Butler city employees will get raises this year, but workers also will pay part of their medical insurance premiums.

The union representing the city's paid firefighters already has approved a three-year pact. Representatives of city police and nonuniformed workers were expected to sign the contracts by Friday.

"There is just a little more tweaking and proofreading to be done with those two agreements," according to city clerk Mindy Gall. Butler employs about 77 people, including part-time workers.

The new contract with the firefighters calls for wage increases of 3 percent this year, next year and in 2011.

Police are scheduled to get raises of 3 percent this year, 3.25 percent in 2010 and 3.5 percent in 2011.

Butler's office, parks and streets employees are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME. They are in line to see wage increases of 3 percent for all three years.

All employees will pay a portion of their health insurance costs and see an increase in their deductibles. Those changes will translate into an annual savings for the city of 6.5 percent on its health-insurance costs, Ms. Gall estimated. Workers will continue to be covered through a Highmark plan.

Police have agreed to pay 2 percent of their salaries toward health insurance premiums during all three years of the pact.

Firefighters will pay 2 percent this year, 2.5 percent next year and 3 percent in 2011.

Workers represented by AFSCME will pay 3 percent this year, 3.5 percent next year and 4 percent in 2011.

No employee will pay more than $50 per month toward health insurance premiums.

Employees will see their deductibles, or co-payments, for generic and brand-name medications, doctor visits and hospital visits rise.

Under the terms of the contract, workers can apply for refunds of their co-payments with annual caps of $500 for firefighters and police and $250 for nonuniformed staff.