The county is proposing that ….

The county is proposing that go to 15% in 2022 and after that match the percentage paid by non-represented employees.

Currently sergeants and deputies receive eight hours of pay for New Years Day, President’s Day, 4 hours on Good Friday, December 24, Christmas Day, three personal days, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Memorial Day and the 4th of July.

Another significant change is the addition of new contract language to require a 30-calendar day written notice for intent to retire or voluntarily leave employment with the county. Employees would not be able to use more than two days of vacation or personal leave during that time nor any sick leave without a doctor’s note. Employees who do not follow this will forfeit all vacation and personal day pay and all sick day payout.

Other changes proposed by the county included: Changes to the language for bereavement leave to add flexibility about when leave is taken. Current contract language refers to time immediately before or after a funeral. The proposed language recognizes that due to changing conditions, a funeral may be delayed or a memorial service held at another time.

Clarifying how vacation is pro-rated prior to termination requiring at least 40 hours of work during that month in order to be able to receive credit for that month’s vacation. Under the current contract staff working any hours during the month were credited with that month’s earned vacation.

Revises contract language to use more gender neutral wording and to match updated statute numbers.

The initial offers from the Wisconsin Professional Police Association (WPPA) the unions representing the deputies and sergeants kept much of the existing contract language in place.

Their offers included proposed changes in language for shift differentials. Under the proposal, deputies who work between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. would earn an additional $0.75 per hour for hours worked. Current language is $0.25 more between 6 p.m. and midnight and $0.50 more between midnight and 6 a.m.

The offers also called for two-year contracts effective January 2022 through December 31, 2023.

Neither the county nor the union’s offers included specifics for pay rate for the new contract with all parties’ offers calling for “fair and equitable” wage increases for the term of the contracts.

The biggest potential change is a proposal from the deputy’s union to allow for the switch to a 12-hour shift schedule.

Deputy Robert Donnelly, part of the union negotiation team, explained the goal is to be able to implement it on a trial basis. He said the majority of department employees at both the deputy and sergeant levels supported at least trying it.

Currently, personnel work a schedule of six, 8.5 hour days on followed by three days off. Under the 12-hour shift proposal, shift changes would occur at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. with staff working two days on duty, followed by two days off duty followed by three days on duty followed by two days off duty, followed by two days on duty followed by 3 days off duty. The net result would be each employee working seven 12-hour shifts during a 14-day pay period. While it would be 84 hours of work, only 80 would be paid out with the 4 additional hours banked as straight time to be used as additional paid time off during the year and the ability to carry over 12 hours to the following year.

A major selling point for sheriff’s department staff is that it would guarantee the employees every other weekend off due to the way the schedules work out.

Det. Aemus Balsis, who is part of the union’s negotiation team, said the sergeants union is also in favor of at least trying this change, but had been hesitant to include it in their contract proposal because they were concerned it would look like it was being pushed by the sheriff’s administration.

He said while a majority are in support of trying it, a few do not favor it at all. Committee member Lester Lewis asked if it was possible to say how many agreed with it versus did not. Balsis said all three sergeants favor it and there were three deputies who opposed it, noting one of those has talked about retiring in early 2022.

Detectives would not be impacted by the change and would remain on the five days on, two days off schedule.

Following the exchange of initial offers, the meeting went into closed session for the negotiation process.