By Joseph Bustos
Belleville News-Democrat
BELLEVILLE, Ill. — St. Clair County Board members on Monday are scheduled to vote on a new labor agreement with the sheriff’s department correctional officers union.
The proposed three-year contract calls for a 2 percent salary increase for this year, a 2 percent pay increase for 2016, and 3 percent increase for 2017.
Paid holidays will be for 12 hours of pay instead of 8 hours, under the proposal, and the clothing allowance is increasing to $786 from $286.
“A lot of these are keeping them in parity with the deputies,” said Brian Manion, an attorney working for the county during the negotiations.
Under the proposal, all new correctional officers hired after the deal is approved would be unsworn personnel. Currently all correctional officers are sworn officers. The move to unsworn positions would save the county money on its pension contributions, Manion said.
New hires would be under the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund pensions system, which requires a smaller employer contribution from the county, instead of the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Pension system.
Manion estimated once all the correctional officers become unsworn, through attrition, the move could save the county $250,000 a year.
“From the point of view of the county it would be a big cost savings,” Manion said.
The proposed contract includes a one-time $3,000 signing bonus for each correctional officer in the union when the bargaining agreement is executed, according to county documents.
“This is an enticement for the agreement to go forward with the unsworn, because that’s a big change in the status quo,” Manion said.
The union representing the roughly 50 correctional officers has approved the deal, Manion said.
Under the proposal, a correctional officer working on probationary period would be paid $39,337 for 2015. An officer with one year on the job, would be paid $49,470.
To attend
What: St. Clair County Board
When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
Where: St. Clair County Courthouse, 10 Public Square, Belleville, Room B-564.
Copyright 2015 the Belleville News-Democrat