NEW SCOTLAND — Twelve months after voluntarily recognizing the Civil Service Employees Association as the bargaining agent for over a dozen of its blue-collar workers, the town of New Scotland and the union continue to deal in good faith. 

In July of last year, 17 of New Scotland’s highway, water and sewer, mechanic, transfer station, and parks departments employees signed a letter asking the town to voluntarily recognize their right to unionize. 

A month later, the town agreed to recognize that right. 

The length of negotiations is hardly unusual, both sides agree, while also agreeing that talks have gone well. 

“That’s because you’re starting from scratch,” said Therese Assalian, a communications specialist with the CSEA. “You’re building a contract.”

It’s the first collective bargaining agreement for both sides, Assalian explained; with established contracts, the focus is updating already-agreed-upon provisions. 

Brian Selchick, a labor attorney retained by the town, described the first contract as “establishing the entirety of the universe.”

“And frankly,” Selchick said, he’s had well-established bargaining units whose contract negotiations have taken years. “I’ve seen teachers’ units out of contract for five years.”

Plus, Selchick, there were “a lot of mechanics” to the town’s voluntary recognition of the union and, by the time both sides sat down to begin discussions, it was late January, so the negotiations have really been taking place for about eight months. 

In August 2023, highway worker Ben Kawczak, who spearheaded the union drive along with two of his fellow under-30 co-workers, said that about 90 percent of eligible employees already agreed with the idea of unionizing. 

Getting so many other workers to come around to the idea of joining CSEA Local 1000 wasn’t too heavy a lift because, Kawczak said, “We were kind of on board with it when we started talking about it.”

As for what motivated the unionization push, Kawczak said at the time there wasn’t any specific issue or concern; workers “just want to make sure going forward we have a fair contract that guarantees benefits and pay and everything else.”

As for when an agreement will be in place, Selchick said it would be ideal, for planning purposes, to have a contract signed before the town adopts its annual budget, which typically happens in November. And, even if an agreement can’t be reached before then, both sides agree they are committed to staying at the table.