Negotiator clarifies union position

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HURON – Negotiations on wage and insurance issues between Beadle County and an employee union actually came close to an agreement, but both sides mutually declared an impasse so a mediator can step in, a labor representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 65 said.
The county had been offering a $75 per month increase on insurance and a 1 percent wage increase for workers. In a news release, the county said the union was asking for a $200 per month increase on insurance and a 3 percent raise.
But Tim Hoss said while AFSCME had made that offer during the course of negotiations, its last offer before impasse was actually for a $100 per month increase for insurance and a 1 percent wage increase.
The offer was rejected by the county and the impasse was declared, he said.
“We welcome the county’s decision to file for conciliation with the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation and are optimistic that we will be able to reach a middle ground in the near future,” Hoss said in a statement.

In the news release, Beadle County Commission Chairman Tom Hansen said it is the county’s position that it’s not sustainable to have employee wages outpacing county income by a significant amount.
However, he did say the county is aware of the need to maintain quality employees and to compensate them fairly. He referred to a 2015 wage study that indicates that county employees, in many cases, are either equal to or exceed wages of similarly situated county employees in the state.
Hoss said the county’s share of insurance costs has increased by $50 since 2011.
Many employees are left with the choice of paying more than $200 per month toward their premiums or a plan with a $5,000 deductible, he said.
“Neither is a preferable choice,” Hoss said.
“We appreciate that the county is not in a sustainable position, but we did offer multiple cost-cutting solutions that would have funded our proposed increases in insurance payments and wage adjustments,” he said.
Union members work in the highway department and the courthouse.
Not included are elected officials, the positions of director of equalization, welfare director, emergency management director, veteran’s service officer, weed supervisor, deputy state’s attorney, victim-witness coordinator, sheriff’s deputies, highway superintendent and all temporary and seasonal employees.