Apr 27, 2006 By Rebekah Sungala 4 min read

MASONTOWN – Borough council recently voted to give water plant employee Jerry Wesolowsky a $2-an-hour raise effective this pay period and, in doing so, avoided a costly arbitration case. Council spent the last year discussing issues involving Wesolowsky, most of the talks being held behind closed doors in executive session since it is a personnel matter. However, council spoke about the issue in open session during their meeting Tuesday, after councilman Joe Volansky said he believed the “public needs to know” what’s going on.

Upset that other council members voted to give Wesolowsky a $2-an-hour raise and name him one of two lead men at the water plant who will work day shift during an April 11 meeting he was not present for, Volansky accused certain members of voting on the issue specifically because he was not present for the meeting.

Volansky said council had already discussed the issue in depth and decided to enter into arbitration with Wesolowsky and his union, council’s decision based in part because solicitor Gary Monaghan had advised council they had a “solid case” and an “excellent chance” of winning the suit.

Representing Wesolowsky at a meeting last month, union representative Vito Dragone Jr. told council the union had no choice but to enter into arbitration with the borough after council voted to give Weso-lowsky a $2-an-hour raise as lead man only if he agreed to work afternoon or midnight shift.

Dragone, secretary treasurer for Teamsters Local Union 491, had said Wesolowsky should be named lead man and be paid the extra money regardless of what shift he works since he was fulfilling the required duties.

After being threatened with arbitration, council voted during its April 11 meeting to name Wesolowsky a day shift lead man with a increased raise. Councilwoman Carole Daniels did not specify in that motion when the raise would begin, although the council did approve the raise.

Volansky asked Tuesday who authorized the pay increase, since a specific date was not mentioned in Daniels’ past motion. He said Wesolowsky had already begun receiving the raise.

Council President Harry Lee told Volansky he gave permission for Wesolowsky to begin receiving the wage increase beginning April 23 since council had approved it.

“I thought it was doing the proper thing,” Lee said.

Monaghan said Lee was within his rights to authorize the start date of the pay increase and said doing so was legal. Volansky disagreed with Monaghan and said council always specified when a wage increase would begin and said Lee made a “blunder” by giving permission without council’s vote.

In order to satisfy Volansky, Daniels made a motion during Tuesday’s meeting stating Wesolowsky should begin to receive his wage increase this pay period, which would have started April 23.

The motion passed. Volansky was the only present council member to vote against it with a resounding “absolutely not.”

Volansky asked council members where they planned to get the money for Wesolowsky’s raise, since the borough already operates on a “tight budget.” None of the council members could give Volansky a solid answer but said something would be worked out.

Volansky also asked council why they chose to vote on the Wesolowsky matter earlier this month when at the same meeting they tabled another issue involving an Atlantic Broadband contract, saying it was an important issue and they wanted all of council to be present for the vote, according to meeting minutes.

Daniels said council voted for the wage increase during the last meeting in order to avoid entering arbitration, thus saving the borough money that would have been used to pay legal fees. She also said Wesolowsky was a “hard worker” and that he deserved the raise.

Volansky countered, saying the borough may have won the arbitration and that legal fees would have been “no more costly than the $4,000 a year raise” Wesolowsky will be receiving.

Neither Dragone nor Wesolowsky was present for Tuesday’s meeting.

In a phone interview Wednesday, Dragone said Wesolowsky was happy with the settlement and that the issue has “been resolved.”

The union would not pursue the arbitration case, Dragone said.

In unrelated matters, council also conducted the following business during Tuesday’s meeting:

– Said water will be shut off May 4th to any residences that have outstanding water bills.

– Announced the borough’s spring cleaning weeks would by May 15-19 and May 22-26.