Vicites willing to offer county employees even more of a raise
With a possible strike vote looming from county members of the Service Employees International Union, Commission Chairman Vincent A. Vicites said he is willing to offer employees even more of a raise, but needs a majority to do so. “I think that’s a far better approach to settle this than to interrupt county services,” he said. “Yes, I would be willing to do it (go to 17 percent). I think it’s justifiable.”
However, commissioners Sean Cavanagh and Ronald Nehls have not returned calls seeking to find out if they would support bolstering the salary increase.
Last Friday, the union’s 147 members, who have been working three months without a contract, voted to turn down the county’s offer for three years of 5 percent wage hikes for a total of 15 percent over three years.
The county had originally offered raises totaling 12 percent over three years while the union had asked for raises totaling 19 percent over three years. The union said the raises were necessary because of increases in their health insurance.
Since the local SEIU is divided into workers who are considered court and county employees, and the court employees cannot strike, the county employees indicated that they wanted to vote to strike.
The court employees can walk out, but can be ordered back to work by a judge. SEUI business agent Rose Cindrick at the last meeting said the court employees hope to go to binding arbitration to settle their contract dispute. She couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.
Vicites said the difference to the county between the 15 and 17 percent pay raises is $15,000 per year in 2004 and 2005. The money will come from the general fund, he said.
Vicites said he is willing to spend that money on county union employees if it keeps harmony on the labor front.
Even at 17 percent, Vicites said that county salaries would only fall into the median level of similarly sized counties. Vicites said that county union employees have been “underpaid for decades” and noted, “It’s about time we started being fair.”
However, while he may support making a better offer, he is not certain that will be done formally, noting that he needs agreement from either Nehls or Cavanagh.