POLAND Trustees OK 2 contracts for township workers

The contract is retroactive to January.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- A union labor agreement between trustees and about 15 township employees will mean some policy changes and pay raises across the board -- some more substantial than others.
Trustees voted unanimously Monday to ratify two labor contracts with Teamsters Local 377 for employees in the road department, zoning department and all clerical staffers. The contracts are for a three-year period ending Dec. 31, 2004.
One contract covers road department employees and the other covers zoning department and clerical personnel.
Most of what is spelled out in the contract was already in place, but a few changes were made. Road department employees can now sell seven vacation days back to the township annually instead of the five that were allowed in the past.
Previously, the clothing allowance for road department employees was $250 and a receipt was needed to collect the money. Under the new agreement no receipt is required and the allowance will be $275 the first year, $300 the second year and $325 the last year of the contract.
Road department laborers will also receive a pay increase of 72 cents per hour from $18.02 to $18.74. The department supervisor will receive a 90-cent raise from $22.60 to $23.50 per hour. There are also yearly pay increases spelled out in the contract.
Zoning department: Zoning Inspector Robert Monus and assistant Patricia Magazzine can now also sell back seven vacation days to the township. They will receive a clothing allowance ranging from $275 to $325 over the next three years -- something that was not extended to zoning employees in the past. The township will also supply the two zoning employees with protective clothing to include boots, gloves, fluorescent vest, hard hat, eye protection and cold-weather coats.
Zoning employees will also be given a driving bonus of $100 annually if they remain accident-free. Both zoning and clerical workers, Jacci Colaner, who is administrative secretary and Cathy Stacy, who is the police chief's secretary, will now receive a day off on their birthday and longevity raises after 10 years.
Stacy also serves as township clerk.
The zoning inspector will receive a raise of $3.14 per hour the first year of the contract from $15.86 to $19. The assistant will receive a raise of $4.46 per hour the first year of the contract, from $7.54 to $12.
The administrative secretary will also get a pay raise of $2.53 per hour the first year of the contract, from $9 to $11.53. The chief's secretary is the only employee under the two contracts who will not receive a pay raise. She will remain at a rate of $11.53 per hour.
jgoodwin@vindy.com