YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County commissioners have approved a new three-year agreement with Medical Mutual of Ohio to provide health care to the county’s 1,700 employees through 2023.

Karen U’halie, human resources director, said the new contract raises administrative fees the county pays 2 percent for next year and 0 percent for 2022 and 2023.

She does not know how much more that will cost the county because the county is self insured. The county’s cost will rise or fall based on the amount and type of claims paid throughout the year, she said.

Uhalie said she feels the relationship with Medical Mutual is a good one, and the costs to the county and employees are reasonable.

“It has to be or we would go out looking” for another health insurance company, she said. The county went out to bid on health insurance in 2017 and went with Medical Mutual at that time, she said.

The county continues to offer its employees multiple plans, but the most popular one will raise the cost to employees 2.5 percent for next year.

Commissioner Carol Rimedio Righetti called the additional 2.5 percent cost to employees “minimal,” and said it was “with standard. That is what Karen U’Halie and everyone worked with Medical Mutual and our consultant to come up with that amount.”

NEW AGREEMENT

Meanwhile, the commissioners approved a new three-year collective bargaining agreement in late August with the 18 county employees represented by the Communications Workers of America union who work in the Mahoning County Building Department, Solid Waste Management District and the microfilm department.

The contract, which began June 30, increased wages 1.75 percent in the first year with wage reopener language in the second and third years.

Rimedio Righetti said the pay increase granted is “basically cost of living,” adding: “We put reopeners in that (during the second and third years) because we thought it wouldn’t be fair to make a complete assessment of that at this time because of the pandemic.

“You can’t penalize your employees because of that. You just have to wait and see where this leads us in the next year,” she said.

It’s the only collective bargaining agreement the county has approved this year, but two other contracts will expire at the end of the year. They are both with the county Department of Job and Family Services / Child Support Enforcement Agency. The supervisors are represented by the Teamsters Local 377. The staff members are represented by AFSCME, Local 3577.

Commissioner Anthony Traficanti said the county compares how much the county’s workers make with workers doing similar work in other counties.

“I know those salaries are within marketable, comparable rates,” he said. “We take it at market value. Nobody has gotten crazy.”

AMOUNTS

According to the Mahoning County Human Resources Department and the Communications Workers of America, the new contract pays employees the following:

Microfilm Department (three employees)

Technician — $14.53 to start, $15.54 after one year.

Building Department (nine employees)

Inspector — $23.56 to start, $25.51 after one year.

Building permit technician 2 — $15.51 to start, $16.82 after one year.

Office manager — $17.62 to start, $19.09 after one year.

Clerical specialist — $11.99 to start, $13.08 after one year.

Solid Waste (six employees)

Environmental educator — $18.32 to start, $19.84 after one year.

Field operator — $15.28 to start, $16.56 after one year.

Operations secretary — $15.28 to start, $16.56 after one year.

The contract pays longevity increases of 25 cents per hour after two years, another 5 cents after 4 years, another 5 cents after 10 years, another 10 cents after 15 years, another 10 cents after 21 years, another 25 cents after 26 years and another 20 cents after 31 years — a total of $1.

Sources: Mahoning County Human Resources Department and CWA contract

erunyan@tribtoday.com