communities, Prisco stressed: “I do not believe our town is any less safe than it was one week ago, a month ago, a year ago, but it is in our best interest as a community to send a message to both parties to be reasonable. …Many have stood at that podium (stating we) need to get our workers back to work… It takes two.”

While Prisco could not attend the board’s September 6 meeting he did say he watched that meeting on cable and “appreciated the points that have been made.”

Selectman Andrew Schultz said Prisco’s resolution was “reasonable,” adding, “It is not fair to our citizens that they are not reaching an agreement. I will have a problem if my costs go up.”

“It is not our business to decide who is right and who is wrong,” said Selectman Bob Mauceri, but public safety is the board’s concern.

Selectman Steve O’Leary said, “I cannot help but make a correlation between what happened up in the Merrimack Valley and here… Columbia Gas failed miserably.”

“The governor made it quite clear the other night he has the authority to step in and make them do what is required from a public safety standpoint,” O’Leary added. He opined that if National Grid faced the same scenario as Columbia Gas it could not respond appropriately either since National Grid cannot currently handle “normal service” and is therefore “shirking responsibility” by locking out 1,250 of its most skilled workers. He believes the community should tell them to “go back to the table and talk.”

Selectwoman Kate Manupelli agreed with O’Leary. “Ultimately this entire scenario only impacts the ratepayers… we’re the only ones who will be impacted… we need to take it up a notch,” she said.

Local United Steelworkers Union member Dave Monahan of 42 Wilson Ave., was allowed to speak one more time at the podium where he originally pitched the idea to the board back in July of signing on to the moratorium that other cities and towns had endorsed at that point. He read a prepared statement and in response to a question asked by Schultz said the union representatives had met with National Grid at least twice since the Sept. 6 selectmen’s meeting but he had not been told of any progress being made.

The lifelong North Reading resident stressed that his union has wanted to continue working throughout the negotiation process after their contract expired June 25, just as they had during the last two collective bargaining years but this time National Grid upped the ante with the lockout and cutting off their health insurance as of July 1 (they were given the option to pay the full premium through COBRA).

The statement he read is printed elsewhere in today’s Transcript.

Manupelli’s amendments:

Selectwoman Kate Manupelli’s three amendments to the resolution offered by Selectmen Chairman Mike Prisco were adopted by the board Monday night and incorporated into the document by Town Counsel Wednesday.

1) To express the town’s intent that National Grid return the locked out employees to duty while they remain in these contract negotiations with the union.

2) To amend the resolve to require National Grid to produce its Emergency Action Plan that is in place for our town to address emergency scenarios that the town might see, whether they are hypothetical or not. Give us the emergency action plan now, today.

3) To amend the resolve to order National Grid to produce to our public safety officials their updated infrastructure maps, their engineering plans, to inform our public safety officials if they need to mobilize in the event of any emergency scenarios that occur. 

Subsequent to Monday’s meeting, the resolution was reviewed by Selectwoman Manupelli and Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto and the amendments were inserted for proper legal formatting, sequencing and terminology. The following draft was sent to the Transcript as the paper was going to press. Gilleberto said this is the version he anticipates all board members would review and sign.

RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN REGARDING THE MATTER OF NATIONAL GRID AND UNITED STEELWORKERS

WHEREAS, natural gas service is critical to the safety, quality of life, and economic development of a city or town; and

WHEREAS, National Grid is the utility providing natural gas service to the Town of North Reading; and

WHEREAS, employees of National Grid include members of the United Steelworkers District 4 Local 12003 and 12012 union; and

WHEREAS, National Grid and the Steelworkers union have been unable to reach an agreement for a collective bargaining agreement to succeed the agreement that expired on June 24, 2018; and

WHEREAS, National Grid informs the Town of North Reading that it has implemented a work continuation plan to ensure uninterrupted and safe gas service for its customers with a workforce of skilled contractors and management employees; and

WHEREAS, members and representatives of the Steelworkers union inform the Town of North Reading that they have been locked out of work; and

WHEREAS, National Grid informs the Town that it is presently focusing resources on emergency repairs and the repair of gas leaks, with limited efforts toward installing new customer services and/or replacing existing customer services; and

WHEREAS, new customer services and/or replacing existing customer services contribute to quality of life, commerce, and/or economic development; and

WHEREAS, the Steelworkers union represents approximately 1,100 employees in our region; and finally

WHEREAS, the ongoing work continuation plan or lockout is adversely impacting the lives of Steelworkers union employees;

THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN THEREFORE DETERMINES THAT IT BE

RESOLVED, that National Grid is requested to return to normal personnel operations while discussions between National Grid and the Steelworkers union continue; and further let it be

RESOLVED, that National Grid and the Steelworkers union are respectfully requested to dedicate as much time as is necessary, as soon as possible, to discussions and/or negotiations to return to normal personnel operations; and further let it be

RESOLVED, the United States government including the Executive branch and Congress are respectfully requested to take any and all possible actions to facilitate discussions and/or negotiations between National Grid and the Steelworkers union with a goal of returning to normal personnel operations; and further let it be

RESOLVED, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts including its constitutional officers and General Court are respectfully requested to take any and all possible actions to facilitate discussions and/or negotiations between National Grid and the Steelworkers union with a goal of returning to normal personnel operations; and further let it be

RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the President of the United States of America, the North Reading Congressional delegation, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Constitutional Officers, and the North Reading State House delegation; and further let it be

RESOLVED, that National Grid is ordered to provide to North Reading Public Safety and Public Works officials its emergency action plan currently in place to address emergencies that may occur in the Town; and further let it be

RESOLVED, that National Grid is ordered to produce to North Reading Public Safety and Public Works officials updated maps and plans of all natural gas infrastructure currently in place in North Reading in order to assist North Reading Public Safety and Public Works officials in preparing for any potential natural gas emergency; and finally let it be

RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be posted on the Town of North Reading website to advise residents of the position and action of the Board of Selectmen on this matter, and to encourage residents to contact National Grid and/or the Steelworkers union to express their personal opinion on this matter.

BOARD OF SELECTMEN

Michael A. Prisco, Chair; Kathryn M. Manupelli, Vice Chair; Stephen J. O’Leary, Clerk; Robert J. Mauceri; Andrew J. Schultz