Current pay rates will increase by an average of 17 percent over the next two years.
By Samantha C. DePoy
Staff Writer

FARMINGTON – After months of unyielding negotiations and mediation between the county and its union employees, a contract has finally been ratified.

The union contract, which went into effect Tuesday and runs through Dec. 31, 2004, began when Franklin County commissioners put their John Hancocks on the dotted line at their twice-monthly meeting.

It covers 14 corrections employees, nine dispatchers and 10 deputies.

Pay increases

The most noticeable change, to the delight of the county’s union employees, is the implementation of a new pay scale that takes into account experience and longevity with the county and is in response to a pay study completed last year.

Current pay rates for employees will increase by an average of 17 percent over the next two years or 7.7 percent in 2003 and 9.3 percent in 2004.

Employees will first notice the pay change when they cash their checks on July 24 for the pay period starting July 6 and running through July 20.

They will also receive an extra infusion of funds later this summer when a retroactive payment is made on the increases employees would have earned had the pay scale gone into effect on Jan 1., as it would have if the contract was ratified on time, said county Clerk Julie Magoon.

Perks for longevity

In keeping with rewarding employees for long-term service to the county, said Magoon, those who have logged more than 20 years of employment with the county will now receive 228 hours of paid vacation per year.

In past years, any employee with more than 15 years of service received 192 hours of paid leave annually. Three union employees have worked for the county for more than 20 years including dispatcher Melinda Caton, corrections officer Blaine Howard and transport deputy Albert Smith.

The new contract also stipulates that employees receive overtime for any hours worked per month over 168 hours. In the past, overtime has only gone into effect after 172 hours of work per month.

Correction officers and dispatchers will no longer have to pay for meals from the jail kitchen during their shift. Thanks to the new agreement, those employees working when jail meals are normally served will be furnished with one hot meal per shift at no cost.

Health insurance

After purchasing a health care plan for its employees from the Maine Municipal Association Health Trust for more than five years, the county’s union employees will now get coverage from Northern New England Benefit’s Trust.

Magoon said the plan is $107 cheaper per month per employee, and for the first time, the plan will provide employees with dental and eye insurance.

In addition to providing full coverage, employees will also receive $225 monthly to put toward flexible benefit plans for additional benefits, such as a family insurance plan or deferred retirement.

The $107 saved per month on insurance will also be rolled into the flex plan, giving employees a total of $332 per month in the flex benefits plan. The goal of this, said Magoon, is to turn the savings back to the employee and allow them more flexibility in choosing additional benefits.

sdepoy@sunjournal.com