Union OKs 3-year contract

By David Skolnick | August 25, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The union representing about 75 city wastewater employees has approved a three-year contract that freezes base-pay salaries for the life of the deal.

“Not that everybody is happy with [the contract], but because of the [struggling economic] times, we agreed to it,” said Enrique Suarez, president of the United Steelworkers Local 2163-6 union, which represents the wastewater employees.

The union’s previous three-year contract, which expired Dec. 31, 2010, had salary increases of 2.5 percent in the first year, and 3 percent in each of the last two years. The contract is retroactive to Jan. 1 and expires Dec. 31, 2013.

Wastewater employees, on average, earn about $45,000 to $52,000 annually in basepay.

Also, Law Director Iris Torres Guglucello said the city has tentative deals with three other unions — those representing firefighters, ranking police officers and clerical and secretarial employees.

City council, which must vote to ratify employee-union contracts, isn’t scheduled to meet until Sept. 21 though it could have a special meeting beforehand to approve the proposed deals.

The city hasn’t approved a contract with any of its employee unions with base-pay salary increases in three years.

Regarding the wastewater employees, the new contract calls for them to continue paying 10 percent of the total monthly health-care premium with higher caps than the previous contract.

The coverage includes hospitalization, medical, prescription drug, dental and vision.

Those with single coverage will pay no more than $100 a month. The previous contract had an $80 maximum. The total monthly premium for those with single coverage is $562.51 a month.

Those with family coverage will pay no more than $200 a month. It was $150 a month in the expired contract. The total monthly premium for those with family coverage is $1,417.87.

Suarez said Senate Bill 5, which reduces the collective-bargaining rights of public employees, “didn’t play a part in our negotiations.”

The bill has not been enacted as it is on the Nov. 8 ballot for possible repeal.

Suarez said he expects voters to reject the law, but getting a contract before the public vote “was not an issue” for his union.