By Elizabeth Gibson
The Columbus Dispatch
Contract negotiations for the dispatchers at the Franklin County sheriff’s office are in limbo, in part because of questions related to Senate Bill 5, the proposed overhaul of rules for public employees and unions.
Workers wanted to restructure the pay scale to create step increases based on each employee’s experience, but a state fact-finder disagreed, according to a report released by the State Employment Relations Board. He also took the county’s side on health-care premiums.
The county communications technicians with the Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Labor Council, rejected fact-finder Robert Stein’s report on March 11, sending negotiations back to the drawing board. The union includes 29 full-time employees.
Stein had recommended no raises for 2010, a 2 percent raise this year and a 1.5 percent raise next year. The union’s last three-year contract gave annual 3 percent raises.
“Given the current uncertainty fostered by Senate Bill 5 and the likelihood of its passage that places an emphasis on merit and not time-in-grade for step increases, it is not prudent to proceed with a salary structure change of this kind at this time,” Stein wrote.
The dispatchers all are paid the same $17.96 hourly rate, but they receive $500 bonuses when they hit four years of service.
Stein also sided with the county on health-care premiums, citing rising costs. The county has asked workers to pay $105 per month for employees and children and $225 for spousal coverage in 2012, more than a 40 percent increase from the proposed 2011 rates.
Fact-finding would have resolved negotiations if both sides had accepted the report. Now, the next step will be binding conciliation, in which each side submits its final offer.
Copyright 2011 The Columbus Dispatch