Commissioners also agreed to eliminate merit pay increases in favor of automatic 3 percent boosts in each of the next three years. Brantley said employees simply don't trust management, in light of the fact that no merit increases have been given in the past three years. The union offered to give up merit increases when the contract was last negotiated in 1997, as an incentive to have the county back away from scheduling changes managers proposed. The county did scrap the schedule change, but the union's offered concession was not written into the contract. Despite that no merit increases were given.
Managers say that's because the schedule drove up overtime costs.
Commissioner Ray Judah made the motion to award 3 percent instead of merit pay. But I've got to tell you there's a great deal of distrust. This is one time I'm going to deviate, and support the union. Allen Vinyard, district vice president for the county EMTs, said it shows the commissioners understand their plight. E-mail this story to a friend.