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Board debates court-staff raises, agrees to 3% for affected unit; broader negotiations flagged
Summary
Commissioners debated pay equity after court staff received a paid day off (counted at ~0.5%). The board recorded a roll-call vote on a 3% increase and instructed staff and judges to join broader negotiations next year to resolve unit differences.
Alger County commissioners spent extensive discussion on a wage reopener involving court staff after the court staff received an additional paid day off that participants calculated as roughly 0.5 percent of pay.
One commissioner recommended granting a 3% raise to the court staff for the coming year while noting that this does not resolve cross‑unit parity and that a multi‑party negotiation including judges and other unions will be required next year. A speaker representing workers and office managers argued the pay differences were acute: "the state of Michigan is valuing the administrative assistant and the public defender's office at $25.12 an hour; my office manager who supervises another employee and has been working here for close to 25 years makes $24 an hour," the speaker said, urging board action to keep staff from leaving for nearby jurisdictions.
A motion to authorize a 3% adjustment was made, seconded, and recorded by roll call. The clerk read votes from commissioners and the board recorded four votes in favor and one against. Commissioners asked staff to bring clearer documentation and to prepare for a structured negotiation next fiscal year involving judges and affected bargaining units.
Board members emphasized that the 3% was intended as an interim step, not a comprehensive fix. Several commissioners asked human-resources staff to present comparative pay data and to clarify how the added paid day affects bargaining units before next round of bargaining.
