By ALEX MALM 

In 2019 multiple cities and towns including Cranston and Johnston filed a lawsuit to stop “evergreen” contract legislation. 

The legality of the legislation is being played out in court. It’s one of the reasons why the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns thinks that similar senate legislation voted on and passed yesterday should’ve been held until the conclusion of the case. 

“In light of the ongoing litigation in this area, the General Assembly should not be expanding contract continuation laws,” a press release reads. 

According to the League,  Senate bills 2417 and 2416 will expand lifetime contracts to municipal police and fire. 

“Senate bill 2244 “expands binding arbitration for municipal employees,” a press release reads. “The bill takes fiscal and budgetary authority away from local elected officials’ and empowers unelected arbitrators with no knowledge of local conditions or the community’s ability to pay.”

“If Rhode Islanders think they are feeling pain at the pump now, just wait until municipal employee contracts go on indefinitely and unelected arbitrators award multi-million-dollar contracts» said League President and North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi. «Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns strongly urge the Rhode Island Senate to vote no on the evergreen contract bills and binding arbitration bill scheduled for a vote on Tuesday, April 12. The Senate is eliminating the ability of municipal officials to manage personnel contracts and costs.”

In a statement Monday Michael Carreiro, the President of Local IAFF2748 which represents the Warwick Firefighters said “this legislation essentially cleans up the existing language in the Firefighters’ Arbitration Act and codifies the well-established obligation of both municipal employers and unions to maintain the status quo while they are in negotiations and interest arbitration.  The current language provides that the terms of the expired contract continue in the next contract unless either party demands arbitration.  This legislation just clarifies that both parties will continue to abide by the expired contract until there is a decision from the arbitration panel or an agreement between the parties.”

Warwick was one of the few communities that join the lawsuit. 

 “Most, if not all, municipalities, including Warwick, continue to abide by the terms of the expired collective bargaining agreement until a new contract has been ratified, but, over the past decade, their have been a few rogue departments that, with their attorneys, that have tried to make a name for themselves by unilaterally changing working conditions while the parties were in negotiations.  Those departments not only negatively affected public safety in their communities, but caused taxpayers to incur unnecessary legal fees,” said Carreiro. “This legislation seeks to prevent the disruption of public safety services while the parties negotiate in good faith for a successor agreement.” 

Asked about the legislation on Tuesday, Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi said he still needed to review the legislation. 

Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins in a text message Tuesday said, “Cranston continues to join many other municipalities challenging the Evergreen contracts.”

“It is in the best interest of the taxpayers to have a reasonable degree of leverage with contract negotiations,” said Hopkins.