Schuylkill County commissioners on Wednesday approved a new four-year contract with the 49 prison employees, members of the Teamsters Local Union 429.

The contract covers 45 full-time correctional officers, three maintenance workers and one secretary.It allows the use of part-time correctional officers for the first time in about 15 years, a move that county Human Resources Director Martina Chwastiak said would save more than $250,000 a year.Last year, the county paid about $257,000 in overtime for correctional officers.The part-time officers would be paid less and because their work week would be under 30 hours, would not receive health benefits.Health insurance, at about $18,000 to $20,000 per employee, is one of the county's biggest expenses, Chwastiak said."That's a huge savings for the county," she said.The county stopped hiring part-time corrections officers in 2000, said Warden Eugene Berdanier."We've been trying for many years to get that back for the cost savings," he said.It has yet to be determined how many part-timers will be hired, and when.The contract also includes 3 percent wage increases in each of the four years.The maximum pay rates for correctional officers under the new contract will be $24.05 per hour this year, $24.77 next year, $24.52 in 2017, and $26.28 in 2018, the final year of the contract.The maximum rates for maintenance workers and secretaries will be $19.64 per hour this year, $20.22 next year, $20.83 in 2017, and $21.46 in 2018.New employees start out at 75 percent of these figures, then in six months, they earn 85 percent of the maximum rate, and after two years, achieve the full maximum rates.Before the new contract, employees would achieve the maximum rates after one year.It also increases the employees' insurance co-pays.The co-pay for correctional officers at the maximum pay rate is now $106.30, rising to $185.87 per month in 2018.The co-pays are 2.5 percent of base pay this year, 3 percent next year, 3.5 percent in 2017, and 4 percent in 2018.In 2014, the co-pay was 2 percent of an employee's base pay.The pact is retroactively effective to Jan. 1, 2015 and expires on Dec. 31, 2018. The previous pact expired on Dec. 31, 2014.Berdanier said contract talks were actually being prepared in September 2014" to avoid arbitration."Commissioners George Halcovage and chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier said they gave credit to solicitor Al Marshall and the negotiating team."All seven contracts are now settled, while being respectful of the union members and the taxpayers," Halcovage said.However, there is no break time coming: Officials have now begun negotiating a new contract for court employees.