Uhrichsville leaders approve contracts with three unions
UHRICHSVILLE (WJER) (March 24, 2022) – The city’s union-represented firefighters, street workers and police officers are no longer working under expired contracts.
Council during a special meeting on Monday approved new ones for members of the city’s three workers’ unions. Mayor Mark Haney says they replace the ones that ended in January and include yearly pay raises (ranging from 3 to 4 percent) along with a one-time pandemic bonus (tied to the percentage of their health insurance premiums workers in each union will be assuming).
“The average raise between each year and each contract is between three and four percent… What we did get in return was they assumed some medical costs, and we had talked previously about a pandemic bonus and then kind of tied the bonus to what they would assume in their medical cost.”
He says the city can afford the raises, which are similar to the ones other area municipalities granted to their employees.
“For an example, I know the county’s road and bridge department, they got a $1.60 an hour raise in their first year. Part of that is to retain good personnel. I mean, you look at that and you look at that and we looked at what we have, and we have a hard time keeping personnel. You have to pay good money to keep good people.”
The three contracts are retroactive to January 1st and run through the end of 2024.