Wednesday, September 19, 2007
YOUNGSTOWN — With the city’s police patrol officers union’s rejection of a fact finder’s recommendations on a new contract, the two sides are heading to binding arbitration.
But Mayor Jay Williams and Edward Colon, president of the police union, said today they are also interested in the two sides resuming negotiations to resolve the matter while they wait to appoint an arbitrator.
The 117-member union rejected the recommendations, said Colon, who declined to give the vote total except to say it was “overwhelmingly no.”
The report from fact finder Michael Paolucci of Cincinnati addressed 26 unresolved issues, including salary, health-care contributions, residency, sick leave, retirement and severance, discipline and employee parking.
The fact finder sided with the city on most of the issues.
When asked what the membership specifically objected to in the report, Colon said health care was a big concern, but there were plenty of other issues.
The union counted the votes Tuesday. City council unanimously endorsed the contract today. The city administration had urged the contract be recommended.
Unlike the fact finder report, arbitration is binding.
For the complete story, see Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.