New Salary Schedule

For Town Employees

By M. D. Drysdale

The Randolph selectboard and the town employees have agreed on a new three-year contract that will increase wages by 3% the first year, and 4% in each of the two following years.

The contract also calls for increasing the employee contribution for health insurance from the current 10% to 13% over the three years.

The selectboard unanimously approved the new salary schedule at Tuesday evening's meeting. The entire contract was not approved, however, as some typographical errors needed to be corrected, explained Jim Hutchinson, board chair.

The vote on approving the salary schedule was 4-0, with Selectman Tom Schersten absent.

The last contract, also for three years, expired July 1. The 3% first-year raise will be retroactive to that point.

Hutchinson said the negotiations have been smooth. They began in early March and were stalled for awhile while Randolph citizens voted down a couple of budgets.

The board's original offer was 3% increases for each of the three years, but Hutchinson said that "We (the board) feel like it came out well.

"I can say in full confidence that both sides think this is a fair agreement," he said.