Editor's note: In advance of the city's Act 47 recovery plan recommendation, the Mirror examined the city union contracts with workers.
Sunday: Introduction and firefighter contract
Monday: Police contract, crossing guards
Today: Non-uniformed worker contract
Thursday: City manager contract, memorandum of understanding with supervisors
Friday: Salary chart
The non-uniformed workers' contract sets across the board raises of 2.5 percent the first year, 2.5 percent the second year and 3 percent the third, as applied to base pay.
The non-uniformed workers - including laborers, custodians, clerks, technicians, mechanics, equipment operators and inspectors in the Public Works, Finance, Planning and other departments - are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Employees hired before 2005 earn $40-per-month longevity pay after five years; $50 a month after 10 years; $60 a month after 15 years; and $70 a month after 20 years.
Employees are slotted into pay Grades 1-10. Employees earn more as they move into a new year, accrue longevity and move into higher pay grades.
Contract charts lay out wages for each year, each pay grade and each step on the longevity scale. For example, in 2013, workers at pay grade 6 who have completed one year's service earn $14.61 per hour. Workers at pay Grade 7 who have completed seven years earn $18.86 per hour.
The lowest wage - starting wage for a Grade 1 employee in 2011 - was $9.83.
The highest wage - for a Grade 10 employee with 10 years' experience in 2013 - will be $20.74.
Employees get time-and-a-half beyond 40 hours per week.
Management must post available overtime, distribute it equally within departments and rotate it among workers. Workers may ask for compensatory time off - an hour and a half for each overtime hour worked - in lieu of time-and-a-half pay, but they may not accumulate more than 120 hours' compensatory time off.
Employees must work overtime if necessary. Workers called in during off-hours must get paid for a minimum of three hours at time-and-a-half pay.
On-call workers get $25 per assignment during the week and $35 on weekends and holidays.
Employees get an additional 35 cents an hour for second and third shift. Mechanics who obtain a license from the state get an additional 10 cents an hour. Workers required to have a commercial driver's license get an additional 10 cents an hour.
The city pays for uniforms and uniform maintenance for mechanics.
Injured workers unable to do their regular work may go on modified duty, earning their regular wages.
New hires are on probation for six months, during which time management can dismiss them summarily, with no grievance permitted.
Employees are entitled to fringe benefits 30 days after being hired.
Part-time workers generally don't work more than 32 hours a week and must work fewer than 1,600 hours a year. They get no benefits, except for paid holidays on weeks they're scheduled to work and two unpaid weeks of leave per year, when they work more than 1,040 hours.
Part-timers can bid on city jobs like regular employees and can accrue seniority.
Although not prohibited by law, workers may not strike, by a contract provision. Nor may the city lock them out.
Employees must either maintain membership in the union, or pay a "fair share fee."
Holidays
Employees get 12 paid holidays. To get paid for a holiday, employees must work the previously scheduled work day and the next scheduled work day. Employees who work on a holiday get paid time-and-a-half and also for the holiday, for a total of 2.5 times regular pay.
Employees get two personal days a year.
Vacations
Workers hired before 2005 earned five days vacation after one year; 10 days after two years; 15 days after five years; 20 days after 10 years; and 25 days after 15 years.
Workers hired after the beginning of 2005 earn 10 days vacation after one year, 15 days after 10 years and 20 days after 20 years.
Workers become eligible for vacation a year after their hire. Employees can't accumulate vacation time from year to year.
Workers get three days' paid bereavement leave on the death of a family member and one day for the death of family members less closely related, as defined in the contract.
Workers hired before 2005 earn 15 sick days a year. Those hired after the beginning of 2005 earn 12 days a year. Workers can accumulate up to 250 unused sick days.
Workers need a doctor's excuse when absent more than two consecutive days.
When workers retire, the city will pay 40 percent of the value of the unused sick days beyond 50, up to 100; 50 percent of the next 75 unused days; and 60 percent of the next 75.
Workers can use up to five sick days to care for sick members of their immediate families.
Health care
Employees are covered by the Highmark Qualified High Deductible Health Plan or its equivalent. Deductible is $1,250 for individuals and $2,500 for families. In 2011, the city paid the equivalent of 80 percent of the deductible amount into workers' health savings account; in 2012, it paid 75 percent; and in 2013, it will pay 50 percent.
Starting at the beginning of 2011, workers contributed 7.5 percent of the plan premium per month. The next year, they contributed 8.5 percent. The following year, they will contribute 10 percent. Those premium contributions may not exceed $165 per month.
First-year employees are not eligible for family coverage. The spouses of employees hired after the beginning of 2005 are not eligible for coverage if those spouses can get coverage through their own employers.
The plan includes prescription coverage, and the city pays for vision coverage.
The city pays for $30,000 worth of life insurance and long-term disability. Workers can continue in the plan when they retire but must pay the premiums.
The city can establish, combine or abolish job classifications and create new job descriptions, although the descriptions are subject to union agreement.
In filling vacancies, management must give preference to the most senior applicants within the department, then the most senior applicant from the bargaining unit.
Layoffs
Management must lay off probationary and part-time workers first, then least senior workers, giving two weeks' notice.
Laid-off workers can bump less-senior workers in the same or lower job category, provided the laid-off worker can do the job he's bumping into.
Asked whether he would prefer not to have to abide by these bumping rules, City Manager Joe Weakland said, "Any manager would love to put anybody where [he] wants."
While the contract specifies that workers have minimum qualifications, those qualifications are hard to define for many of the jobs, Weakland said.
Management must recall employees in the reverse order of layoff, provided they can do the jobs.
Discipline
Workers must become or remain residents of the city within six months of their hire, unless given permission by the city manager, and only with good cause.
The union may file a grievance to contest a worker's suspension or termination.
There are four steps: discussing it with the worker's supervisor; appealing it to the department head; appealing it to the city manager, who holds a hearing; and binding arbitration, as requested by either the worker or management.
The two sides share the cost of arbitration.
