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Austintown trustees, union to turn to fact finder
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Austintown Trustee David Ditzler
By Elise Franco
AUSTINTOWN
Township trustees and union officials look to tackle the police department’s contract by bringing in a fact finder.
Trustee David Ditzler said negotiations began for the four township unions — Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 126, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3356, Teamsters Local 377 and Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association Dispatch Unit — just after the contracts expired Dec. 31, 2009. All have been working under contract extensions.
Ditzler said he anticipates wage freezes across the board.
At the top of the police- union pay scale, a lieutenant made $31.77 per hour in 2009. An officer with up to one year of experience made $21.71 per hour. In 2009, the annual salary for a fire captain was $58,639. A full-time, first-year firefighter’s annual salary was $28,840.
Full-time dispatchers with more than three years of experience made $19.66 per hour, while part-time dispatchers with the same experience made $16.22 per hour. Full-time dispatchers with less than one year on the job made $17.69 per hour, and part-timers with less than 900 hours of service made $9.78 per hour.
“Obviously, the intent is to do everything we can to eliminate the potential for layoffs,” Ditzler said. “That’s why we’re hoping everyone can share in some reductions equally so no one has to lose their job.”
Lt. Tom Collins, FOP president, said it’s important to take time and care with the police contract because police officers don’t have the option to strike.
“We are proceeding cautiously at the request of our attorney and not rushing hastily into any decisions,” Collins said. He said if neither side can agree on the fact finder’s recommendation, a binding arbitrator is brought in to make a final decision.
Collins said the fact finder can pick and choose contract details from each side, making it easier to compromise. Once a contract goes to arbitration, however, it’s all or nothing, he said.
“Most people don’t want to take anything away, so it becomes kind of difficult,” Collins said. “When you go in and ask for extreme reductions or increases ... a binding arbitrator may end up ruling against you.”
Ditzler said he doesn’t know how long the FOP will be in the fact-finding phase.
He said the board also recently voted to approve the contract for the road department, which is a part of Teamsters Local 377.
Contracts remain in negotiations for the other Teamsters unions — the parks, zoning and maintenance departments and secretaries — as well the firefighters and dispatchers unions.
The road department employs 16 workers under the contract.
The three-year contract, from Jan. 1, 2010, to Dec. 31, 2012, stipulates no wage increase through the duration of the contract.
Full-time foremen in the road and parks departments made $18.50 per hour in 2009, while laborers made $15.59 per hour.
The contract also calls for a 50/50 split between the township and employee on any health-care cost increase.
For example, if a road department employee’s health care costs the township $600 per month, the employee pays 10 percent of that cost. If the rate were to increase to $800, the employee and the township would split the additional $200.
“We’re trying to get every union on the same health care,” Ditzler said. “The township’s feeling was, if we all shared equally in increases, we’re more apt to make alterations to minimize increases.”
Mark Banyots, union spokesman for the road department, declined to comment.
Ditzler said he hopes the other unions will work with the township and be understanding about declining revenues to avoid layoffs.
“With health-care increases in double digits on a regular basis, the only way we’ve been able to continue to balance the budget is through attrition,” he said.