Brookline's municipal workers could see raises of 3.5% to 7.5% over two years under a $1.15 million collective bargaining agreement headed to the full Advisory Committee for a vote.
The Advisory Committee's Personnel Subcommittee voted 3-0 on Thursday, Sept. 24 to recommend the deal with AFSCME Local 1358, the union representing town employees, according to the committee's agenda packet. The full Advisory Committee was scheduled to take up the agreement as Warrant Article 2 at its Tuesday, Sept. 29 meeting, chaired by Dennis Doughty. The outcome of that vote had not been confirmed as of Wednesday, Sept. 30.
The two-year agreement covers fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It still needs three more approvals: union ratification, Select Board sign-off and Town Meeting funding.
What the deal includes
The agreement's centerpiece is a 2% general wage increase retroactive to July 1, 2025, paired with a class-and-pay restructuring set to take effect in January 2027. AFSCME had previously turned down a standalone 2% offer for fiscal year 2026 but accepted the raise as part of the broader two-year package.
HR Director Anne H. Braga estimated the average employee would see about a 5% total compensation increase over the two years. Some positions, particularly mechanics and skilled trades, were 20–30% below market rates before the restructuring.
The pay overhaul standardizes step increments at 1.65% and provides eight steps in each job classification. Certain lower pay grades would be eliminated, with affected workers moving into revised classifications.
Cost breakdown
The total two-year cost is $1,150,025, broken down as follows:
- FY26 and FY27 2% wage increases: $534,891
- FY27 1.5% wage increase: $204,596
- Pay-plan adjustments: $246,538
- One-time retention stipend: $144,000
- Longevity: $20,000
The 2% and 1.5% wage costs come from the collective bargaining reserve. The $246,538 pay-plan adjustment would be drawn from the town's override reserve. Longevity and the retention stipend are covered by existing resources.
The deal also includes a $750 one-time longevity stipend for union employees and doubles the sick-leave cashout cap to $10,000 for workers with 10 or more years of service. Employees with fewer than 10 years would receive no buyback.
Vacation accrual moves to a monthly basis starting Jan. 1, 2027, with allowances of three weeks for the first five years, four weeks from five to 10 years and five weeks at 10 or more years. Employees have until Jan. 1, 2029 to reduce vacation balances to the existing eight-week cap.
HR director departs, interim firm steps in
Braga announced at the Thursday, Sept. 24 subcommittee meeting that Friday, Oct. 2 would be her last day as Brookline's HR director. She said she plans to pursue work in employee well-being and neurodiversity in the workforce.
The Select Board approved a contract with Capital Strategic Solutions to provide interim HR leadership. Consultant Michael McGovern will assess the department's needs and report to the Select Board and Town Administrator Chaz Carey. The contract's scope includes reviewing HR operations and recommending improvements to processes and service delivery, according to the agenda packet.
Braga noted the town's assistant HR director has 34 years of experience but cannot absorb additional duties due to workload constraints. Two of the five-member HR board seats have been vacant for more than a year.
Subcommittee members Elise Couture-Stone, Harry Friedman and Harry Bhors all voted in favor of the recommendation. The agreement must still clear the full Advisory Committee, the Select Board and Town Meeting before becoming final.
