BOSTON — Over the past year and a half, Boston’s two most powerful unions have each walked away with lucrative new contracts.

The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association was first, securing a five-year, $82.3 million agreement that included retroactive raises, new overtime rules, and guaranteed salary increases through 2028.

Then came the Boston Teachers Union. Their latest deal, finalized this spring, totaled $181 million. It boosted average teacher pay to more than $126,000, handed paraprofessionals raises as high as 30%, and ballooned the district payroll by more than $50 million.

And soon after each deal came something else: an endorsement.

Both unions are now backing Mayor Michelle Wu in her re-election campaign. One — the BTU — has gone further, launching phone banks, canvassing operations, and full-scale campaign support.

There’s nothing illegal about it. But the sequence is striking.

Payroll and Politics

Wu’s administration has framed the contracts as overdue investments in public servants. But for some voters, the order of operations has raised eyebrows.

• First the contracts
• Then the endorsements
• Now a mayoral campaign backed by the same unions who just signed historic raises

The police union hadn’t endorsed a sitting mayor in over 30 years. The teachers union is now doing more than endorsing — they’re organizing.

What Did Boston Get?

Taxpayers may wonder what they got in return for the $263 million.

In schools, performance metrics remain stagnant:

• Boston Public Schools are still under a formal Systemic Improvement Plan with the state
• Just 39% of students passed the most recent MCAS English exam
• The district now spends over $30,000 per student — one of the highest rates in the country

Meanwhile, public safety spending has climbed to record highs, with the police budget now exceeding $470 million annually — even as questions about overtime and staffing persist.

The city has never spent more on schools or police. Whether residents are seeing the return on that investment is a different story.

The Campaign Begins

As the election ramps up, Wu isn’t just running with union endorsements. She’s running with union infrastructure.

The BTU’s field game — powered by the same organization that just received a $181 million deal — is already active across the city.

And while Wu’s team calls it a natural alignment of values, others see a carefully timed exchange: contracts first, campaign muscle later.

A Contrast Emerges

Not every union is lining up behind the mayor. Some — like Laborers’ Local 22 and Ironworkers Local 7 — have endorsed challenger Josh Kraft, citing his work ethic and community ties.

Kraft isn’t working with a citywide campaign apparatus funded by public payroll. But his backers say that’s the point.

Because in a city where turnout is low and budgets are high, it’s worth asking: who’s running the campaign — and who already paid for it?

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