Antis Twp. approves union contract
Road crew employees will get raises
BELLWOOD — Road crew employees in Antis Township will receive an annual raise over the next three years because of a Thursday evening vote from township supervisors, who approved a new collective bargaining agreement.
At an evening meeting, township solicitor Patrick Fanelli said a previous agreement with the employees’ union expired in late August,
And since then, township officials have met with union representatives to negotiate a new agreement.
After some discussion, the two parties were able to come to an agreement, which is nearly identical to the previous one, Fanelli said.
However, union officials were able to negotiate a salary increase in the new agreement, Fanelli said.
That increase will come in the form of a 3 percent raise over the next three years, township manager Lucas Martsolf said after the meeting.
Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the new agreement, which will begin retroactively on the date the previous pact expired. The new agreement will be valid until August 2020.
After the vote, Supervisor Robert Smith thanked union officials for their willingness to negotiate.
“I’d like to compliment the union (representatives),” Smith said. “In essence, we have exactly the same contract.”
At the meeting, supervisors also voted unanimously to approve a minimum municipal pension obligation, meaning the township must pay $38,665 toward its retirement liability — an increase from last year, township treasurer Lori Del Biondo said.
They also voted to approve the renewal of the township’s UPMC Health Insurance policy for the 2017-18 period. That policy comes at a cost of $84,361.20, Del Biondo said. That is a 3.5 percent increase from last year.
Mirror Staff Writer Sean Sauro is at 946-7535.