Luzerne County Government

March 24, 2010

Deal with county union staff hits hurdle

Urban against, Cooney still to decide on pact for support staff that is court appointed.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
Jennifer Learn-Andes on Facebook   |   @TLJenLearnAndes on Twitter

A proposed union agreement with 107 Luzerne County court-appointed support staffers requires commissioner approval to take effect, and at least one commissioner – Stephen A. Urban – says he won’t support the pact.

“Again, the union is demanding more than they should. They’ve lost touch with reality,” Urban said.

The five-year proposal, approved by union members Monday, calls for salary increases in each year: 1.5 percent in 2010, 3 percent in 2011 and 2012, and 2.5 percent in 2013 and 2014.

Employees hired after 2006 will continue to pay 10 percent of health insurance premiums, but others will keep paying $30 per month for single coverage and $75 per month for family.

“The county is getting nothing out of this. It’s just costing more money. Is there going to be more productivity?” Urban said.

Commissioner Thomas Cooney said he is still reviewing the contract proposal.

Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla said the union went into negotiations asking for “a lot more.”

“There were some concessions. Their demands in the beginning and what they agreed to are certainly very compromising,” Petrilla said. “I feel it was a very fair offer.”

Petrilla stressed that the union has the right to binding arbitration because members may not strike.

“We’ve learned from past experience that arbitration is very, very costly for the taxpayers,” Petrilla said.

The next commissioner meeting is on April 14.

The 10-percent health care contribution amounts to $526 per year for individual coverage up to $1,286 per year for family.

In comparison, members hired before 2006 will pay $360 per year for individual and $900 for family coverage.

The union covers clerical staff in domestic relations, district judge’s offices and juvenile and adult probation.

A review of payroll records shows that 53 of the union’s members are paid more than $30,000 per year.

The highest paid worker receives $47,000 annually. That employee, a magistrate secretary, was hired in 1971, records show.

The union’s starting salaries range from $23,115 to $28,793, union representatives say.

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