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District office staff and health specialists urge higher pay as contract talks continue
Summary
Office professionals and district health-care specialists addressed the board during public comment asking for larger wage increases and more flexible allocation of funds amid rising insurance costs and a new paid-family-leave deduction; negotiations continue with a meeting scheduled Oct. 28.
Office professionals and district health-care specialists urged the South Washington County Schools board Thursday to increase the dollar amount the district proposes for their contract group and to allow more flexible allocation of funds across employees.
Jennifer Johansen, an office coordinator who said she has worked in the district 20 years, told the board the district’s current economic proposal includes a 0.5% wage increase and that about 40% of office staff are already at the top of the pay scale. She said the district’s package could translate to roughly $150 to $300 in increased pay for some employees and that a new paid-family-leave payroll deduction of up to 0.44% will begin in January. Johansen said higher insurance costs and the new deduction would leave her paychecks lower than in the prior year, and asked the board to reconsider the district’s allocation for the office-professionals bargaining group.
Joy Gilson, a district procedure nurse and health-care specialist, said the district’s proposal includes a higher hourly rate and an annual stipend for a small portion of the group — she described that subset as roughly 17% of members — and that the stipend could be as much as $15,000 this year depending on step. Gilson said that while she would personally benefit from that part of the proposal, many other members of her bargaining group would see lower pay under the district’s offer and that some colleagues hold multiple jobs to make ends meet. She asked the board to consider a reallocation that benefits more employees across the bargaining unit and noted another negotiations meeting is scheduled for Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. at the District Service Center.
Both speakers asked the board to consider the rising cost of living and rising insurance premiums; Johansen said a family open-access insurance plan has gone from effectively $0 monthly five years ago to nearly $500 monthly now. The speakers invited board members to speak with members of the negotiation team and district employees.
The board did not take action during the public-comment period; negotiation sessions are ongoing.
