Scott Township Locked in Contract Dispute with Public Works Crew

Scott Township and its public works crew are locked in a year-long contract dispute that centers around whether workers should be required to be on-call for snow plowing during winter months.

The disagreement came to the forefront Tuesday night when the workers and union representative told the township commissioners they’re unhappy with the progress of negotiations.

Gary Alward, who represents the 15 workers, said he’s concerned about the pace of negotiations and that the crew has been without a contract for a year.

“The main issue here is to get everyone on the same page,” Alward said.

But township Solicitor Robert McTiernan questioned why Alward was bringing up his grievances at a public meeting rather than at the negotiating table.

“Bargaining should be done at the bargaining table,” he said. “There are some critical issues out there that the commissioners have been concerned about for a while.”

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The biggest sticking point apparently is the refusal by the public works crew to accept a provision in the contract that “winter call-outs” be mandatory. The call-outs have been on a voluntary basis, but Commissioner Tom Castello said he’s concerned that workload is not being spread evenly and leading to exhaustion. He’s also concerned that there is no possibility for discipline if workers choose not to come out for the overtime hours.

“They have said they can do it voluntary, but the township cannot accept that in a contract,” McTiernan said. “There’s no reason this should drag out. The commissioners are committed to settling this.”

The contract proposal calls for a 3 percent payraise for the workers. It also calls for a $25 monthly contribution by the employees for their medical plans.

Commissioner Bill Wells said the two sides should get back to the table and hammer out a deal. He did acknowledge, though, that there is a serious disagreement about mandatory call-outs being included in the contract.

“We’re not that far off,” Wells said. “I think this can be settled if everyone comes to the table with fresh ideas.”

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