Norwich Public Utilities reaches contract agreements with two labor unions.

One includes pilot incentive program for city residents

Norwich — Norwich Public Utilities officials this week approved new three-year contracts with two labor unions that include 3 percent raises per year, double the copayment for medical office visits and creates a Norwich residency incentive for workers in the electrical union.

The Board of Public Utilities Commissioners approved the contracts following a closed-door review Tuesday night. The contracts begin July 1 and run through June 30, 2021, with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, covering 94 workers, and the AFSME union, covering 44 management personnel.

The cost of the raises for the two contracts totals $408,297 for the 2018-19 fiscal year and was included in the revised $92.6 million utility budget approved Tuesday, NPU General Manager John Bilda said. The cost increase amounted to 0.44 percent of the overall budget, Bilda said.

NPU spokesman Chris Riley said the salary increases were important to the utility’s ability to keep and attract quality workers, especially with the large-scale hiring wave currently underway at Electric Boat in Groton.

Employees in both unions will see double co-payments at medical visits, from $10 to $20 per visit.

The contract for the 94 employees in the electrical workers’ union incudes a new pilot program that offers a $3,500 per year bonus for all employees who live in Norwich or move to Norwich. The workers would have to live in the city, not just own property in Norwich.

Bilda said the program is similar to incentives often offered to first responders expected to report during emergencies. “We’re kind of first responders, too,” he said, although the incentive applies to all union members, not just emergency responders.

NPU policy requires on-call workers to be able to arrive “anywhere within the city of Norwich” within 30 minutes of the call.

Currently, 28 employees are eligible for the incentive, Bilda said, and one already is considering moving into a Norwich condominium or apartment because of the incentive. The program would apply to future employees, as well. The pilot program will be evaluated at the end of the three-year contract.

The bonus payments could apply to anything from mortgages, taxes and rent payments to moving costs or other living costs, Bilda said, and would bring more workers’ disposable income to Norwich.

Union officials in the IBEW union declined to comment on the contract Thursday.

NPU officials still are in negotiations with a third labor union that covers just four employees.