New BMEA Contract Includes Raise, Higher Co-Pays

With an expectation that the will agree as well, the council opted Monday to approve a resolution that sets a contract with the association from Jan. 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012—and includes a 1 percent raise.

This association’s recent contract expired Dec. 31, 2009, and was a three-year contract. The BMEA includes 22 members, namely all dispatchers and workers in different township offices.

The BMEA and the township have been in negotiations since last year, and, in December 2010, Mayor Patricia Flannery said they were at an impasse.

This new contract, township administrator Robert Bogart said, will only last until June because the administration is not certain what ramifications there will be from the budget at this point.

“This agreement ends June 30, and the best of both worlds is they will be ready to negotiate then,” he said. “They wanted a longer agreement, but we don’t know what will happen with the budget, so we thought it would be best to go until June 30.”

When the township budget was presented in March, director of finance Natasha Turchan said the administration was not budgeting for any salary increases for 2011 because negotiations had not been completed.

For this reason, Bogart said, the township, in negotiations, determined that the association could have a requested 1 percent raise so long as the members accepted higher co-pays in their insurance. That choice was given, he said, and members opted to have the 1 percent raise.

The increase in co-pays balances the increase in salaries in the budget.

“That was a choice they were given, and it all cancelled out,” Bogart said.

That 1 percent wage increase will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2011.

Bogart said there is also a change in the contract to the number of uniform items that are given to dispatchers when they are newly hired.

“This appears to be a cost savings, and all the clothing items that are needed for that particular duty,” he said.

Also according to the agreement, dispatcher uniforms will be provided by the township to new hires, not the police department, and will include four long- and four short-sleeve shirts, and a fleece jacket or sweater.

Previously, Bogart said, the provided clothing included pants, belt, boots or shoes—now the township will only provide the shirt and sweater.

“Because of the substantial number of computers, it does get hot, [so the air is on high] and it becomes chilly in the office,” he said to explain why the additional outerwear is necessary.

Bogart said the BMEA is expected to sign the new contract.