The 54 workers at Mirant Corp.’s Bowline power generating plant in West Haverstraw will vote today on a new five-year pact, the union representing the workers said.

A problem printing ballots led to a one-day delay in the vote, which was scheduled for yesterday, said Brian Scott, president of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 503.

The workers are now scheduled to vote at 6:30 p.m., he said.

The union representing 54 workers at Mirant Corp.’s Bowline power generating plant in West Haverstraw have reached a tentative contract agreement, averting a planned strike vote for later today.

The tentative pact, reached at 3 a.m. this morning, provides workers with pay raises, said Brian Scott, president of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 503.

Scott declined to provide other details.

Workers will vote on the new five-year deal Monday at the Knights of Columbus hall on West Broad Street in Haverstraw village, Scott said.

Fifty-four workers at Mirant Corp’s Bowline electricity generating plant in West Haverstraw are likely to strike, the union representing the workers said today.

“As of right now we have nothing that we would recommend for ratification,” said a posting on the Web site of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 503, based in Monroe.

“We are presently waiting on many answers to proposals we have presented,” read the posting, directed at the rank-and-file workers.

“Your committee is doing everything we can to avoid a work stoppage, but unfortunately a strike looks immanent.” (sic)

Minimum-wage workers in some two dozen states get a raise today, as the new federal minimum wage goes into effect.

As of today, the hourly minimum wage is $6.55 an hour, up from the previous $5.85 that had been in effect since July 24, 2007.

The pay raise won’t affect minimum-wage workers in New York state, however. New York, with a wage floor of $7.15 an hour, is one of about two dozen states that has a higher minimum wage than the federal standard.

That will change next year, however, when the federal standard rises again — to $7.25 an hour — unless state lawmakers move to increase the state’s minimum wage again above the federal standard.

The state’s $7.15 an hour minimum wage is matched by neighboring New Jersey. In Connecticut, however, the rate is $7.65 and will rise to $8.25 an hour by 2010, under recently passed legislation.

Teva Pharmaceutical’s $9 billion takeover of Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc., announced Friday, has many Rocklanders concerned of what will become of the 400 well-paying jobs at the company’s Barr Laboratories subsidiary in Pomona.

Reports are already surfacing that the buyout will result in Barr workers losing their jobs, even though the deal won’t close until the fourth quarter.

If you work for Barr or know someone who does, I’d like to hear from you for a story about the fate of the Rockland plant. Reach me by posting a comment to this blog, e-mailing me at dschepp@lohud.com or calling me at 845-578-2437.

Monroe College is introducing a two-year degree program to train students to become pharmacy technicians, who aid in dispensing medications.

The program, developed with an eye toward meeting the demand for skilled pharmacy technicians, will be offered at the school’s campuses in New Rochelle and the Bronx, starting in September.

Currently, there are more than 39,000 job openings each year in the field, the college said, citing statistics from the National Pharmacy Technician Association.

“A projected increase in the number of prescriptions to be written over the next decade, combined with an already existing shortage of pharmacists, makes pharmacy technician one career option that may be recession-proof,” said Dr. Jerry Kostroff, dean of Monroe’s School of Allied Health Professions.

The college will host a pharmacy technician open house Thursday, July 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at both campuses — Milavec Hall, 360 Main St., New Rochelle, and 2501 Jerome Ave., Bronx.

For more information about the Pharmacy Technician Program, call 800-556-6676 or visit the School of Allied Health Professions online at www.monroecollege.edu.

Pace University, which has campuses in Pleasantville, White Plains and Manhattan, has hired Karen Robilotta as vice president for human resources, the university said yesterday.

Before joining Pace, Robilotta was managing director of TD Consulting Group. Among the clients she has worked with are Berkeley College, Columbia University, the Fashion Institute of Technology, the College Board, American Express and Pfizer.

In her new role Robilotta will provide leadership in developing and implementing human-resource programs and benefits.

She lives in Carmel and is the co-author of “Coaching Culture: Hidden Profit,” published by Insight Publishing.

Workers and management at Wyeth Pearl River were recognized by the federal government for their efforts at reducing workplace injury rates 84 percent, at a ceremony this morning at the 580-acre plant.

Edwin G. Foulke Jr., assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration bestowed the site with his agency’s Voluntary Protection Program star award, saying the workers’ commitment to safety means more of them are going home at night uninjured.

In recognition, Foulke presented Wyeth employees with a plaque and a flag, which will fly over the site’s administration building.

Though contract talks continue between management and union officials at Verizon Communications, workers appear likely to OK a strike vote this week ahead of the Aug. 2 expiration of the current contract, reports Crain’s New York Business in a Friday article.

Union workers at Verizon number some 65,000 workers, including 15,000 in the New York City area.

The unions representing the workers, Communication Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, expect to have a tally of votes by week’s end, the report notes.

Given the sorry state of the economy, Verizon workers are standing firm in their demand for higher wages, job protections and fully paid health benefits.

It’s a strategy union officials believe will pan out. Pending regulatory approval, the Manhattan-based company plans to soon introduce its fiber-optic FiOS network in New York City’s five boroughs, a sizeable investment that Verizon wouldn’t want interrupted by a strike.

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Verizon Wireless is holding a job fair Tuesday, July 8, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Yorktown in search of bilingual employees to staff its stores in Westchester, Putnam and Rockland.

A growth in the local Hispanic population is fueling the search for employees who are fluent in both English and Spanish, the company said.

The recruiting event will be held at the Jefferson Valley Mall, 650 Lee Blvd., in the community room, situated behind the upper-level food court.

Both full- and part-time positions are available. Job requirements include one-to-two years of retail sales or service experience. A college degree is highly desirable, the company said.

For more information, go to www.verizonwireless.com/careers.