This weekend, Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi wrote a piece about the recent compromise fostered by the City Council between the administration and Local 718 that will save the city $45 million over the original arbitration settlement.  Councilor Ross responded to Vennochi via email; here is his response.

Some of the positives of the Council's action with regard to the Fire contract worth mentioning but not included in your column:

Here are the tangibles:

• All new firefighters must take yearly physicals and pass a fitness test, otherwise no 1.5 percent. NO payment henceforth for drug and alcohol testing
• Over 20 years the city will save $45 million from the original agreement
• Fiscal year 2011's increase (of 2.5%) was delayed for 6 months, thus effectively serving as a 1.25% increase for FY2011, and as the first contract for the year, this starts a pattern for all other bargaining units

But perhaps more important are the intangibles:

• Arbitration is forever different in that an award may change, or be defeated at the Council, something that was previously assumed to be impossible
• For the first time ever one of Boston's big three unions (Police, Fire, Teachers) made a significant pay concession outside of the bargaining table
• The biggest benefit is ending four years of bitter conflict between management and labor. Millions of dollars in lawyer bills. Poor morale and productivity as a result
• Shooting down the award, the only alternative that you seem to endorse, might not have the consequences you think it would. Returning labor and management to a table would result in further delay, more lawyer bills, a continued toxic relationship, likelihood of going back to arbitration, an even larger award several years from now, and no guarantee whatsoever of a better result. Or, what was more likely, 718 could have litigated the current award on the basis that the Menino administration violated their agreement (to support the award and abide by the arbitration rules they agreed to).

The above isn't spin--it's real. Moreover it has been endorsed by MIT Professor Tom Kochan, a four decade expert in labor management.

Finally, Chuck Turner deserves his day in court. Your article's premise unfairly condemns him.
Thank you.

Mike Ross