Canton Village, DPW Contract Talks Are Stalled
CANTON - A disagreement over how much employees will contribute toward their health insurance has stalled contract talks between the village and its Department of Public Works.
Village Mayor Charlotte C. Ramsay said the village declared impasse Monday during a negotiation session with Civil Service Employees Association Local 845, Unit 8403.
The union represents nine village DPW workers who are working under a contract that expired May 31.
"The two sides are quite a ways apart on the issue of payments toward the cost of health insurance," Ms. Ramsay said. "We are far apart on what each side believes is a reasonable contribution."
The next step is to ask the state's Public Employees Relations Board to assign a mediator to help settle the dispute.
Currently none of Canton's village employees are required to contribute toward their Excel/Blue Cross health insurance premiums.
The issue is expected to play a major role in future contract negotiations for various village employees, including the police department.
Edward L. "Bud" Mulchy, a CSEA labor relations specialist, said the village wants DPW employees to pitch in a percentage toward their premium expenses, starting with 2 percent the first year and gradually increasing to 10 percent over the five-year contract. But the union is opposed to that plan and has instead offered to pay a set fee, rather than a percentage.
"We want a flat dollar amount because you can't control the costs of the premiums," Mr. Mulchy said.
He said the union has offered to have each employee contribute $10 a paycheck for health insurance, regardless of whether they take single, two-person or family coverage. Employees are paid every two weeks.
That means each employee would pay $260 a year, Mr. Mulchy said.
Under the village's proposal, the family-plan would cost employees about $1,800 per year once their contribution has increased to 10 percent, he said.
Premiums would likely change each year which means employees could pay even more, he said.
The village pays $17,409.24 a year for each employee on the family plan, $12,619.92 for two-person coverage and $6,156.12 for single-coverage.
Members of the village board of trustees do not receive health insurance benefits from the village.
Mr. Mulchy said both sides appear to be in agreement with a proposed salary hike that would provide a 3 percent or 3.5 percent raise each year.
He said he was surprised the village declared impasse this early in the process.
"We've had a long history of sitting down and hammering out a deal with the village. I was kind of shocked they went to mediation this quick," he said.
He also noted that at-will village employees who are not part of a union, such as the village clerk and village superintendent, do not pay anything toward their health insurance.
"No one in the village pays. Why should the union pay first?" he said. "They've told us that starting Jan. 1 their at-will employees will start paying, but there's no guarantee."
The village's negotiation team includes Village Clerk Sally Noble and trustees Stephen M. Putman and Joseph Frank. The village hired Daniel McKillop, a labor consultant from Lake Placid to serve as chief negotiator.
The DPW is represented by Mr. Mulchy and village DPW worker Richard Delorme.
