By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer
September 7, 2004
The police union will likely settle on a new contract with the town within the next month, its president said.
Sgt. Timothy Berry, president of the Silver Shield Association, said the group's lawyer, Kevin Greco of Stamford, would soon finalize the details of a contract for the 152-member union with the town's labor relations director Al Cava.
The town is also negotiating with three other unions -- Greenwich Firefighters Local 1042, Teamsters Local 456, and Connecticut Public Health Nurses Association Local 1303-222 -- all of whose contracts expired June 30. The terms of the expired contracts remain in effect until new ones are signed.
Cava was not available for comment over the holiday weekend.
First Selectman Jim Lash said talks with the Silver Shield Association were the most advanced of the four negotiations.
"I think the negotiations are making good progress, but we aren't done," he said.
Contract talks between the town and Teamsters Local 456 have not begun, according to Timothy Lyons, assistant steward for Greenwich's Teamster workers.
The union represents 525 town workers including staff at The Nathaniel Witherell nursing home and public works and parks and recreation departments.
Lyons, a meter maintenance man for the town, said stewards chosen by local workers are at odds with leaders appointed by their 4,000-member local in Elmsford, N.Y. They disagree about legal representation and overall strategy in negotiating a contract.
"It's stagnant right now, and there is no contract being negotiated," Lyons said. "We don't want to rush a contract."
John Cuite, assistant trustee to the Elmsford local, did not return calls Friday. Cuite said last month that the Teamsters local planned to begin negotiations with Cava and the town within two weeks.
John Novak, president of the firefighter's union, said the group is negotiating at least once a week with town officials, but declined to comment further.
Coming into negotiations with the four unions, town finance officials were concerned about controlling increasing health-care costs. Currently the town pays 93 percent of workers' health-care premiums.
Town officials estimated this spring that municipal employees could see a 10 percent increase in the cost of their health insurance premiums this year, while municipal retirees could see a 30 percent increase.
Joan Caldwell, chairman of the Representative Town Meeting's Labor Contract Committee, said the town must persuade employees to pay a larger share of their health-care costs.
"That's a very expensive item and what we're giving is more than being given in the private sector," Caldwell said. "We need to find some median point that is acceptable."
Copyright © 2004, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.