Boardman road department union pact cuts costs

Boardman road department union pact cuts costs

BOARDMAN — The 27 township union road department employees have a new three-year contract that includes a wage freeze and higher cost for health care, but Trustee Kathy Miller said she voted no on the deal because it doesn’t cut costs enough.

Twelve of the workers were among the 30 full-time employees laid off last month in response to budget problems.

Trustee Chairwoman Robyn Gallitto said one provision of the contract, however, puts three laid-off mechanics into a new subclassification so they could come back to work in the near future. The move won’t cost any additional money, Gallitto said, because having the mechanics back will pay for itself.

Gallitto said township officials could meet as soon as Monday to work out the details of bringing the mechanics back. Their absence has been problematic for trustees since the layoffs began because outside companies have had to handle their work at a higher cost.

For the complete story, see Saturday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.