Luzerne County Government

April 20, 2010

County union contract increases benefits

Pay raises are 1.5 percent this year, 3 percent in 2011 and 2012 and 2.5 percent last 2 years.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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Luzerne County’s latest union contract, approved last week for court-appointed support workers, increases vacation days, grants raises and keeps longevity bonuses.

At the top of the pay scale is a district judge’s secretary, who will be making $53,193 by the end of the five-year contract.

On top of $6,175 in salary increases, the secretary will also receive a total $21,777 in length-of-service longevity bonuses over five years because she has worked for the county since 1971.

Another 67 of the union’s roughly 100 members will also receive longevity bonuses because they have more than eight years of service, according to payroll records. The longevity is calculated by multiplying the years of employment and salary by 0.0021.

The new contract keeps a clause that eliminates longevity bonuses for employees hired after Jan. 1, 2002.

The contract makes no changes in health care contributions.

Workers hired before March 1, 2006, will continue paying $30 or $75 per month for health care, rather than switching to the 10 percent contribution paid by union members hired after that date. The county has been attempting to switch all workers to 10 percent payments.

Salaries will increase 1.5 percent this year, 3 percent in 2011 and 2012 and 2.5 percent in the final two years of the contract. More than half of the union’s workers are paid $30,000 or more annually, payroll records show.

The contract was approved last week by commissioners Maryanne Petrilla and Thomas Cooney.

The union’s right to binding arbitration was a key factor in approving the contract because the county has been unsuccessful in previous arbitrator rulings, Petrilla said.

“I truly wanted to avoid arbitration,” she said.

The union, represented by the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), also made concessions from its original proposal, she said.

“We did not give them even close to what they were asking for,” Petrilla said.

Cooney also expressed concerns about going to binding arbitration.

Minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban, who voted against the contract, said the county gains nothing in the new pact.

“I’m not anti-union, but I think the unions just got too greedy and one-sided and don’t care about the taxpayers. I think the days of just giving raises are over,” Urban said.

Union contracts should be benchmarked to the private sector, not other county collective-bargaining agreements, he said.

The county’s health plan is already generous compared to the private sector, county officials have agreed. There’s no deductible, and co-payments are $10 for both primary care and specialist visits.

A 10 percent contribution would amount to $526 per year for individual coverage and up to $1,286 per year for family. In comparison, the court-appointed support workers hired before March 1, 2006, will continue paying $360 per year for individual and $900 for family.

Union workers married to another county employee will continue to be eligible for a $1,500 bonus for opting out of health insurance – a benefit that infuriates Urban.

He said the county is also paying 14.48 percent of every salary for employees’ state-mandated pension.

Union representative Paula Schnelly said concessions were made. Court-appointed support workers were the first AFSCME union to agree to pay toward health insurance, she said.

The union also agreed to percentage increases, rather than traditional flat dollar amounts, she said.

“I believe that’s a savings for the county,” Schnelly said.

The 1.5-percent increase in the first year was also a compromise, she said.

“We cut back the first year to get the county back on its feet,” Schnelly said.

Starting salaries also remained frozen, ranging from $23,115 to $28,793, she said.

The number of sick days remains the same – 17 per year for employees hired before 2002 and 12 for those hired after. The union’s employees will continue receiving 12 paid holidays and five personal days.

The new contract caps the number of vacation days at 27.5, compared to 25 in the old contract. Employees also earn vacation days more quickly in the new contract.

For example, employees previously needed 14 years of service to receive 20 vacation days, but employees with 10 years will now be eligible for that number.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.

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