T-R PHOTO BY ADAM SODDERS – Jon Thomas, representing Teamsters Union Local 238, explains the union’s initial proposal for jailers and deputies at the sheriff’s office to the county supervisors Tuesday. Marshall County Chief Deputy Joel Phillips listens in the background.

The initial collective bargaining proposal for county jailers and deputies was at the center of discussion at Tuesday’s Marshall County Board of Supervisors meeting.

The last contract between Teamsters Union Local 238, which represents the jailers and deputies, and the county expires at the end of this fiscal year, so a new one needs to be negotiated.

Teamsters business agent Jon Thomas outlined the union’s initial proposal, which included tweaks to jailer and deputy pay scales and a small change in daily hours for jailers. Thomas proposed changing both sets of workers’ pay scales from the current system of a pay raise step every other year to one step per year worked.

“I only have one other contract out of my 31 that has multiple year wage scales,” Thomas said.

The change from a pay raise step every other year to every year would award the raises at a smaller amount, but more frequently than the current system. The proposed scale would also bump up the starting wages for both deputies and jailers.

Thomas said that bump is important when it comes to being competitive, especially on the deputy side. Marshall County is competing with nearby metro departments for the same candidates.

“Marshall County, for cost of living and what deputies make is not bad. You can have a comfortable living here with what deputies get paid,” he said, but added “For example, the starting wage in the metro is $58,000. I realize this isn’t the metro, but you’re all competing for the same people. It sounds silly, but it’s really nice to have $50,300 on your starting wage and not $48,200 when you’re competing for folks.”

Under the proposed wage scale, the top-earning jailers would be eligible for a $53,152.31 per year salary and top-earning deputies a 65,472.73 salary.

Board Vice Chairman Dave Thompson said Marshall County is not the only department having issues staying competitive, with deputies not staying at one department as long as in previous years.

“We have a very transient workforce,” Thompson said.

Thomas agreed and said there has been more turnover at the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office in the last three years than in the prior 15 years or so. He emphasized that was not a reflection of Sheriff Steve Hoffman’s leadership, but instead a factor many departments across Iowa deal with.

For jailers, Thomas also proposed reducing built-in “overlap” time of 30 minutes down to 15 minutes. That overlap time was put into the most recent contract to allow some flexibility for jailers coming on or off their shift, but Thomas said 15 minutes would be plenty of time to allow for overlap.

The supervisors voted to go into a closed session to discuss collective bargaining strategy at Tuesday’s meeting, an action allowed under Iowa Code Chapter 20.

The next Marshall County Board of Supervisors meeting is set for 9:05 a.m. Oct. 1.

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Contact Adam Sodders at 641-753-6611 or asodders@timesrepublican.com