The legislative proposal to allow civilian flagmen to replace police officers on paid details began drawing the anticipated opposition yesterday, with a mobilization by the forces opposed to reform. From the Boston Herald:

The hotly debated proposal to curtail police road details – part of a series of transportation reform measures – veered toward another public showdown yesterday, with labor leaders passing out literature in the State House and urging lawmakers to oppose the legislation.

The police unions seek delay by asking for additional hearings on the bond bill that contains the legislative language at issue. The legislature appears to be rejecting that delay tactic.

However, top senators said yesterday they intend to insert the reforms into a $4.8 billion transportation bond bill that has already been vetted in multiple hearings. The Senate would take up the bond bill tomorrow, add the reforms and send it back to the House for final approval next week.

“The support from the leaders of the House, Senate and governor’s office is evidence that this bill will move forward in spite of the opposition,” said state Sen. Steven A. Baddour (D-Methuen).

Baddour, co-chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation, said efforts to curb the use of costly police details have already been discussed in several hearings this year.

In order to block this change the unions will apparently have to defeat the entire bond bill, which will not be an easy task. The language would then have the Governor write new regulations allowing flagmen at certain defined areas. I think the unions will likely lose this legislative battle, and then try to influence the regulation writers in the executive branch.

Read the Herald story here.