YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – The Youngstown Finance Committee met Monday to discuss several topics, one being the agreement between the Youngstown Street Department union, Teamsters Local 3-77 and the city.
The two have not been able to come to an agreement on a new contract. At Monday’s meeting, committee members were asked by the city administration to approve a last, best and final offer to present to the union.
“We’re asking for two separate things, first that you authorize us to present this last, best offer to the union for a vote, if they vote on it then we have a contract and we’re good to go until 2024. If they don’t approve it and they reject it, the other thing we’re asking for is authorization for the mayor to then implement terms and conditions for those individuals, and that would be their contract for the next three years,” said Assistant Law Director Daniel Dascenzo.
If the mayor were to implement the terms and conditions, it would be the same thing that was offered in the last, best offer, according to Dascenzo. If the committee decides not to vote, several things can happen.
“There would be no contract for a while… SERB could intervene…,” Dascenzo said.
Some of the issues being negotiated include wages, staffing levels and sick time. More specifically, the city wants to exclude sick time from counting toward overtime hours.
Dascenzo said the union requested the city appoint a neutral factfinder to do a report and offer suggestions on what the city should agree to. He says the city offered more than the factfinder’s recommendations.
“The recommendations of the factfinder were for 2% raises across the board for the next three years. The recommendations of the factfinder were that when an employee takes sick leave that that eight hours of sick leave won’t count toward their overtime total of hours worked for the week,” he said.
Councilwoman Anita Davis questioned the sick time issue asking for clarity, but in the end, she didn’t agree.
“You’re gonna say, ‘we need you to come out and work overtime, but you were off on a Tuesday sick and we’re not gonna give you premium pay,” Davis said. “I didn’t agree with it down at the police department, I don’t agree with it now, but at least I have a better understanding of it.”
Kevin Flinn, Building and Grounds Commissioner, pointed out that all overtime is volunteer-based and not mandatory.
Monday, just before the meeting began more than a dozen members from Teamsters Local 3-77 had an informational picket outside city hall. They held signs that said, “Stop the war on workers,” and “Just practicing.”
Several cars were heard beeping in support as they drove by.
According to Kyle Miasek, Director of Finance, the city has met with the union on eight different occasions.
Councilwoman Lauren McNally asked Dascenzo if they could separate the two issues and vote on them individually. Dascenzo said they could, but that could potentially cause more issues.
“I don’t want you to feel like you’re being forced to make an impossible choice. It’s just, negotiations have to cease at some point. You can’t continue them forever, this is the legal process that the city has available to it in order to move on, the union has the legal right to then strike if they choose to,” said Dascenzo.
In the end, the issue was moved to city council for further consideration and will be voted on.
