Patrick’s ‘flagger’ proposal competing with local detail plan

REVERE – Gov. Deval Patrick’s renewed push to replace state and local police officers with flaggers on road and utility repair jobs faces local competition.Former police officer and Ward 6 City Councilor Charles Patch’s proposed ordinance calls for a Revere police officer to be hired for local road jobs including opening street covers and emergency construction work.The City Council holds a public hearing on Patch’s proposal on Sept. 22.”The purpose of this section is to reduce any and all safety hazards for pedestrian and vehicular traffic and also for the safety of those workers who are engaged in work upon, in or above the streets and/or sidewalks,” Patch stated in the introduction to his proposal.Top legislative leaders joined Patrick in April to announce they hoped to save taxpayers $100 million over 20 years by initially replacing police officers assigned to work construction or utility repair jobs on local side streets or small roads with privately-hired flaggers.Patrick abandoned his push for the proposal, then unveiled a slightly scaled down version of it during the summer. Police union representatives were quick to criticize both plans, claiming state-set rates for private roadwork details rival the per hour pay they receive.Hourly rates collectively negotiated for police officers working private utility details range from $35 to $42 on the North Shore with Revere officers paid $37 an hour.The state prevailing wage for flaggers and signalers in metropolitan Boston increased from $36.95 an hour to $37.45 an hour on May 31.State rates for flaggers include “fringe benefits” and detail reform supporters say current per hourly rates for flaggers could be amended.Several Revere officers earned over $40,000 in detail pay alone, not counting their base salary, in 2007. But utilities hiring details also pay a fee to the city that totaled $100,000 last year.Revere Superior Officers Association President James Guido said police officers are trained, unlike flaggers, to respond to medical emergencies and prepared to respond to crimes.”If something goes wrong they can immediately close off streets,” Guido said.