Workers of ADPW Protest Stagnant Wages

On Monday, March 2, workers of the Amherst Department of Public Works (ADPW) — who are responsible for all the town’s infrastructure, maintenance, and construction — held a protest to express their frustrations with stagnant wages from working under an expired contract for eight months.

While contracts are typically negotiated every three years, the current contract that ADPW is working under expired on July 1 and is still being negotiated. President of the ADPW Association — the union representing roughly sixty ADPW workers — and Division Director for the Amherst Wastewater Treatment Plant Andrew Brace has been advocating for the ADPW’s requests. 

According to Brace, negotiations began in November 2024 with a meeting that outlined the ground rules for the negotiations themselves and the basics of the contract.

The town’s negotiating team consists of the human resources director, the human resources (HR) consultant, the ADPW superintendent and assistant superintendent, and the HR manager. According to Brace, the HR consultant was the primary authority figure in the room during most meetings. 

However, when trying to discuss negotiations, Brace was told that town representatives present at the meeting did not have the authority to authorize the requested changes to wages and salaries, because only the town manager can offer more than what was offered in the initial negotiations. 

Following initial discussions, negotiators held seven additional sessions. For all of which, Town Manager Paul Bockelman was not present. 

“This doesn’t sound like we’re negotiating,” Brace said. “I was like … why isn’t that person … in the room?” 

According to Brace, Bockelman has been absent from nearly every meeting.“I think he showed … for one meeting in the last round … but we really had to push to get it,” Brace said.

During these negotiations, agreements are non-binding. However, this rule differs from negotiations for other sectors, such as law enforcement and fire departments.

Brace said that ADPW workers have been stretched thin, especially amid Amherst’s harsh winter. “You’re really doing a disservice to the residents,” he said. 

In a statement to The Student, Bockleman praised the work of ADPW members, saying that “they are on duty seven days a week … I respect each of them and am committed to working with [their] union leaders.”  

Still, Brace and his fellow workers feel that their efforts are not reflected in their wages. “I think there [is] one [position] that [is] the lowest paid in the region by far, and they’re just unwilling to even acknowledge it,” he said. 

According to Brace, ADPW salaries used to match steady middle-class incomes but now struggle to keep up with the rising cost of living in town. He added that only one out of the sixty workers owns a home in Amherst, and only two live in the town at all. “It’s almost impossible to afford to live in town,” he said.

In the wake of Monday’s protest, Brace and ADPW have another meeting scheduled for Wednesday, March 11. “I’m hoping the town just does the right thing … we clearly communicated to [Bockelman] what it's going to take to settle this,” Brace said. 

While increased wages would mean success for ADPW’s recent efforts, they represent only a fraction of what ADPW workers hope will change in the long run. 

“[T]his is a step in the right direction,” Brace said. “[For] eight months people have gone without a raise … we just want to settle this right now.”

Brace and the rest of the ADPW still feel that “to really get where we need to be is probably going to take somewhat substantial contract [negotiations].”

In his statement, Bockelman promised he would do everything in his power to reach an effective contract.

“I respect each of them and am committed to working with our union leaders to reach a collective bargaining settlement that is fair, that makes needed investments, and that is financially sustainable for the Town,” he said. “I am redoubling my efforts to reach an agreement.”