MONROE - The Green County Board passed a tentative agreement Tuesday, Jan. 14 to change specifics in the Green County Sheriff's collective bargaining agreement that will lift some of the financial burden on full-time employees by slightly increasing wages to offset health insurance costs employees are required to pay.
One change to the current plan, according to Green County Corporation Counsel Brian Bucholtz, is excluding clerical staff and dispatchers from the plan because they are mostly part-time employees. Full-time employees will now receive three free personal days instead of two, which coincides with the rest of county employees. Because of changes in state collective bargaining laws since the last contract, the county is nowprohibited from paying into employee's health insurance more than 88 percent, which means full-time employees will now have to pay in to their health insurance up to 12 percent. Employees of the Green County Sheriff's Departmentwill now be paying into the Wisconsin Retirement System in increments of 3 percent from their salary this year and adding up to 6 percent by July 1.
Under the agreement, full-time sheriff's employees will see a 2-percent pay increase starting this year, an additional 2 percent by Oct. 22, and a final 2 percent by Jan. 1, 2015. The final monetary change suggested in the bargaining agreement is a clothing allowance and a shift increase between $.05 and $.10 per hour. Bucholtz calculated the overall cost of the pay increase and clothing allowance would add up to about $9,900 per year.
The two-year agreement would end Dec. 31, 2015. The previous plan was a three-year contract that expired Jan. 1, 2013.
The board unanimously passed the measure at its January meeting. Final approval is expected at the board's Feb. 11 meeting.
One change to the current plan, according to Green County Corporation Counsel Brian Bucholtz, is excluding clerical staff and dispatchers from the plan because they are mostly part-time employees. Full-time employees will now receive three free personal days instead of two, which coincides with the rest of county employees. Because of changes in state collective bargaining laws since the last contract, the county is nowprohibited from paying into employee's health insurance more than 88 percent, which means full-time employees will now have to pay in to their health insurance up to 12 percent. Employees of the Green County Sheriff's Departmentwill now be paying into the Wisconsin Retirement System in increments of 3 percent from their salary this year and adding up to 6 percent by July 1.
Under the agreement, full-time sheriff's employees will see a 2-percent pay increase starting this year, an additional 2 percent by Oct. 22, and a final 2 percent by Jan. 1, 2015. The final monetary change suggested in the bargaining agreement is a clothing allowance and a shift increase between $.05 and $.10 per hour. Bucholtz calculated the overall cost of the pay increase and clothing allowance would add up to about $9,900 per year.
The two-year agreement would end Dec. 31, 2015. The previous plan was a three-year contract that expired Jan. 1, 2013.
The board unanimously passed the measure at its January meeting. Final approval is expected at the board's Feb. 11 meeting.