Police union allowed to picket
A federal judge has cleared the way for the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association to picket all FleetCenter entrances starting Tuesday morning, meaning construction workers charged with readying the arena for next month's Democratic National Convention will have to make their way past lines of police officers.
The ruling was a victory for the police union, which sued for the right to assemble on FleetCenter property after demonstrating patrolmen were turned away from the city's convention contract-signing ceremony at the arena in late 2002. It comes at a particularly sensitive time for the city as it tries to calm labor disputes in the weeks running up to before the convention.
Members of the Greater Boston Labor Council are already threatening to reject a no-strike pact for FleetCenter work when it votes on Monday. And with construction inside the FleetCenter scheduled to begin next week, the Boston Police Patrolman's Association -- the largest and most powerful union still without a contract -- is free to picket on FleetCenter property and confront workers entering the arena.
"They want to get their message across, that the Democratic administration of the city has not taken care of its workers,'' said Thomas Drechsler, a lawyer for the patrolmen's association. "We just want access to people entering and leaving." The agreement, signed by US District Judge Joseph Tauro, allows the union to post eight officers at the two main FleetCenter entrances and two at a back entrance. The protests can continue on FleetCenter property through July 23 -- the Friday before the convention begins.
Thomas J. Nee, president of the patrolmen's association, said officers plan to protest at the FleetCenter 24 hours a day while it is being prepared for the convention. The union is also launching a radio campaign, accusing Mayor Thomas M. Menino of "threatening" public safety by leaving contracts unsigned and "holding our police over a barrel."
"It's outrageous that it has come to this," Nee said. "The values and principles of the Democratic Party are not being respected here in the city of Boston."
Merita A. Hopkins, the city's corporation counsel, said Boston officials are pleased with portions of the agreement that guarantee union members will not block entrances or exits. The provisions ensure that North Station commuters will get where they need to go, and that construction work will be able to proceed on schedule, she said.
"Nothing is going to be blocked here," she said. "This balances everyone's interests very well."
Menino, anxious to show progress on labor negotiations, announced yesterday that the city reached two new tentative settlements with the unions representing about 400 school custodians and 79 workers of the Boston Center for Youth and Families.
"We're making progress, and we'll make more progress the next few days," Menino said. "We're just rolling right through."
He said he is unconcerned about the police union's tactics and urged the union's leaders to focus energies on negotiations instead of public relations.
City and police union officials have two rounds of talks scheduled before a state mediation board -- today and Monday -- that will offer Menino his last chance to avoid police protests when convention-related construction begins Tuesday.
Menino will then have to contend with the Greater Boston Labor Council's Monday night vote on whether to accept a project labor agreement with convention organizers.
Richard M. Rogers, the labor council's executive secretary-treasurer, declined to speculate on Monday night's possible outcomes. But he called on the city to immediately commence " 'round-the-clock negotiations" -- with Menino personally involved at times -- to bring the extended contract talks to an end.
"The stakes are so high for the city, the labor movement, the Democratic Party, and the Kerry campaign," said Rogers, referring to the presidential bid of presumptive Democratic candidate Senator John F. Kerry. "I'm convinced settlements can and must be reached."
Menino said he is not feeling added pressure to sign deals with city unions, and said he will continue to limit his involvement to a "closer's" role, coming in only when the sides are extremely close. He noted that even though 13 of the city's 32 collective bargaining units still lack tentative agreements or final contracts, more than 60 percent of the city work force has deals in place.
"I'm doing my job as mayor," Menino said. "They elected me to make decisions, and I have a fiduciary responsibility. I cannot spend money I don't have."
Even if the labor council refuses to sign the project labor agreement, construction is unlikely to be affected. Boston 2004, the convention host committee, has been in talks with the building trade unions to sign such a labor agreement separately from the Greater Boston Labor Council, should that be necessary.
"I've got to get the work done inside the building, and that's the building trades guys first and foremost," said David A. Passafaro, president of Boston 2004. "Let's get in there and get the work done. Because we have such a short period of time, every day matters."
Still, an agreement with the umbrella labor organization would carry great symbolic value -- sending a message that Democrats are gathering in a labor-friendly city -- and it has been eagerly sought by Menino and the convention host committee he leads. It would also go far in quieting potentially ugly confrontations between city unions and private-sector building trades unions.
If some workers are uncomfortable about crossing a picket line, there will still be plenty of other electricians, carpenters, and painters who are eager for the work, said Joe Nigro, secretary-treasurer of the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District.
"We will supply the manpower on that job," Nigro said. "I'm not giving up millions of dollars' worth of work and hours for negotiations with the city of Boston, that's for sure."
Rick Klein can be reached at rklein@globe.com. 
