AUBURN — A divided Androscoggin County Commission, after listening to more than a dozen union employees plead for the board to ratify a contract that’s been held up in arbitration and the courts, decided Wednesday to offer employees a new one-year contract.

The new deal, proposed by Commissioner Randall Greenwood, will give current employees the step increases due them on July 1, but will not provide them with back pay. After the step increases are paid, the money remaining from a $200,000 pool set aside by the commissioners will be divided among the current employees.

“It’s going to be complicated to try to determine how much retro-pay is due everybody,” Greenwood said afterwards.  

“We’re going to put everybody on the scale on the step where they’re suppose to be,” he said. “Anybody who missed their one-year or three-year (step), they’re going to be put where they should be. They’re going to make the dollar amount per hour that they should be making.”

The proposal came following a nearly two-hour executive session.

Greenwood’s amendment to a motion by Commissioner Sally Christner that would have given employees the contract that came out of arbitration passed 4-3.

Commissioners Elaine Makas, Beth Bell and Matt Roy sided with Greenwood’s proposal. Besides Christner, opposing the plan was Chairman Ronald Chicoine and Commissioner Alfreda Fournier.

The commissioners are setting aside $200,000 for raises. After the steps are calculated and deducted from that starting point, the remaining money will be divided among the current employees, prorated depending on whether they have worked one, two or three or more years.

An overflow crowd attended Wednesday’s meeting. More than two dozen county employees filled the hall outside the packed meeting room at the County Building. 

Most addressed the commissioners, expressing their frustration of working without a contract and without a raise since 2012.

“We’re not asking to be rich,” said Tim Gamache.”We’re not asking to live in a house on a pond. We’re asking to be treated fairly. And you guys hold the cards for that.” 

“I just want you guys to know that we’re not numbers — we’re real people,” said Victoria Langelier, a third-generation corrections officer who has worked for the county for 10 years. “We’re your neighbors. Everything has gone up. We’ve lost people; people have had to leave who were good officers because of what you pay them.”

“It makes us feel worthless to everybody,” said Nick Stone, who has received one pay raise in five years. “That’s what it feels like to work here.”

Makas was the only commissioner to speak after the comments from employees. 

“This has nothing to do with a lack of respect for you,” she said. “I totally respect the job that you do. We want to get this resolved, too.” 

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