Board approves three‑year SEIU contract to raise benefits, add longevity and retention pay

The Mariposa County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 7 approved a three‑year memorandum of understanding with the Service Employees International Union effective Nov. 1, 2025, by a 5‑0 vote.

The agreement increases flexible‑benefit allowances for employee medical coverage, adds a shift differential adjustment for dispatch staff, creates a 10% incentive for animal control officers who earn an advanced POST certificate and increases longevity pay at 10, 15 and 20 years to help retain long‑service employees.

County Administrative Officer Joe Lynch said the contract was negotiated cooperatively and aimed at retention: "I'd like to thank members of SEIU for a, well spirited and well negotiated, negotiations on this memorandum of understanding." Lynch noted that medical premiums have risen substantially in recent years and that the flexible‑benefit changes were intended to offset that increase.

The MOU raises the flexible benefit for employee‑only and family plans to better match market increases; Lynch gave historical context, saying an employee‑plus‑one Kaiser plan paid $1,200 in 2016 and has risen substantially since then. The agreement also restores an additional week of annual leave at 15 years’ service and expands longevity steps tied to base pay as a retention tool.

County staff said the increases will be budgeted and that the auditor was authorized to increase appropriations to affected budget units. Lynch told the board the county currently has roughly 52 open positions and that retention incentives are an important tool to avoid repeated hiring churn.

The vote followed a brief public comment period during which local residents and a retired union carpenter spoke about health‑care negotiating leverage in other union contexts and urged coordinated bargaining where feasible.

The board’s motion to approve the MOU was made and seconded by board members; the vote was 5‑0 in favor.

The MOU will return to county staff for implementation steps including appropriation adjustments and administrative processing.

The agreement does not change represented employees’ classification system; it changes pay and benefit schedules and implements the negotiated language agreed by the county and SEIU.