AUSTINTOWN Staffing dispute stalls pact for police

A union attorney said negotiations have been frustrating.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Negotiations for a new police contract have stalled after nine months because of a dispute over staffing, township Administrator Michael Dockry says.
Dockry said the police union recently proposed adding a new clause to the contract that would require a minimum number of officers to work each shift.
Township trustees, however, aren't willing to set a minimum staffing number because they may have to lay off officers in the future to save money, Dockry said.
"That was unacceptable to the [trustees], so they didn't go further in the discussion," he said, adding that negotiations began in October.
Deficit forecast
Township officials have said that without budget cuts, the township will have a $1.2 million deficit at the end of the year. They have laid off several employees, including two police officers, in an effort to save money.
Both Dockry and Atty. Dennis Haines, who represents the police union, said they expect to present their arguments about the contract to a state fact finder in coming weeks. If the union and trustees can't come to an agreement after the fact finder's report is issued, they will go to binding conciliation, or arbitration.
State law does not allow police to strike.
Haines said the negotiation process has been frustrating because trustees haven't discussed what they want included in the new contract. He noted that he has met with Dockry, not trustees, at least three times since December, when the old contract expired.
"We're never quite sure what their position is," Haines said. "It's almost as if Dockry hasn't been given enough instructions to suggest what might be reached at the table as an agreement."
Dockry, however, said that he's "probably put more on the table than trustees would have wanted me to." He said that trustees decided not to make other proposals after they realized they had reached an impasse over minimum staffing earlier this month.
"That's the issue preventing us from reaching an agreement. Otherwise, we'd be very, very close to an agreement," he said.
In harm's way
The police union and some township residents have said that they think that staffing changes made by trustees have put them in harm's way. Trustees said in March that officers should no longer work overtime to ensure that five officers are on patrol each shift.
That means if an officer is sick and can't come to work, police might have only four patrol officers per shift in a township with about 38,000 residents.
Both union president Keith Smith and Police Chief Gordon Ellis said that's happened only a few times since March. Ellis said that when an officer has called in sick, he, Lt. Mark Durkin or Sgt. Jeff Solic have typically filled in. Durkin and Solic then take time off later in the week. Ellis doesn't earn overtime.
There were no minimum staffing levels set in the expired contract.
As of this month, the township is set to spend $3.4 million on police this year, $3 million of that in salaries and benefits.
Reason for deficit
Township officials have said they're facing a deficit this year because of increases in the cost of insurance, workers' compensation and wages, and decreases in revenue. The township also had to take out a $500,000 loan after paying $460,000 to Phar-Mor in November for an unexpected tax refund.
A fire and police levy is expected to appear on the ballot in November.
hill@vindy.com