City Hall and Public Works employees will receive wage increases of roughly 2 percent per year over the next two years, according to contracts approved by elected officials.
The Derby Board of Aldermen meet in an executive session in October to discuss the city’s collective bargaining agreements with City Hall and Department of Public Works employees.
The contracts are posted as one document at the end of this story.
“I think the contracts are fair to both the employees and the residents of the City of Derby. Also, city services are not compromised in any way,” Mayor Anthony Staffieri said in an e‑mail.
“I believe the wage increases were fair to both employees and the public in light of the increased cost contribution by the employees for their health insurance premiums for the health care plans provided by the city pursuant to said contracts,” said Barbara DeGennaro, president of the Derby Board of Aldermen.
DPW
The DPW contract includes the following employee wage increases:
- 2 percent, which was effective as of July 1, 2012
- 2 percent, effective July 1, 2013
- 2.25 percent, effective July 1, 2014
- 2.25 percent, effective July 1, 2015
As of July 1, 2012, the DPW employees are required to pay 10 percent of the yearly premium for health care costs. They’ll have to pay 11 percent as of July 1, 2013 and 12 percent as of July 1, 2014. The money is deducted from their weekly paychecks.
The contract also spells out everything from paid holidays to overtime.
Some highlights:
- The work week is 40 hours. That’s eight hours per day, Monday through Friday.
- Workers receive time-and-a-half if they work more than 40 hours.
- They receive double time if required to work on Sundays.
- Workers get a 30-minute lunch break and a 20-minute coffee break in the morning.
- Summer hours (Memorial Day to Labor Day) are 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. All other times it is 6:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
- Workers receive a $300 clothing allowance.
- Workers receive 13 paid holidays and work a half day on New Year’s Eve.
City Hall Workers
This group includes assistants, clerks, secretaries and custodians who work for the city.
The contract includes the following employee wage increases:
- 2 percent, effective July 1, 2012
- 2 percent, effective July 1, 2013
- 2.25 percent, effective July 1, 2014
- 2.25 percent, effective July 1, 2015
City Hall employees must contribute 10 percent of the yearly premium for health care as of July 1, 2012. It increases to 11 percent in 2013 and 12 percent in 2014 and 2015.
The employees receive 12 paid holidays, plus half days on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
The work week is 35 hours per week, Monday through Friday. Hours (generally) are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
They receive a one-hour lunch break, which is not paid.
Custodians working in City Hall and the police department work 40 hours per week. The library custodian works 35 hours per week.
On Dec. 27, 2012, the Derby Board of Aldermen also approved 2 percent raises for non-union employees, which covers workers at the Senior Center, the city’s blight officers and workers in the city’s building department, along with the chief and assistant chiefs in the fire department who receive a stipend.
