Fact finder to help settle issues in contract dispute

AUSTINTOWN -- Contract talks between the township and its police and fire dispatchers will enter fact finding to settle issues that have yet to be resolved.
Talks with the Ohio Patrolman's Benevolent Association began in October, said township Administrator Michael Dockry.
The union includes one part-time and seven full-time dispatchers. The full-time position pays $17.82 per hour.
A fact finder from the State Employment Relations Board will come to Austintown for a hearing Tuesday, Dockry said.
After the fact finder issues a report, both sides have seven days to object. If there are no objections, the decision is binding.
Dockry said if there is an objection, the dispute goes to another phase of arbitration called conciliation. He said that after that phase, the arbitrator's decision is final.
Dockry said the union asked for the fact finder, and he does not know why. Union representatives were unavailable to comment Tuesday.
He said the issues of wages and health benefits were never discussed.
Dockry said the union has asked for 4 percent raises in each year of the three-year pact, with an additional 2 percent increase for afternoon or midnight shifts.
He said the township wants more contribution to health care than the present co-pay of $20 per single person and $30 per family. The contract expires at the end of this year.