MONTICELLO – The Sullivan County Legislature unanimously approved a two-year contract approved by an overwhelming majority of Teamsters Local 445 members earlier this week.
“The 516 members of the Teamsters union form the backbone of this County,” said Legislature Chairman Luis Alvarez. “I am pleased they agreed to an offer designed to recognize the hard work they do, and I am even more pleased my colleagues and I agreed to make this proposal a reality.”
“This is a contract we have worked diligently to complete, and it resulted in one of the most significant offers the County has ever made,” said County Manager Josh Potosek. “I am gratified our Teamsters employees found it worthy of ratification. The negotiating team and the Legislature recognized the wage issue and made our best efforts to address that concern within budgetary constraints.”
The now fully ratified contract includes the following, at no extra cost to taxpayers, thanks to increased sales taxes and other revenue:
- A $1,500 increase to base pay, retroactive to January 1, 2018
- Another $1,500 increase to base pay, retroactive to January 1, 2019
- A 5% raise to 40 titles (determined by the negotiating team), retroactive to March 1, 2019
- Minimum $15/hour wage for all employees
- Increased allowance for purchase of work uniforms
- An enhanced health insurance buyout plan for employees who opt out of County insurance for an entire year
- New employees hired after May 1, 2019 will contribute 15% toward their health insurance premium, via the Excelsior Plan through New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP)
“We’ve come a long way, but we have a long way to go,” said Local 445 Representative Jerry Ebert, earlier this week after the membership vote.
