Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RICHARD JENKINS
Ironwood — In a special meeting Thursday, the Gogebic Range Solid Waste Management Authority’s board took steps to fill several unexpected vacancies that disrupted trash collection several weeks ago.
Following the departure of two of the authority’s drivers/collectors at the end of the Memorial Day weekend, authority officials said the remaining staff scrambled to complete the garbage routes along with some temporary help they enlisted.
“It was rough, but we are back on schedule,” said Administrator Chris Ann Bressette. “But we need to find some permanent employees. Right now, we’ve just got some temporary help.”
The board authorized Bressette to proceed with the hiring process for one full-time CDL-licensed driver/collector, one part-time CDL-licensed driver/collector and one part-time driver/collector without a CDL. These hires, once completed, should bring the authority back to the normal staffing levels.
Along with authorizing Bressette to proceed with filling the positions, the board formalized the termination of the two former employees’ employment with the authority — retroactively effective to May 27.
Several authority officials and employees also thanked the member communities for the help they provided to get garbage collected and their overall patience in recent weeks. The authority is comprised of Ironwood Township, Bessemer, Bessemer Township, Wakefield, Wakefield Township and Marenisco Township.
The board authorized Bressette to work with the authority’s legal counsel regarding any issues that need to be handled, such as unemployment claims, that stem from events of the past few weeks.
According to information presented at the meeting, new employees usually start at $2 less than the starting salary in the union contract and receive incremental raises over two years until they are at the full rate. The board agreed the authority’s openings needed to be competitive to attract applicants with CDLs, leading to the decision to start the new employees at the full rate.
The board also authorized Bressette to begin the process of adding the full-time driver/collector to the union representing some of the authority’s employees.
In other business:
—Along with the items dealing with the changes in personnel, the board agreed to move the June board meeting from June 20 to June 27. It will still be at 4:30 p.m. at the transfer station on U.S. 2.
—The board also agreed Bressette could use her remaining vacation time after July 1, if necessary.
