HARRISON — Teamsters Local 340 has been chosen by seven of the town’s employees to represent them in contract negotiations with the town, selectmen learned Tuesday night.

Town Manager Bud Finch announced that results of a secret ballot election in February were confirmed by the Maine Labor Relations Board on March 7. Two of the seven town employees who were eligible to cast ballots did not submit them, Finch said.

Finch, who replaced former town manager Brad Plante last fall, expressed disappointment.

“I truly believe that we could have worked out the problems,” he said, “but my hands were tied by labor law, so there wasn’t a whole lot I could do.”

In a prepared statement to the board, Finch said, “Unfortunately, this is something I believe is a result of a breakdown in communications between labor and management that took place before I arrived in Harrison …”

Selectman Eddie Rolfe thanked Finch for his efforts. “This whole thing is not your fault. The previous town manager left us with lawsuits …”

“I believe we’re in a position that’s a lot more repairable than a lot of people think,” Finch said. “I haven’t had any employees coming to me looking for anything specific — it’s not like there’s a lot of items on the table. None of the employees have given me the impression this isn’t something we can’t work through.”

Finch called the union vote “an administrative issue” and offered to handle the situation if the Board approved.

“I have confidence in your ability to work with the Teamsters,” Selectman Lisa Villa said. Other selectmen agreed. Selectman Kathy LaPlante suggested a formal vote be taken. The vote was unanimous.

The bargaining unit will include a driver/mechanic, the road foreman, the code enforcement officer/assessors agent/licensed plumbing inspector, the administrative assistant, two equipment operators, a truck driver and an equipment operator/laborer.

The selectmen’s meeting lasted about 20 minutes and was followed by a workshop that dealt with a variety of issues, including the upcoming budget process and scheduling a public discussion of the town’s current mooring fees and ordinances.