Friday, April 15, 2011
County approves collective bargaining salary agreement for law enforcement
Under the terms of the two-and-a-half-year agreement, which will be effective as of April 1, 2011, base salaries will increase a total of $605,796, which includes $179,000 for the remainder of FY 2011
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Press release
Laureen Chernow | Hays County Communications Specialist
laureen.chernow@co.hays.tx.us Office: 512.393.2296
San Marcos, TX – At its regular Tuesday meeting April 12, Hays County Commissioners Court approved the collective bargaining agreement between the County and law enforcement officers who fall under the terms of the agreement. Voters approved collective bargaining for County law enforcement officers after law enforcement groups gathered the required number of names on petitions to have it added to the November 2008 ballot.
Under the new agreement, which goes into effect for the April 1, 2011 pay period, the County replaces the current “step” program for law enforcement that awarded a four percent annual raise with a new plan that aligns salaries with years of service and brings starting salaries closer to the market minimum for counties with similar population and growth.
Hays County law enforcement and correction officers’ salaries were an average of approximately seven percent below market minimum, and the County brought the suggested increase to the bargaining table in order to better attract and retain law enforcement officers. Law enforcement negotiated for a pay plan that took into account years of service, which members of its bargaining team felt is a better reflection of an officer’s monetary valuation.
Under the terms of the three-year contract, 79 (33 percent) of the 236 employee positions bound by the agreement will see no increase in pay for FY 2011. Others will see an increase ranging from $22 per year to in one case more than $15,000. The average law enforcement deputy increase under this contract for the first year is 3.3 percent and the average correction officer increase for the first year is 4.05 percent.
Taking into consideration all positions, the agreement led to an average 3.52 percent increase. In years two and three of the contract, employees covered by the agreement will see a two percent raise in pay.
At the beginning of FY 2011, which began October 1, 2010, the full-year payroll for those law enforcement officers in the collective bargaining unit was set at $10,197,258. Under the terms of the two-and-a-half-year agreement, which will be effective as of April 1, 2011, base salaries will increase a total of $605,796, which includes $179,000 for the remainder of FY 2011 (which is included in the FY 2011 budget), $211,118 for FY 2012 and $215,341 for FY 2013.
All new peace officers hired will start at the new minimum salary for a Hays County position regardless of any previous experience. Effective April 1, starting salary for a deputy is $42,719 and $31,879 for a correction officer. Officers who take on field training of new employees will receive an additional $1.20 per hour for the training period.
In Hays County, certified peace officers in the Sheriff’s Office and Constables’ Offices, such as deputies, corrections officers and investigators, will work under the new plan except for elected officials. Retirement and health benefits remain the same as for other County employees. Several certified peace officers in the District Attorney’s Office, the Fire Marshal’s Office and Development Services are not considered members of the bargaining unit for collective bargaining purposes.
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14 comments:
We don't pay our peace officers enough. It is time they get a decent wage for putting their lives on the line everyday for all of us. Thank you to all who serve, without them we would live in chaos. Our Hays county sheriff's dept is one of the best.
Merry M., maybe you could share your information with us as to how much we actually pay our peace officers. I don’t seem to remember a mass exodus of Deputies from Hays County. It is possible they are paid about right with benefits and all, or there would be a shortage of deputies. Unions for government workers are a bad thing, especially if they have the right to strike.
Peace officers salary's are public knowledge. You can look them up on line.
I have many peace officer friends and several family members who currently are or have been peace officers. I know first hand what they go through and how they struggle with decisions to stay in the public sector or move to the private sector where they can make higher salaries. In some cases the pay is double what they make in the public sector.
Thank God most decide to make the sacrifice and stay with the public jobs. Also their families deserve our support for the sacrifices and verbal barbs they endure (like the comments made by 'Karl' above).
I am not a fan of unions but I support any group that will help these officers get the pay they need and deserve.
As to a mass exodus and shortage of Deputies - there has been no mass exodus that I am aware of and most police and sheriff's departments are always looking for "qualified" officers. Not just anyone can be licensed as a peace officer.
Texas is a right to work state which means that you can not require all of your employees to belong to a union therefor if there is a strike it is unlikely that all officers would be affected by a strike order.
I hope this helped "Anonymous".
Deputies start out at 42k. So is Merry saying that in the private sector they would make 84k. I dont think so.
"Unions for government workers are a bad thing.."
That's true, especially since the Republicans want to dismantle all government services and turn everything over to corporate big brother. Unions put up roadblocks to such nonsense.
