Nahant unions OK contract extensions without pay raise

NAHANT – Municipal employees in town have agreed to extend their contracts for a year without a raise, which town officials said would prevent layoffs and reductions in services.Nahant Town Administrator Mark Cullinan said contracts between the town and several unions expire on June 30 and a new contract would not be negotiated for at least a year.According to Cullinan, members of the fire, police and public works departments and the teachers have all agreed to extend their current contract a year without a raise or any concessions on the part of the town.”We have been successful in agreeing not to negotiate this year,” he said. “Everyone has agreed to extend contracts for one year without any increases. The town appreciates the cooperativeness of all the unions. Not negotiating new contracts at this time will save the town hundreds of thousands of dollars.”Superintendent Philip Devaux said the Nahant Teachers Union already formally voted to extend the contract for one year without a salary increase.”It was a very important step in stabilizing finances for next year,” he said. “It prevents layoffs, the loss of programs and reductions in services. We’re very grateful the teachers stepped up and approved this.”Calls to representatives of the other unions were not immediately returned on Wednesday.Cullinan said the agreements with the unions were possible because the town and unions have a cordial relationship based on mutual respect and trust.”That goes a long way,” he said. “It wasn’t a hard sell and the unions really stepped up for us. When we can, we try to do the right thing by our employees and when we can’t, they (unions) understand.”