Specifics of new Luzerne County union contract explained

Compensation was boosted in a newly approved collective bargaining agreement with Luzerne County probation and domestic relations support officers, a review if the changes shows.

As with the old Court Appointed Professional Employees Association union contract that expired the end of 2022, the new agreement uses different compensation approaches for newer and more veteran employees.

Newcomers receive step increases on each annual anniversary to more rapidly elevate their compensation, which is meant to help with recruitment and retention, officials have said.

Under the old contract, the starting salary was $36,000. Newer employees progressed through step increases ranging from $38,000 after the first year of service to $45,156 following the seventh year.

In the new agreement, employees will start at $42,000 and advance through a decade of base pay adjustments that rise from $43,500 after the first year of service to $60,000 after the tenth year of employment.

These annual pay boosts are $1,500 the first two years, $1,750 the next four years and $2,000 in the final four years. Mathematically, the increase equates to approximately 3.5% or slightly higher.

More seasoned workers will receive increases of 1.5% this year (starting June 1 and nonretroactive), 2% in 2024 and 2.5% in 2025 and 2026.

These employees are entering the new agreement at a top rate of $73,096.54 annually.

According to the county, approximately 41 probation and domestic relations support officers are at the top rate, while the remaining 35 are below it.

County council unanimously approved the new collective bargaining agreement last week.

The union would have had the option to proceed to binding arbitration if negotiations had reached an impasse. The union had ratified the new agreement terms in May.

Other changes

The union made a concession in the annual clothing/equipment allowance, which was previously $550.

Union workers won’t receive an allowance this year and will be paid $550 in 2024. The allowance will increase to $600 in 2025 and 2026.

The county will continue to provide flashlights, handcuffs, radios, belt pouches for disposable gloves, arrest jackets and duffel bags to carry equipment.

In other changes, union workers will have the option to use vacation time in half-hour increments after initially using one full hour.

The employees may receive payment for up to 60 days of unused sick time, at $40 per day, if they resign with appropriate notice or are laid off for non-disciplinary reasons, a summary said. Previously, this buy-back option was only available upon retirement or death.

No change

Employee health insurance contributions will remain the same for the union members — 12% for employees hired before 2020 and 15% for those hired since 2020.

All county union workers have transitioned to contributions of at least 12%. Non-union workers have been paying 10% toward health insurance since 2004.

Some other terms that remain the same:

• Officers must work 35 hours per week, which does not include a one-hour daily unpaid lunch.

• The union receives 12 holidays, which is standard for all county employees.

• Annual length-of-service bonuses are provided — a percentage formula capped at $5,700 for employees hired before Sept. 2, 2016, and flat amounts for employees hired after that date ranging from $300 for those with eight to 10 years of service up to $1,500 for 25 or more years of service.

• On-call workers will continue receiving $650 per week.

• The number of sick days allotted to union workers annually will remain at 17 for officers hired through 2019 and 12 for those employed since 2020.

• As with other employees, probation officers receive an increasing number of vacation days with more years of service, starting with five days in the first year of employment, although none can be taken in the first six months. After 20 years, officers receive 25 days plus a half day for every year beyond, with a cap of 27.5 days.

Other unions

In total, the county has collective bargaining agreements with 10 unions and three memorandums of understanding with some human services supervisory workers.

Negotiations are still ongoing with court-appointed support staff represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), including secretaries and clerks in the probation, domestic relations and magisterial district judge offices. That contract expired the end of 2022.

The administration also is expected to start negotiations soon with the prison union, which is represented by LIUNA Local 1310. That contract expires the end of this year.