SHARPSVILLE, PA. Council, union OK new contract

Employees can opt out of insurance packages and get an increase in take-home pay.
SHARPSVILLE, Pa. -- The borough's nonuniformed employees will get annual raises of $1,500 each under the terms of a new four-year contract approved by borough council.
Borough Manager Michael Wilson said the 12 members of the American Federation of State, County & amp; Municipal Employees ratified the contract at noon Monday, and council approved it in a special meeting Monday night.
In addition to the annual raises, each employee will get a $300 signing bonus, he said. The contract takes effect Oct. 19.
It covers secretarial, street-department and water-plant employees. Current salaries range from $12.10 an hour for a secretarial post to $15.60 an hour for water-plant employees.
Differentials for various shifts will rise from 35 cents to 50 cents an hour for afternoon work and from 40 cents to 50 cents for night work.
Insurance packages
Employees will be given an opportunity to boost their take-home pay with some insurance packages.
Any employee who has insurance through a spouse's job can opt out of the borough hospitalization coverage and get 50 percent of the cost of the coverage in cash.
Wilson said that could be as much as $300 a month.
Employees can also choose a less-expensive hospitalization package that offers choices of fewer doctors and fewer hospitals and get 50 percent of the savings on the lesser package. That could be as much as $100 a month, Wilson said.
Other changes include increasing life insurance from $14,000 to $25,000. In addition, the contract adds an additional $3,000 death benefit for employees and retirees.