Hermitage commissioners Wednesday ratified a new contract with nonuniformed non-management employees.

The four-year contract will give the approximately 55 employees an extra holiday plus a wage increase of 3.25 percent a year for the first two years, then 3.5 percent a year for the last two years of the contract.

"The increase will cost the city about $50,000 per year for the first year and increase about $5,000 per year every year after that during the contract," said City Manager Gary Hinkson.

The members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2778 include clerical staff and workers in the street and sewer departments, Hinkson said. The union previously approved the pact.

The employees' co-payment for name brand prescription drugs increased from $2 to $8, and the co-pay for a generic drug remained $2. The contract allows workers $30 for non-formulary drugs, which are not on the Blue Cross prescription list, with employees picking up the rest of the cost. Previously, an employee had to pay the entire price of the non-formulary drug.

Employees may accept an $1,800 annual stipend if they opt out of the city's medical coverage, Hinkson said, adding that will save the city about $5,000 per employee.

Martin Luther King Day was added to the employees' paid holidays, bringing the number to 10, plus three floating paid days off.

Employees hired after May 1 will earn five sick days a year, which can accumulate If used in a year, and more time off is needed, employees can receive 26 weeks of disability pay, which amounts to 67 percent of their base wage, Hinkson said.

Present employees get 15 sick days a year that can accumulate to 180 days; at retirement, they can be paid $25 a day for 155 of them. The same accumulation rule applies to new hires, Hinkson explained.

The average salary for a truck driver/equipment operator is $16.65 an hour, which reflects the first-year pay increase. A custodian would earn $11.19 an hour under the first year of the new contract, Hinkson said.