Pay Hikes ‘Difficult to Ignore in the Face of Bankruptcy’ says Edwards

By Paul Sylvain

The county Budget Advisory Committee’s (BAC) daylong session on Oct. 22 got off to a rocky start when officials from two of the three unions representing all but a handful of county employees slammed the door on reopening salary discussions over three-year contracts agreed to last fall by former county commissioners Vinton Cassidy, John Crowley, and Chris Gardner.

The contracts, agreed to even as the former commissioners discovered that the county was millions of dollars in the hole and had drained all of its reserve accounts, call for salary increases of between eight and 10% compounded annually each year for three years.

The county’s payroll currently rings in at about $7 million. That figure would increase by $700,000 to $7.7 million in 2026, based on an across-the-board pay hike of 10%. In 2027, it would jump again to almost $8.5 million.

“That is too big of a number to ignore,” BAC Vice Chairman Ben Edwards said, “No private business would negotiate and stick to these kinds of raises while facing bankruptcy. They would go back to their people and say we have got to make some changes in order to keep this business afloat. It is very difficult for me to ignore the sheer size of these raises in the face of bankruptcy.”

While the union representing Washington County’s corrections officers and emergency dispatchers expressed a willingness to discuss reopening talks on the contract’s salary increases, two others told the BAC they are not interested.

Reading from a prepared statement issued by the Teamsters union’s executive leadership, local union representative Mike Vaughn stated, “Approximately one year ago, the union bargained in good faith, the current CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) with the county. It was ratified by both the union and the commissioners. The union has no interest in reopening the contract at this time.”

Continuing, Vaughn said, “It is our expectation [that] the county honor the current CBA. We are prepared to take whatever legal action is necessary if the county chooses to alter the agreement. … The union, in good conscience, cannot agree to any reduction in wages and benefits that are currently protected by the CBA.” Vaughn said his union represents seven county employees in the District Attorney’s office.

“It’s difficult to have a conversation after that conversation-ending statement,” said Edwards. “My obvious concern here is I have no reason to dispute that the county bargained in good faith. However, a year ago, the county was in a very different financial situation than it is now. And to continue to pretend that that is not the case, to me, is not in good faith.”

Edwards stressed, “We have essentially asked everyone — and we are about to ask taxpayers — to make a sacrifice to get ourselves out of this issue. Everybody here has been asked to make some sacrifices, and what you just said is that you are unwilling to do that. That is difficult and unfortunate to me.”

Vaughn argued that the seven employees he represents are “resolute” in their opposition to reopening salary discussion. “They say this is the first contract that they have had that they’ll break even at the end of it, or be somewhere ahead,” Vaughn said, adding, “On average they get a 3% raise for the year, but the health insurance goes up 6%, so their raises didn’t even cover the cost of the health insurance increase.” 

Edwards fired back, “So, you’re saying that the 10% increase compounded three years in a row is simply to keep up with the cost of insurance increases? That math doesn’t work.”

BAC member and Calais Finance Director Crystal Gallina immediately challenged Vaughn’s statement, pointing out that the county pays 100% of an employee’s single-member health coverage, then the employee pays 80% of the difference between a single and a family plan.

Jonesport Selectboard Chairman Harry Fish Jr. added, “The county is in a very difficult financial situation. We can’t create money out of thin air. So, if we can’t find some middle ground along the way, someone’s going to lose their job, since we don’t have the money to pay them. It just troubles me that you’re flat out saying, ‘No, we’re going to stick with what we’ve got.’ We don’t have the money and we’re not going to have it for a while.”

Vaughn told Fish that the union’s executive board “would more than likely look at that as a threat and that would make them dig their heels in even more.” Edwards immediately told Vaughn, “I think it’s public knowledge that we have no money and are facing an $8 million deficit on Dec. 31, so how can that possibly be construed as a threat as opposed to simply reality?”

One BAC member recalled, “I know that the committee absolutely said last year that they were extremely disappointed and upset with the commissioners agreeing to these kinds of wage increases. That was expressed, without a doubt, but by then it had already been signed.”

Asked if the new board of county commissioners had recently reached out to all three unions about revisiting the salaries, Commission Chairman David Burns replied, “We did. They said they’re not interested in reopening the contracts.” 

Then, addressing Vaughn directly, Burns added, “I want to make one more comment to Mr. Vaughn. This is a response from our attorney. These contracts do not have reopening provisions, so cannot be reopened, except by agreement. However, all the contracts recognize the county’s right to lay off employees, if financially necessary, with two weeks' notice. I would appreciate it if you would take that back to your superiors.”

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge President for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Chris Simpson, addressed the BAC next. But, like Vaughn, he too said there was no interest in revisiting the contract's salary provision. Simpson currently represents 18 members in the WCSO, but would represent 21 if the department were fully staffed.

“My perspective is, the members I represent provide police services for this county at a discount of 25% based on our average wage and comparables,” Simpson said. “We are already working considerably under the value for services elsewhere. And this contract that we negotiated last year does not solve that problem of getting above the average. … That’s our part. Based on comparisons with surrounding counties, state police, and Machias Police Department. Our current wages currently fall 25% below that.”

The BAC later met with National Correctional Employees Union (NCEU) representative William Doyle, who, according to Edwards, was open to having a discussion about salaries. The NCEU represents both the county’s correctional officers at the jail and dispatchers at the Regional Communications Center. Edwards said the BAC is working with Doyle to set a day and time to have that discussion.

The BAC’s members made it painfully clear that if the bond fails to pass on Nov. 4 and contracted salaries can’t be adjusted, then the only way to reduce the budget is through job cuts, and that those cuts would most likely come from the sheriff’s patrol deputies.