Judge wants equal pay for all employees

By DEBORA SHAULIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- If Mahoning County employees are going to be treated equally in terms of paying for their health insurance, Mahoning County Probate Court Judge Timothy P. Maloney says they ought to be paid equally, too.
Judge Maloney's 2006 budget request is $835,000, which is $65,000 less than probate court's budget for this year. The judge told county commissioners Tuesday that he may revise his figures if his employees must pay 10 percent of their health insurance premiums for the first time.
It's "demonstrably unfair" to assess employees the same percentage when their salaries aren't similar, Judge Maloney said.
The financially strapped county is in negotiations with four labor unions. Commissioners want those employees to join non-bargaining unit workers who already are paying 10 percent of their health insurance premiums.
Not competitive
Salary levels among his workers don't compete with the private sector, which is why he lost five employees in the last year, Judge Maloney said. New workers were hired with expectations of wages and fringe benefits as he had explained to them.
"Now you expect me to tell them that things have changed, and I'm not about to do that," he said.
Commissioner Anthony Traficanti asked Judge Maloney what he will do if all county employees begin to pay the 10 percent.
Judge Maloney said he has seen starting salaries in the county engineer's department of $36,000, while the starting salary for a deputy clerk in his court is $20,800, or $10 per hour.
The judge did not identify the positions in the engineer's department that draw that starting pay, but contended, "That's disproportionate as all hell to me, and I think I would have to modify my budget."
Though elected officials submit budget requests, the courts have the power to order commissioners to fund them at certain levels.
Retaining workers
Traficanti said he shares Judge Maloney's frustration when it comes to hiring and retaining county workers. "People are looking elsewhere despite the benefits. It seems to be a salary problem," he said.
Judge Maloney said he understands the county's financial situation and uses non-general fund money to pay for expenses, including salaries, whenever possible. "I'm operating the best I can within the limitations I have," he said.
As of Monday, Judge Maloney had 4,850 pending cases in his court. Probate courts handle estates, trusts, wills, adoptions, guardianships and more. Probate court will return $358,000 in court fees to the county this year, he said.
shaulis@vindy.com