During Monday night’s City Council meeting, members unanimously approved a resolution backing the locked out National Grid gas workers with an 8-0 vote, joining other elected officials in supporting workers who have faced a 12-week lockout stemming from contract negotiations.
Ray Bell, a Chelsea resident of 45 years and one of the affected workers, addressed the Council about safety concerns. He emphasized that replacement workers lack the training and experience necessary for the jobs they are performing. “This is a matter of public safety,” he said. “That’s what it comes down to. This is not a labor issue. The workers trained and experienced need to be in the ground fixing our pipes. This is a no-brainer. It’s putting Chelsea people first…They’ll bury their mistakes. It may not go off now. Maybe it goes off in two months or two years. It could be a disaster. I’m telling you they don’t have experienced and trained people working on these gas pipes.”
Former Councillor Paul Murphy, whose brother is among those locked out, also voiced his position on the matter. “Knowing the work they’re doing on our streets, there could be a disaster here,” he said. “It is a labor dispute, but a different one because they’re locked out. They want to work.”
The Council’s support for the resolution came despite a setback at a special meeting last month, when Councillor Bob Bishop objected to the measure. Under Council rules, a single objection can prevent a matter from passing at a special meeting.
On Monday, Bishop clarified his stance, stating that he did not fundamentally oppose the resolution but had raised concerns previously because of charter conflicts. The revised version of the resolution, he noted, resolved those legal issues.