Lockport Union-Sun & Journal — Further talks have not been scheduled, as Town of Lockport officials say they are waiting to hear back from the Civil Service Employees Association, the union that represents 18 town workers.
Town CSEA workers have been without a contract since the last expired Dec. 31, 2011. A tentative agreement was reached in July, but CSEA members voted it down 12-3 last month.
The ball is in the union’s court on what the next steps are, Supervisor Marc R. Smith and Deputy Supervisor Paul W. Siejak said Tuesday.
”We’re waiting to hear,” Smith said.
The town and union met twice with a state labor mediator. The mediator joined talks after an impasse was called by both sides in March, following a string of sessions that started in September.
Municipalities and unions are allowed to meet with a mediator three times, meaning the sides still have one meeting left. Both sides do not know if they can meet with a mediator again or if the matter goes through the state labor board’s fact finding process.
During the fact finding process, a labor board representative would publish a report looking at the contract issue and offering recommendations on how to proceed.
Of the 18 town workers who are CSEA members, 11 are full-time.
The defeated five-year agreement included a 2.5 percent pay raise for the workers, altogether a 12.5 percent raise at the end of the contract. It also included a fifth week of vacation for those with 25 years of experience.
If the contract had been ratified, workers would have paid 3 percent starting Jan. 1, 2013, 5 percent in 2014 and then reached the cap of 10 percent in 2015.
Both sides have been operating under terms of the old pact until a new agreement is in place.
In other town action, board members are expected to accept a bid at tonight’s meeting for sanitary and sewer slipline work along Jennifer Drive and Dorchester Road.
Bids were opened last week, with Skanex Pipe Services of Victor, N.Y. the lowest bidder, at $38,400. Town Engineer Robert Klavoon said the bid was $12,000 under budget.
Contact reporter Joe Olenick at 439-9222, ext. 6241.
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