YOUNGSTOWN — The union representing city street department workers overwhelmingly rejected a fact finder’s recommendation for a three-year contract because wages, particularly for starting employees, are too low, among other issues, its president said.

While the 30-member union rejected the recommendation with only one yes vote, city council voted 6-0 at its Wednesday meeting in support of the proposal.

Deputy Law Director Dan Dascenzo recommended council approve the fact finder’s report, calling it a fair deal and favorable to the city.

But the union’s vote, which occurred Monday, means the report is rejected. State law allows a fact finder’s report to be rejected if one side votes to turn it down with at least 60 percent of its members opposing it.

Steven Anzevino, president of the Teamsters Local 377, which represents the street department union employees, said the city’s offer on salary was too low. That’s causing staffing issues at the street department as employees with commercial driver’s licenses can get paid significantly more elsewhere than what the city is offering, he said.

“Streets aren’t plowed for three or four days because we don’t have the manpower,” Anzevino said. “The city doesn’t have enough employees to do the job, and the salary they offer isn’t going to bring and retain people.”

An entry-level laborer or driver currently gets $13.94 an hour. The city’s offer included a 13 percent increase in the starting salary to $15.75 an hour.

The city’s offer was for 2 percent annual raises for 2022, 2023 and 2024 except entry-level workers wouldn’t get the raise in the first year because of the pay increase.

The union sought 3 percent salary increases annually for the three years with a $1,000 payment upon ratification of the contract, according to the report from fact finder Jerry Hetrick of Leesburg, Ind.

Hetrick sided with the city on salary.

The highest paid worker in the union gets $21.33 an hour. A couple of other positions in the union are paid a little more per hour, but the jobs have been vacant for years with no plans to fill them.

Asked about the union’s rejection, city Law Director Jeff Limbian said: “Further negotiations are always expected. The city plans to negotiate until the matter is resolved.”

While the city was offering 2 percent raises for this year as well as 2023 and 2024 for its street department workers, it signed a contract last year with the police patrol union for a 2 percent raise this year and 2.5 percent raises in the two other years for those at the top of the pay scale — a little more than half of the members — as well as a 27 percent increase in starting salary.

The city also approved a contract last year with the firefighters union that had a 2 percent pay raise for this year and a 2.5 percent raise for 2023 for those at the top of the pay scale — about 75 percent of the union members — and increased the starting pay by 46 percent.

In the fact finder proceedings with the street department, the city sought to change its overtime policy for the union. The pay is currently time-and-a half if a street department union member works more than an eight-hour day or in excess of 40 hours in a seven-day period with sick leave included in the pay calculation.

The city wanted to make changes while the union wanted it to remain the same.

Hetrick recommended keeping the current policy in place, but exclude sick leave when determining overtime for a week.

The union has been working without a contract since Dec. 31.

dskolnick@vindy.com