The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

May 4, 2008

Court ruling on Greenville firefighters' contract stands

By Monica Pryts

GREENVILLE — A panel of Commonwealth Court judges has ruled that a Mercer County judge’s decision on the contract between Greenville’s firefighter union and the borough stands.

Greenville council filed an appeal April 19, 2007, of a March 27, 2007, ruling issued by Common Pleas Judge Thomas R. Dobson on the contract for International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1976.

Commonwealth Court’s ruling was issued April 22 and union president Lt. Dale Hightree’s only comment was, “it is what it is.”

Borough Manager Ryan T. Eggleston said Friday he wants to speak with the borough’s lawyers about the ruling before commenting.

A message seeking comment from council President Pete Longiotti was not returned Friday.

Borough officials had argued that the contract didn’t conform to Act 47, the state’s debt recovery plan for financially distressed communities, which Greenville entered in 2002.

Commonwealth Court documents say the judges carefully considered the positions set forth by each party and affirmed the ruling based on Dobson’s “well-reasoned opinion.”

Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt issued a dissenting opinion April 22. She disagreed with parts of the contract because they aren’t consistent with Greenville’s Act 47 recovery plan.

The recovery plan recommends that base hourly wages and salary increases, if granted, shall not exceed the Consumer Price Index for northwestern Pennsylvania or 3 percent, whichever is less.

The contract’s longevity pay scale violates that part of the plan because the payments will result in a wage increase of more than 3 percent, Judge Leavitt said in court documents.

The contract’s section on minimum manning requirements also violates the Act 47 plan, which says the borough has the right to determine the number of personnel employed and to lay off any employees for economic or other reasons.

The contract says the borough will maintain an apparatus staffing level of two firefighters, excluding the chief. President Judge Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter and Judge Reneé Cohn Jubelirer agreed with Judge Leavitt’s opinion.

Dobson ruled on council’s behalf that it can hire part-time firefighters to supplement its full-time force and reduce the need for overtime. He denied council’s appeal of the manpower issues, a new longevity pay scale and using part-timers to fill vacancies created by short-term absences of full-timers, and full-timers can’t be displaced by part-timers.

The union and council agreed to take the contract to binding arbitration in October 2005. A panel of arbiters –– one representing council, one representing firefighters and a neutral –– heard testimony in January 2006.

Michael Zobrak of Aliquippa, the neutral arbiter, issued a ruling Aug. 28, 2006, and a new contract took effect. The firefighters union, which is made up of six full-timers, announced Aug. 31 it accepted the contract.

On Sept. 12, 2006, council announced it would appeal Zobrak’s ruling, saying several items in the contract were not in sync with recommendations in the town’s Act 47 recovery plan.

Text Only
Local News
  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012

  • School board mulls change to sports chaperone policy

    In order to comply with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Sharpsville Area School Board is looking to adjust a chaperone policy it implemented six months ago.

    May 25, 2012

  • Afternoon crash hurts 3 high school students

    Three Jamestown High School students were injured – one seriously – when their pickup left a roadway in southwest Crawford County and crashed into a tree Tuesday afternoon.

    May 24, 2012

  • Board sells some, holds some

    Brookfield Board of Education members voted Tuesday to accept only the bids for the elementary school and the middle school, for a total of $97,050.
    The decision came after an hour-long executive session.

    May 24, 2012

  • Levey: Kohl’s project died with school vote

    Stripped of the necessity of voting for a tax incremental finance plan by Hermitage School Board’s unwillingness to participate, Mercer County commissioners said Wednesday they would like to meet with school board and Hermitage city officials to discuss other ways they can help Levey and Co. build a retail development in the city.

    But Levey spokeswoman Jeffrey A. Mills said there is nothing to discuss.

    May 24, 2012

  • Warden expects hectic season at county jail

    With the unofficial start of summer just a few days away, Mercer County Jail officials are preparing for a busy season.

    May 23, 2012

  • Levey officially drops TIF request

    Levey & Co. has officially ended its request for a tax incremental financing plan to build a retail development anchored by a Kohl’s department store.

    May 23, 2012

  • Grant will pay to fix 12-15 homes



    The City of Farrell will be able to fix up about a dozen homes in the city thanks to a $300,000 HOME grant from the state.

    May 23, 2012

  • Hard budget choices yet to come


     
    Hermitage School Board has been fortunate in many ways during the economic downturn that has been so hard on many other schools.

    May 23, 2012