The Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations dismissed yet another complaint made by the United Public Service Employees Union (UPSEU) against the Town of Branford. This is the third complaint this year.
In September, the Board of Labor Relations dismissed a complaint that was filed by the UPSEU a year earlier.
Three different units of the UPSEU-Branford—police workers, dispatchers and Water Pollution Control Authority employees—claimed that the Town of Branford violated the Municipal Employees Relations Act (MERA).
The decision document did not give any details about these alleged violations. On Aug. 12, the Board of Labor Relations concluded its investigation and found no wrongdoing on the part of the town. It alerted UPSEU about its findings, and the union did not protest the decision. The board issued a final decision on Sept. 10.
This is not the first time the UPSEU and the Town of Branford have clashed.
In December 2022, UPSEU accused the town of violating MERA by not providing union members with information they requested in a timely manner. The town eventually furnished the union with information and then filed a counter-complaint in March 2023. The town claimed that, by not withdrawing its initial complaint after the Union was provided information it asked for, UPSEU was violating MERA. The Board of Labor Relations dismissed both complaints on April 2, 2024.
Also in June 2022, the UPSEU accused the town of violating MERA by switching health insurance plans without bargaining. The Board of Labor Relations dismissed this complaint in June 2024. The board determined that the town kept the same insurance provider, so it did not need to bargain with the union.
Different units at the Branford UPSEU filed a different health insurance grievance against the Branford Board of Education.
Like the town did before them, the Branford Board of Education switched from a high-deductible healthcare plan with a health saving deductible to the state’s Partnership Plan 2.0. UPSEU’s Custodians and Maintenance Union filed a complaint against the board. UPSEU claims the union did not approve a change in health care plans, even though the union president agreed to it.
After a lengthy investigation, the Board of Labor Relations determined that there was a breakdown of communications between UPSEU members. Even though there were miscommunications, the president still had the authority to sign off on a new health plan.
The initial complaint was filed in April 2023 and the case was dismissed in June 2024.
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