Key Topics
Public Safety Unions Topic - Police Worn Cameras
Today, approximately 80% of municipal police officers nationwide work in law enforcement agencies that utilized body worn cameras. This technology is quickly becoming common in Campus Police Departments as well. The employer’s bargaining obligation when implementing body worn cameras can be a source of dispute itself, with unions generally taking the position that the employer needs to secure an agreement as part of the main contract negotiation. Employers often take the position that they only need to bargain the impacts of the implementation. Our panelists will explain the difference between these types of bargaining obligations. They will also discuss ancillary topics that come up at the bargaining table when negotiating over this topic.
Professional and Classified Staff Unions Topic - State Approved Parameters & Changes to a Pay Plan
Most Professional and Classified Staff union contracts have a pay plan with all positions assigned to one of a defined number of grades. Each grade has a minimum and a maximum salary. Employees advance through the pay range in a series of annual increases known as steps. During negotiations, unions push hard for changes to the pay plan. For example, they propose the elimination of lower steps and the creation of new higher steps that will increase the maximum salary. Proponents view changes to the pay plan as a way to address perceived inequities between positions and an essential tool to address recruitment and retention challenges. Critics see these changes as a proverbial end run around the wage parameters and a never-ending cost escalator in which each increase serves as the rationale for another future increase. One thing that all parties can agree upon is that changes to the pay plan is a topic of discussion with almost every union during every negotiation cycle.
Speaker Bios
Marsophia Ducheine (Facilitator)
Marsophia Ducheine recently joined the University of Massachusetts in the Office of General Counsel as Associate Counsel, where she represents the University in labor and employment-related matters. She previously held positions at the Boston Public Schools as Labor Counsel, MLPB (formally Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston) as a Law and Policy Consultant, and the Committee for Public Counsel Services as Trial Attorney representing adults charged with misdemeanors and felonies in the Boston area.
Brian Harrington (Panelist)
Brian is the Director of Labor Relations at UMass Amherst. He serves as the chief negotiator for AFSCME, PSU-A, and USA. he is responsible for grievances and other employment issues for those groups and all non-unit employees.
David LaChappelle (Panelist)
David LaChappelle is the Sr. Director of Employee & Labor Relations & HR Compliance at UMass Chan Medical School. David joined UMass Chan in 2017 as HR’s Sr. Labor Relations Consultant. David has also served as Associate Counsel, Labor, at the University of Massachusetts Office of the General Counsel, where he worked closely with the University’s Amherst and UMass Chan campuses. David returned to UMass Chan as the Director of Employee & Labor Relations in September of 2020. David is a 2013 graduate of New England Law – Boston.
Eliza Mina (Panelist)
Eliza recently joined the University of Massachusetts Boston as Labor Relations Manager, where she leads collective bargaining efforts and oversees labor relations for the professional staff and classified staff unions. A dedicated public sector professional, she previously served as Labor Counsel for Boston Public Schools and began her career as an Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk and Middlesex Counties.
Michael Murray (Panelist)
A practicing labor and employment lawyer in the private and public sectors for 36 years, Mike Murray currently serves as the Director of Labor Relations for the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He is primarily responsible for all labor relations matters for the University’s six bargaining units including bargaining agreement negotiations, grievances, arbitrations and administrative litigation. Prior to coming to UMass Dartmouth, Mike served as the Director of Labor Relations for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education where he was responsible for all labor relations matters at the Commonwealth’s state universities and community colleges. Mike's prior positions include Bureau Chief and General Counsel for the Massachusetts Senate’s Post Audit and Oversight Committee, Partner in the Providence law firm of Patridge Snow & Hahn LLP, General Counsel for the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office and an associate with the New Bedford law firm of Fernandes, Fraze & Finnerty. He has extensive experience as a civil litigator in the courts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island and as an advisor on labor and employment matters to government agencies, Fortune 500 companies and small businesses.
Bill Storella (Panelist)
Bill Storella is the Director of Labor Relations and Compliance for the UMass Lowell campus. As Director, Bill serves as negotiator and contract administrator for the campus’s eight (8) collective bargaining agreements. Bill provides guidance and advice to administrators on matters regarding employee relations and the administration of collective bargaining agreements. Prior to working at UMass Lowell, Bill spent two (2) years with the Commonwealth’s Office of Employee Relations as an Assist Director, served as a Labor Relations Specialist with Lawrence General Hospital and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and spent nine (9) years with SEIU Local 888 as a Union Representative.