Penny wise, pound foolish

After more than a year of a verbal tug of war, the township and the Transport Workers Union have at long last agreed on a contract they can both live with.

Now that the applause has died down, consider this. The whole prolonged mess could have been avoided last September, when the township offered the union a three-year contract with salary increases for 2008, 2009 and 2010 in the amount of 2.6 percent, 2.85 percent and 3 percent, respectively. The union membership said no way.

So, after months of legal wrangling and expense, the union voted to accept a four-year contract that calls for salary increases of 1.5 percent in 2008, 2.75 percent in 2009, 2.8 percent in 2010 and 2.9 percent in 2011.

Does the phrase "Shooting yourself in the foot" come to mind?

Union officials and the membership last fall also balked at paying anything toward the cost of their health care premiums. The township had asked the TWU to consider having members pay a measly $11 a month. A union official actually said at a Township Council meeting that TWU didn't want to "be first" to do so.

So now, for the first time in the township's history, union employees will eventually pony up some money for their health care premiums. Each employee will pay 1 percent of their salary each year toward the premium costs.

That means, an employee making $35,000 a year will have to contribute a whopping $350 a year. Not too bad, considering in the real world they would pay far, far more.

And they don't even start paying this year. The contributions don't start until January 2010. That means the township will pick up the entire cost of premiums for all of 2009. The township, or rather the taxpayers, picked up the entire tab in 2008, when the premium costs rose $1.3 million.

Township officials pointed out that they made some concessions too. Township employees get to keep all 14 of their paid holidays. That's right. Fourteen. Does anyone really deserve 14 paid holidays in these economic times, or any other time for that matter?

Are there 14 holidays in a year? Let's count. New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Labor Day. Those are the biggies.

What's left after that besides Presidents Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, St. Swithins Day? Boxing Day?

Township, county, state and federal employees all receive too many paid holidays. They've been supping at the public trough for way too long.

It's about time the contract was settled. But the foot dragging was unnecessary. And those who opposed the original contract are partially responsible for the loss of more than 40 employees' jobs at the end of 2008.

Had the union agreed to more concessions, furloughs or even pay cuts, more people might still be clocking in today.