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Agreement allows for employee wage increases
(by Sue Reid - April 05, 2012)
Agreement allows for employee wage increases
By SUE REID
City Council approved ordinances Monday authorizing collective bargaining agreements with both the full and part-time dispatchers.
The agreement with the employees, who are covered under the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, allowed for a 2.25 percent increase in wages for the period of Jan. 1, 2013, to Dec. 31, 2015.
For the full-time dispatchers, modifications to their health care plan was also part of the agreement. That includes higher deductibles and increased employee contributions. The part-time dispatchers do not have health care.
The wage increase and health care modifications were in line with what was approved for the police patrolmen and sergeant/lieutenant agreements, which were reached last month.
The contracts with both the full and part time dispatchers expire at year’s end.
Human Resource Director Thomas Cornhoff said an agreement was reached following negotiations among Mayor Susan A. Drucker, himself, Finance Director Dennis Kennedy, Jeff Perry, of the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, and Marybeth Terwilliger, lead dispatcher.
Mr. Perry contacted the administration to negotiate. The city did not utilize legal counsel which resulted in savings for the city.
It took under 10 minutes to reach the agreement, he noted.
“So far, the negotiation process for the new contracts has been successful without utilizing attorneys due to both sides being reasonable in their expectations,” Mr. Cornhoff said. He noted that the 2.25 percent wage increase is probably the lowest wage increase in almost 20 years that the city has given out to the bargaining units who have reached agreements.
The full and part-time dispatchers are two of the city’s total eight total bargaining units. Four more bargaining units’ contracts still need to be negotiated. Those include two with the Teamsters Local 436, who represent employees in the building and water reclamation departments, the International Association of Firefighters Local 2079 and full-time correction officers under the OPBA.
“We’re optimistic some of those will come to us directly also,” Mr. Cornhoff said.
The nonbargaining units’ wages and health care have not yet been determined by city council for 2013 as of yet.
“At the conclusion of the negotiations, the council will then address the non-bargaining employees,” Mr. Cornhoff said.
During her comments at City Council Monday, Mrs. Drucker expressed appreciation to the full and part-time dispatchers for reaching an agreement.
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