MAHONING COUNTY MRDD, MEADD talks stall after eight hours

The major topic of discussion was health insurance.
AUSTINTOWN -- Mahoning County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and Mahoning County Association of Development Disabilities met in contract talks for eight hours Wednesday and Thursday but did not reach agreement.
The major topic of discussion was health insurance, said Larry Duck, MRDD superintendent. Federal mediator Thomas Connelly participated in the meetings.
The board did not receive the hoped for counterproposal from MEADD on Wednesday or Thursday. A proposal is expected from MEADD at the next negotiation session set for Wednesday at 1 p.m., Duck said. Talks are also tentatively scheduled for Thursday, he said.
Duck disputed a statement by MEADD spokeswoman Mary Jo Nagy who said the board had not provided information on administrative salaries requested by the union.
Duck said the MRDD board received a request dated Feb. 6 from union president Matt Chizmar requesting administrative salary data for the past five years. The board provided all of that information Feb. 27, he said.
Nagy was not available to comment.
Other issues
Also, the MRDD board wants to reassure the parents and guardians of people served by the board that if the union does engage in a work stoppage, qualified substitutes will be used as caregivers.
The board has a thorough process of conducting background checks on job applicants, Duck said.
The board also has a negotiation session scheduled with the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees union Tuesday. The AFSCME local, which represents bus drivers, custodians, cooks and others, has extended its contract, which originally expired Aug. 31.
The MEADD union has 185 members, and represents teachers, registered nurses, and other workers in a variety of jobs, Duck said.
MEADD's contract also expired Aug. 31 but was extended indefinitely.