Employees of the Waldoboro Police Department, Public Works Department and Transfer Station voted earlier this month to unionize.
Thirteen of the 16 full-time employees in those departments – seven police officers, seven employees in the Public Works Department and two employees at the Transfer Station – cast ballots by mail to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Council 93, in Boston. One of the 13 employees voted against joining the union.
“At this point, I’ve made initial contact with the AFSCME to let them know we don’t have a town manager for the time being,” said Interim Town Manager Eileen Dondlinger. “This is way beyond my scope, is my feeling.”
Dondlinger hopes that the union will delay any contract or other negations until after a permanent town manager is hired.
Talk of unionizing started last fall, but Dondlinger was unsure what response if any the town made when the issue first came up.
(Update: The Waldoboro Fire Department did not participate in the vote.)
