2024- State Police Association of Massachusetts Awarded Arbitration Decision Regarding Mistreatment of Members During COVID-19.

“This award is another in a series of arbitration decisions that have favored the State Police Association of MA regarding the mistreatment of its members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This decision is important to Labor as it underscores the vitality of a collective bargaining agreement and its provisions even when management declares they are taking action in contravention of it due to emergent circumstances. Here, the Department of State Police simply refused to meet with Association members who had filed grievances contesting their religious accommodation requests. The arbitrator found that the Department State Police was wrong because the relevant collective bargaining agreement language directing them to meet is “not discretionary” and “does not provide that the Department may or may not meet.” Rather, it clearly and unambiguously states that the Department “shall meet” with the grievants.” As a result of this decision, some Association members will now get their grievance meetings and the arbitrator has further held that the Department of State Police is directed to cease and desist from failing to meet with individual grievants during the grievance procedure.”
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