And wait a few more years until the police and firefighters finally realize that the Republicans are going to eventually re-structure their careers into privatized low-paying, meager benefits jobs. It is just around the corner - just as we have seen with prisons for the most part.
We saw what happen in Wisconsin. The Governor lied to the police/firefighters and got their union support for the election and then cut their collective bargaining legs right out from under under them once the Gov was elected.
Texas is one of the next states to do the same thing.
How do you know what the private sector pays anonymous? I said in some cases not in all private sector jobs. Also not all peace officer jobs start at 42K some positions are less; like corrections officers who start at around 32K. They need to make a living wage too.
Ok Merry, tell me where a junior deputy starting at 42k in Hays County can make 84k in private sector. He probably has a highschool diploma or a ged so just where is this job that he could make 84k? The answer is that it does not exist and he is probably making twice what he could get in the private sector.
Oh and Merry, where is that jailer going to make 64k in the private sector? The qualifications for his job are less than that of a deputy. Jailers at the Kyle private sector prison/treatment center make around $10/hr. Thats about 21k.
I am not going to argue with an anonymous poster. I could point you in the right direction to find the answers to your questions but I do not know where you are coming from so I will not respond.
You have a nice Easter, or Passover or whatever you celebrate. I hope to meet you someday and continue this conversation.
Merry, you make a bonehead statement trying to suck up to the Sheriff’s Department and then can’t or won’t provide information to backup your claims. This is the point of a forum or Blog of this type, be prepared to justify your statements. If you are not willing to do so, pick another hobby.
Hey, people, I don't think Merry M. is "sucking up to the Sheriff's Department." She is just passionate about the need for our public security forces to be paid a fair wage for their services.
And Anonymous of April 18, 8:14 PM makes a very telling point:
"Jailers at the Kyle private sector prison/treatment center make around $10/hr. Thats about 21k."
Herein lies the crux of my previous point. The Republican Party tax and budget slashers are trying to use the anger and fear around our national budget crisis to turn all of our public sector jobs into the same type of privatized low paid, meager benefits compensation that we see offered by the likes of for profit publicly-traded prison corporations such as Wackenhut or CCA.
Don't be fooled into turning your personal finance anger toward public sector employees and educators because you have allowed the bought and paid for duopoly political party system to turn your American Dream free enterprise fair wage trust into a fiscal nightmare.
The truth is our public sector employees are getting a fair wage (and nothing more) - while the private sector elite is trashing the ability of American families to earn a decent living by sending your jobs overseas and creating recessions to absorb more of the national wealth.
Be angry at the real problem: Republican and Democratic Party politicians who say they are working to support your values - when they are really just making it easier for the rich and the corporate elite to continue to chip away at your personal dignity.
Thank you Rocky.
I stand by my statement that we need to pay our peace officers a living wage. Corporate security pays 25% and up (double for executive level positions) to lure good public servants away from their public sector jobs. I don't think we could match these salaries but we need to make public sector jobs more competitive in order to attract and keep the best candidates for the job.
Peace officers must have at least associate level degrees or higher.
Anonymous has a low opinion of the educational levels of our officers. Both of my family members who held and currently hold peace officer positions have Bachelor degrees in Criminal Justice.
Also why would I "suck up to the sheriff's department". I have no need to. That is an insult to the sheriff's department ethics.
Merry, simply go to the treasurers office and take a look at end of year total compensation for all levels. You will find that most leos gross 60+ with more than a few at 80+. You try to deceive when you quote salary range. It is total compensation that matters.
And NO, our deputies would not have qualifications to do corporate security,but their compensation matches corporate security field staff.
And by the way, isnt 42k a living wage in your book? If not, there are a lot of people working for Hays County that arent making a living wage. Again, when you look at total compensation for that 42k job, it come out to be around 60K.
Teachers, accountants, other degreed persons all start at 42k or below. Most deputies do not have the BS degrees you mentioned, but they get compensated just a well as someone who does.
Lets just tell it like it is instead of moaning about the poor, underpaid deputy.
Merry M. said...
“I stand by my statement that we need to pay our peace officers a living wage. Corporate security pays 25% and up (double for executive level positions) to lure good public servants away from their public sector jobs.”
Have you ever heard that “You will earn what your labor is worth”. If those “good public servants” could qualify for the higher paying “Corporate” jobs they would take them. Since I am the employer in this case I say as long as the ones we have now do a fair job I do not feel they should make more, even if they use the coercive tactics of Unions. If they ever strike, I would favor firing every one of them. We don’t need to let the inmates run the asylum.
God forbid we ever decide to pay them by their belt size.
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