Employee benefits: What's part time?

NORTH EAST — The topic of employee benefits was raised at the Town Board’s Dec. 6 workshop meeting. The board discussed making a policy regarding the percentage paid to employees working less than full time.

"We changed in the last year or so, for highway employees, when the town had provided 100 percent of health insurance as part of their position," town Supervisor Dave Sherman said. "We changed that to 75 percent, that’s for full-time employees.

"We’re specifically looking at a situation where an employee is looking for benefits, who is working 32 hours," he added. "I think we’re looking at numbers right now where part-time maximum is up to 24 hours and full-time is up to 40 hours."

"My thing is if someone is working 24 hours up to 32 hours we would pay 25 percent of their medical benefits," Councilman Dave McGhee said. "If it’s 32 up to 50 hours we would pay 75 percent. I’ve just been thinking about it, that’s health benefits. I’m sure they’re going to want to know about sick time and vacation time."

McGhee said he and Councilman Carl Stahovec, who are both on the Personnel Committee, can go over those numbers at a different time and report back on their findings.

"Let’s just work on this now," McGhee said about the medical benefits. "But it’s something to bring up."

Sherman returned to the number of hours expected for part-time employees. He said that 24 hours brings workers up to the end of part-time.

McGhee said if workers put in 12 to 14 hours, it "doesn’t make sense to have anything."

Sherman said he would write up a schedule to reflect that working 24 to 32 hours the town would pay 25 percent of their medical benefits; while working 32 to 40 hours the town would pay 50 percent.

"We previously went to 24 as being the maximum number of hours for part-time work," Sherman said. "Up to that point we don’t have any particular benefits.

"Some employees can work more than 20 hours if their positions are considered exempt," he added. "In essence, they can work more than 20 hours and it does not push them into a competitive position because of civil service. So 20 hours is a practical barrier for us. Few positions cannot get into any trouble."

According to Sherman, the Town Board previously said that 24 hours is part-time. He said that it’s actually the dividing line between getting benefits at all and getting holiday time, too.

"Nothing was agreed on," McGhee said. "You don’t even have to do 24. You can go to 32, I don’t care."

"We need to come to some resolution," Sherman said. "Where do we want to be for part-time?"

The question went unanswered, but McGhee did say that everyone should get holidays, both full- and part-time workers.

Sherman, meanwhile, said he will write something up for the board to consider and get it back to board members as soon as possible.