BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

POTSDAM — The town of Potsdam administration and its town employees signed off on a new collective bargaining agreement with new wages late last month.

The town had gone through 2022 with no new agreement in place and wages had remained unchanged from 2021 when the last collective bargaining agreement ended.

Town Supervisor Ann Carvill told North Country This Week that under the Taylor Law the provisions of the agreement remain in effect until a new contract is ratified by both sides. Carvill said that both sides went to mediation in the fall to try to reach an agreement with no success.

However, the new agreement was eventually approved on Jan. 30.

The contract is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2022 and will be in place until Dec. 31, 2024.

Some key provisions of the new agreement include:

• Two new paid holidays added, Juneteeth and Election Day, for a total of 14 holidays;

• Probationary period dropped from 12 to 6 months;

• Employees hired after Jan. 1 will be enrolled in the Teamsters HRA Insurance Plan;

• Employees hired prior to Jan. 1 may remain enrolled in the Teamsters Supreme Plan but have the option to enroll in the HRA;

• Retroactive pay for 2022 based on the new salaries listed below, except for salaries for the Real Property Tax Aide and the Code Enforcement Officer which were set in 2022 and the Acting Assessor’s salary which was set in 2023. Also the Court Clerk, Deputy Court Clerk, Deputy Town Clerk and Clerk of the Supervisor received a $2,500 retroactive raise for 2022. Raises for 2023 and 2024 are $1,500 a year under the new contract.

• Retroactive wages under the agreement for 2022 were paid on the date of contract ratification, Jan. 30, 2023.

• Employees under the contract will continue to work a 30-hour work week for nine months and a 28-hour work week for June, July and August.

Salaries for town employees established under the new contract, from 2022-2024 compared to 2021, include:

• Clerk to the Supervisor — $45,432.53 in 2021, $47,932.53 effective Jan. 1, 2022, $49,432.53 effective Jan. 1, 2023, and $50,932.53 effective Jan. 1, 2024;

• Deputy Town Clerk — $43,523.18 (2021), $46,023.18 (2022), $47,523.18 (2023), $49,023.18 (2024);

• Town Assessor — $44,380 (2021), $52,000 (2022, new hire salary set by the board), $52,000 (2023), $53,500 (2024);

• Real Property Tax Service Aid — $29,400 (2021), $41,000 (2022), $42,500 (2023), $44,000 (2024);

• Clerk to the Court — $45,160 (2021), $47,660 (2022), $49,160 (2023), $50,660 (2024);

• Deputy Clerk to the Court — $42,836.57 (2021), $45,336.57 (2022), $46,836.57 (2023), $48,336.57 (2024);

• Code Enforcement Officer — $37,960 and then $49,000 as of Nov. 2021 (2021), $49,000 (2022), $50,500 (2023), $52,000 (2024);

• Half-time Code Enforcement officer — $23.04 per hour (2021), pay rates for 2022-2024 to be determined;

• Part-time Clerk Supervisor’s Office — Pay to be determined;

• Part-time Account Clerk Justice Court — $18.91 per hour (2021), $21 per hour (2022), $21.72 per hour (2023), $22.44 per hour (2024);

• Data Collection Clerk and Code Technician — Pay to be determined;

• Part-time Cleaner — $17.63 per hour (2021), pay to be determined for 2022-2024;

• Part-time Peace Officer — $21.71 per hour (2021), pay to be determined for 2022-2024.