Governor Patrick unveiled his new regulations that allow the use of flagmen on certain state road jobs, inserting a late provision that short circuited the unions ability to use local collective bargaining agreements or ordinances to force local police onto those state road jobs. From the Boston Globe:

Governor Deval Patrick has toughened his new rules on police details at road construction sites, outmaneuvering local police unions that were making a last-minute push to get around efforts to rein in the costly assignments.

The governor eliminated a provision that would have allowed local police details to continue at all state-supervised work sites – even on lightly traveled roads where the danger is low – if a local labor contract or municipal ordinance required it.

The governor tightened the rules following a Globe story last week that said local unions were scrambling to exploit the provision and protect the lucrative details for their officers before the rules take effect Oct. 3.

The unions were furious at the change, and appear to have been caught napping by the administration.

“In my 25 years in law enforcement in this state, I have never worked with a more insensitive and arrogant administration that is simply unwilling to listen on this issue,” said Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan, who is also a spokesman for the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs, which represents police chiefs in the state’s largest communities.

“In a labor-friendly state like Massachusetts, it’s outrageous that the administration would try to implement a policy that trumps labor’s well-established . . .bargaining rights,” he said.

The powerful Boston Patrolman seemed to be caught unaware as well.

“You’re kidding me,” Thomas Nee, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, said yesterday when told of the regulations. “This is a complete surprise to us.”

The Governor’s plan will save an estimated 5 to 7 million dollars for the state.

As far as local control goes the Governor’s plan only applies to road details where the state is the awarding authority for the construction job. If it is State money involved the state certainly has the right to lay out what is acceptable in terms of cost. I do not see this as any infringement on local control at all. The Governor’s plan would have been reduced to ashes had the option to circumvent it through local ordinance or CBA been allowed to stand. Again the Governor has made the correct call here. You can’t call it reform if it doesn’t save money. Read the Globe story here.