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By MELISSA M. JANOSKI melissaj@leader.net
Wednesday, January 26, 2000 Page: 3A
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – The First Union Arena wants to negotiate a better deal
on its security contract with the Luzerne County Sheriff’s Department.
“The arena authority has told the county they can’t continue to absorb
the cost,” Board of Commissioners Chairman Tom Makowski said Tuesday.
Whatever happens, the county will never absorb any arena costs, Makowski said.
Arena director Andy Long said the fledgling arena is profitable, but said
hiring sheriff deputies for event security has been more expensive than
expected.
Security from the inaugural hockey game on Nov. 13 through Dec. 30 cost the
arena $30,857, according to county records. That cost would drop, even if the
contract is not renegotiated, because the deputies now work only inside the
arena. Until early January, they also directed traffic, a task handled by the
township police.
The 40 unionized deputies will vote Thursday on a pay cut for arena work,
said Sheriff Barry Stankus. If they refuse, the arena is expected to cancel
its contract with the county and use a private security firm or Wilkes-Barre
Township police instead, he said.
The contract between the arena and the county doesn’t specify an hourly
rate for deputies, but says the arena will cover all costs. That usually
translates to overtime rates ranging from $16.50 to $20.85 an hour, Stankus
said.
Long declined to say what price he is seeking, but Stankus said the
deputies will be asked to accept something closer to their regular hourly pay.
Hourly rates range from $11.45 to $14.65 an hour.
Accepting the lower rate would not cost the county any money, Stankus said.
And although it would make arena work less profitable for the deputies, the
alternative is probably to lose the contract, he said.
Deputy Joseph Christino, union steward for the deputies, said he is
optimistic an agreement will be reached. But no deputy is willing to work for
less than his or her regular hourly rate, he stressed. On weekdays, deputies
often report to the arena shortly after working regular shifts at the
courthouse, he said. “It’s hard,” he said.
“We are professionals,” Christino said. “We don’t want to be paid the
rate of a security guard.”
Makowski and Long said the cost of the security contract became especially
burdensome when the arena authority and the township agreed to settle a
lawsuit earlier this month. The authority sued to strike down a 5 percent
amusement tax. The township agreed to drop the tax in return for 50 cents on
each ticket sold. The arena guaranteed the township at least $300,000 a year
through 2002.
As part of the settlement, the township agreed to provide police to direct
traffic and patrol outside of the arena. Security services inside the arena
are not included in the settlement.
Call Janoski at 831-7331.