As the ink dries on a new labor agreement between Butler County and its nursing home labor force, attention is turning to hammering out a consensus with the largest group of unionized workers in the county courthouse and government center in downtown Butler.

Solicitor Julie Graham expects contract talks to resume before the end of the month with members of the Service Employees International Union Local 668, representing about 150 administrative, clerical and technical employees. The previous contract, a four-year agreement, expired Nov. 30, 2008, and the terms have been extended.

Sunnyview workers, represented by the SEIU Local 1199P, voted Nov. 11 to ratify a one-year agreement with a 3 percent raise and a first-ever contribution toward their health care benefits. The employee contribution system began this year for about 150 management employees, who received 2 percent salary increases for 2009. All employees are paying 1.5 percent of their salaries toward medical benefits.

The new Sunnyview contract is effective Jan. 1 and runs through Dec. 31, 2010. The previous four-year agreement expired Nov. 30, 2008, and its terms had been extended during the yearlong bargaining impasse.

Butler County Commissioners Chairman Dale Pinkerton said he was pleased to be finally reaching new contracts with employees, although he had hoped the raise for the Sunnyview workers would have been 2.5 percent instead of 3 percent -- matching the salary boost that was approved in an arbitration award.

That arbitration award, handed down in July, set in place an agreement for about 100 courthouse members of the SEIU Local 668. Their agreement will expire Dec. 31, 2010, and includes a 2.5 percent raise that was effective July 1. In 2010, they will receive a 3.75 percent or a 4 percent raise, depending on the increase in health care costs. If that increase is less than 10 percent, the union members will get a 4 percent raise. Everyone will contribute 1.5 percent of his pay toward his health care costs.

The county's three detectives, represented by the Fraternal Order of Police, settled in January on a two-year contract with 1.5 percent of their salary going to medical benefits and a raise of 2.5 percent. Their agreement expires Dec. 31, 2010.

The remaining union members are assistant district attorneys and public defenders, represented by the United Steelworkers union. Binding arbitration is set for January. There are 10 people affected by this agreement.

A two-year contract that covers about 50 prison guards with the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees will expire in December 2010.

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