Proposed Luzerne County detective contract before county council

Under a proposed new union contract, six of Luzerne County’s nine unionized detectives would receive 1.5% raises this year and in 2022, followed by 2.5% increases in 2023 and 2024.

Without applying the proposed new raise, these six detectives are currently listed at the following annual compensations in the position report: $71,899, $72,239, $103,055, $104,895, $106,735 and $113,536.

The three remaining detectives fall in a different category and would receive higher increases because they were hired after 2018 and are still in the initial base salary “step” phase, according to the county.

New detectives start at $47,458 and receive 4% annual increases that boost their base salaries to $57,739 after five years.

All three newer detectives were hired in 2020 and are scheduled to receive $49,356 this year, the county position and personnel reports say.

This step range was the same in the old contract that expired the end of 2020.

But the new contract proposes one additional payment in addition to the 4% step increases. Detectives hired after 2018 also will receive a one-time $1,000 bonus in January 2023 that is not added to their base salary.

County council is set to vote on the proposed contract at Tuesday’s virtual meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. Unlike the last contract, this one was negotiated without advancing to binding arbitration.

A length-of-service, or longevity, bonus also was kept in the new agreement.

Detectives hired through the end of 2011 receive longevity using a formula that multiplies the number of employment years by one half of one percent (.005) and then the salary. For example, a 20-year detective making $70,000 would receive a longevity bonus of $7,000.

As in the old contract, a different longevity applies to detectives hired after 2011. Their longevity schedule calls for bonuses ranging from $400 after five years to a maximum of $1,500 for 21 or more years.

Detectives continue the option to sell back unused holiday, vacation and compensatory time at the end of each year at an hourly rate based on their gross biweekly salary divided by 75 hours.

The old contract capped this cash-in of unused time at 20 days for workers hired after 2011, but the new version applies the cap to those hired after 2018.

Concessions

Detectives would continue contributing 12% toward their health insurance through 2023 but then bump up to 15% in the final year of the four-year agreement, or in 2024.

The work week will remain 37.5 hours, although the new contract adds language saying the district attorney has the management right to change work hours as needed and modify the regular shift of 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

While detectives will continue receiving an allotment of five personal days annually, they can no longer cash in unused personal days for payment or carry them over to the following year under the new proposal.

Vacation leave has not changed. It is five days for those with six months to a year of employment and expands to 30 days for workers with more than 20 years. The one difference in this proposal: detectives can carry up to 45 unused holiday, vacation and compensatory time days, compared to 55 days before.

As before, detectives hired before 2012 receive 18 sick days per year and can accumulate an unlimited amount. Detectives hired from 2012 forward accrue 10 sick days annually.

Upon retirement or death, the county will buy back up to 60 unused sick days at $50 each.

However, detectives can sell back 60 sick days at their current pay rate if they make an irrevocable decision to retire by Aug. 31 this year and retire by the end of 2021. The buy-back offer is 40 days at the current pay rate if a detective reaches those same retirement deadline dates in 2022.

The new contract also kept another incentive for eligible detectives over age 55 to retire: continued health insurance coverage until Medicare kicks in.