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3-year pact for ranking Youngstown cops OK'd on 6 votes
VINDICATOR EXCLUSIVE
YOUNGSTOWN
Though only six of its 42 members approved a three-year contract proposal with no salary increase, the city’s ranking police officers union officially ratified the deal.
That’s because there weren’t enough members who voted against the contract.
Under state law, at least 60 percent of a union’s membership must vote to reject a fact finder’s recommendation, according to Deputy Law Director Rebecca Gerson.
With 42 members, at least 60 percent equals a minimum of 26 no votes.
However, 17 members didn’t vote on the contract, Gerson said.
Of the 25 members who voted, six accepted the contract and 19 rejected it.
Therefore, the union approved the report because not enough of them voted against it, Gerson said.
Even if all 25 members who voted opposed the deal, it still would have fallen a vote shy.
Detective Sgt. Ron Barber, union president, couldn’t be reached Thursday by The Vindicator to comment.
City council voted 7-0 Wednesday in favor of accepting the fact finder’s report. The union voted Wednesday, but results weren’t available to the newspaper.
If either side rejected the report, it would have gone to binding arbitration.
John F. Lenehan, the fact finder assigned to this matter, ruled that the union would receive no salary increase over the three years of the deal.
The union wanted 1 percent annual raises for this year, retroactive to Jan. 1, as well as 2018 and 2019, while the city asked for no pay raises for the three years.
The union – which represents 30 detective sergeants, eight lieutenants and four captains – also wanted the city to pick up the 12.25 percent pension payment paid by its members, stating the city does this for nonunion employees and for other police department unions. Lenehan rejected the request.
Lenehan agreed with the union on keeping the health care employee contribution at 10 percent. The city wanted the employee contribution to increase to 11 percent in 2019.
The fact finder recommended an increase in the union members’ annual clothing allowance from $1,050 to $1,085. The union wanted $1,200 a year per employee, while the city wanted a freeze.