Police unions from more than a dozen communities in Eastern Massachusetts have decided that, when it comes to negotiations, there's more power in numbers.

The local unions have formed a coalition and have begun pooling their resources and know-how in hopes that the collective would put them in position to better negotiate employment contracts for their 800 members. The move occurs as municipal labor contracts are increasingly difficult to negotiate and many have had to be settled in arbitration, where preparation and presentation can help win a dispute.

"Now, police unions from all these different cities and towns can come together as one and share experience, knowledge, and information," said Newton police Officer Jay Babcock, who is president of Newton's patrolmen's union and a member of the Massachusetts Municipal Police Coalition's board of directors.

The new group, which include police unions from Andover, Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Framingham, Lawrence, Lexington, Marlborough, Medford, Natick, Newton, Somerville, and Wayland, will also speak up collectively on certain personnel grievances - as it did recently when it protested the firing of a Lexington police officer.

Babcock said that while each union negotiates its own employment contract, many share similar employment concerns that could be addressed by the same entity.

"Say we wanted to do a survey of healthcare costs" and "we decided to pay $5,000 for an outside consultant," he said. "We want to be able to give that survey to other towns, too, because it will have information their guys can use, too."

In Massachusetts, most officers are part of local labor unions, and every few years the union leaders sit down to negotiate an employment contract with the city or town management. Usually, after resolving disputes on pay and working conditions, the two sides reach an agreement and sign a contract.

But officials on both sides say that, in recent years, it has become more difficult for municipalities and police unions to settle contracts. Generally, after reaching an impasse, the two parties will turn to an outside arbiter to resolve the differences.

Richard Lee, Medford's director of personnel and finance, said more labor disputes are coming before arbiters. The city's contracts with both police unions expired in June, after the city and the union failed to reach a compromise, and have remained deadlocked.

"In conversations with my peers in other cities and towns, I've been told that disputes are going to arbitrations a lot more often," Lee said.

Babcock said that most of the 14 unions that have formed the coalition are engaged in contractual disputes with their communities, and that all of the unions are represented by the same law firm, McDonald, Lamond & Canzoneri of Southborough.

Because each union negotiates its own contract with the individual community, there's no specific reason for the disputes.

"Every city and town has its own unique set of circumstances," Lee said.

Babcock agreed. "In my experience, each contract brings a different problem," he said. "Either the towns or the cities don't have the money, or the administration has changed."

But, for many police unions, and virtually everyone else in the work world, the increased cost of health insurance and the ongoing battle over who will pay those increased fees, has been a significant sticking point in employment contracts.

Babcock said that's one area where the new coalition will be especially useful. "We're gathering up all our resources" for a unified position on the issue, he said.

Globe correspondent Connie Paige contributed to this report.

Discuss this topic