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Unions still in negotiations with county
No resolutions have been reached
Originally published 04:30 p.m., November 21, 2009
Updated 08:05 a.m., November 23, 2009
Negotiations with the two unions over Freeborn County union employees are continuing, though none have been resolved yet, Administrator John Kluever said Wednesday.
Teamsters
Kluever said the three units under the Teamsters union — which includes patrol deputies, correctional officers and correctional sergeants in the Freeborn County jail — turned down a recent proposal brought during mediation.
Though limited on what he could say, Kluever said the mediator and two representatives — the Freeborn County attorney and the union representative — will now come together one last time to see if they can reach an agreement and avoid arbitration.
John Kluever
For those units, the issues boiled down to economics, he said.
“They were given a proposal about the economics in terms of the benefit package,” Kluever said. “Both sides aren’t in total agreement on that issue.”
AFSCME
County leaders have met with AFSCME, or the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, twice and will next meet Dec. 9 to discuss outstanding issues, he said.
This union is over the Freeborn County Department of Human Services employees.
The big issues left for this negotiation include clarification of contract language, an issue about vacation accrual and what will happen if Department of Human Services units around the state are regionalized, he said.
The classic issues of wages and insurance have not even been discussed, Kluever said.
Non-union employees
At the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners meeting Nov. 3, the commissioners voted to pay 75 percent of the health insurance premium increase for non-union employees who have the Health Savings Account and Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association plan.
For non-union employees on the high deductible plan, the commissioners voted to pay none of the increase.
Kluever said the commissioners will soon vote on what to do with wages for non-union employees, as well as elected officials.
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