Warwick state representative Joseph Trillo (R-Warwick) said Friday he plans to introduce a bill that would prevent communities from paying employees bonuses for not taking sick time in future contracts.

“It’s not sustainable. The contracts that are out there with provisions like these are just killing the taxpayer,” said Trillo.

“This is an abuse of the process. It’s been going on for years. The unions are used to getting these perks, but it’s one of many that they need to let go of, especially in this economic climate.”

The Beacon recently reported that in March of 2009, using complicated formulas that pay firefighters for not taking sick days off on both a yearly basis and at their retirement, city taxpayers paid firefighters about $531,000.

In December of last year, the city paid municipal employees, which don’t work for the fire or police department, about $163,000 for not taking sick time.

Mayor Scott Avedisian recently told a Providence Journal reporter that he would not pay the bonus to his municipal management employees next year, a move that will reportedly save taxpayers about $54,000.

Bonuses paid to public sector workers for unused sick time are relatively common in communities throughout Rhode Island. Johnston Democrat Mayor Joseph Polisena, when asked about the issue, said his community also offers a similar benefit.

Polisena said that it’s hard for mayors like himself and Avedisian to remove the benefit from contracts, because the union, using binding arbitration for leverage, expects something in return for agreeing to give up the benefit. At best, the situation winds up as a wash for taxpayers, said Polisena.

With that in mind, Polisena said he’d support legislation to eliminate the benefit in future labor deals.

“We can no longer afford it. What once was done needs to be looked at again. We need to rethink how we do business,” said Polisena.

Trillo said he wasn’t sure if the bill would pass, but hopes legislators will at least consider it. Outside of Governor Donald Carceiri, Trillo may be one of organized labor’s least favorite people involved in state government. Trillo said he routinely introduces bills to reform labor law, but has had little success getting them past the Democrat-dominated legislature.

The bill may see a better chance of passing on the municipal level.

Warwick Councilman Steve Merolla (Ward-9), who has taken the lead on this issue, said he’s considering introducing legislation on the local level that would remove the benefit from future contracts—particularly if the bill doesn’t pass on the state level.

Merolla said he’d work to build support with the other members of the Democrat-controlled city council before moving forward.