TRUMBULL COUNTY Fairhaven union OKs contract with 3% raises

NILES -- Unionized employees have approved a labor contract with the Trumbull County Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Board, which operates Fairhaven School and other programs.
Union members voted Friday evening to accept a fact finder's report calling for 3 percent raises each year of the three-year contract, Superintendent Douglas Burkhardt said.
These raises are offset by a new provision earmarking 1 percent of employees gross salaries for health-care premiums, he said.
Contract expired
The 270 members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees local 1992 have been working without a contract since September. The new pact is retroactive to Sept. 1.
The board approved a previous tentative agreement last month, Burkhardt said. The fact-finder's report will be automatically accepted by the board without a vote, he said.
Other items in the new contract include an increase in health insurance deductible. The annual deductibles went from $100 for individuals and $200 for families to $150 and $300 respectively. Union members also agreed to give up a paid holiday and two personal days.
In the first year of the new contract, salaries range from $14,457 a year for a personal service assistant with no experience to $50,952 a year for a teacher with a master's degree and 15 years' experience.