Berlin Select Board Ratifies First Highway Union Contracts, Approves Three New Positions

BERLIN — May 18, 2026 — Berlin Select Board ratifies first-ever Highway Department union contracts and clears three new positions for hiring. The board voted unanimously Monday to approve two collective bargaining agreements with Teamsters Local 170 — a bridge contract covering May 12 through June 30, 2026, and a three-year deal running July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029 — marking the first time the department has been covered by a union contract. The Town Administrator cited a significant compensation gap with neighboring communities as the central driver. The board also unanimously approved job descriptions for a full-time Assistant Town Administrator, a part-time Benefits Coordinator at 19 hours per week, and a Cable Access Camera Operator, the latter with a reclassification from pay grade one to grade five; all three had been reviewed by the Personnel Committee the prior week and postings were set to go live the following morning. Board member Peg pressed the Town Administrator on whether the ATA description should require documented HR experience, warning that the omission could create legal exposure; the Town Administrator replied that the TA Act already designates HR as falling within the office and that the ATA role would complement rather than duplicate the TA's skill set.